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Lesson 4 of 84 ยท Forces and Motion

Lessonโญ 30 XPโšก Spark Lab

Gravity: The Force That Pulls

๐ŸงชLab Brief #4

Forces and Motion.

๐ŸŽฏ Your mission

Understand the idea. Then look for it everywhere.

โšก The twist

Speed isn't the same as force. Don't mix them up.

๐Ÿคฏ

Mind = Blown

๐Ÿ”ฅ A bolt of lightning is 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.

๐Ÿ”ฎ

Make a hypothesis first

Guess: where does the energy go?

What You'll Learn

Gravity is the force that pulls objects toward each other. On Earth, gravity pulls everything toward the center of the planet, giving objects their weight.

Key Words

  • friction
  • inertia

Steps

Step 1 โ€” Read

Review the background information on Forces and Motion before starting.

Step 2 โ€” Do

Construct a catapult from popsicle sticks and rubber bands. Launch a marshmallow from different angles and measure the distance. Find the angle that gives the longest launch.

Step 3 โ€” Observe

Look for patterns in your observations.

Step 4 โ€” Record

Make a graph or chart showing your results.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

What causes an object to accelerate?

๐ŸŒ

Where you see this in real life

You use this every time you flip a light switch, ride a bike, or kick a ball.

๐Ÿ†

Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Time how long a small ball rolls down something, then change the slope and try again.

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘ง

For the dinner table

โ€œShow me something at home that uses this kind of energy.โ€

๐ŸŽฏ

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

๐ŸงชShare card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

๐Ÿ–จ๏ธ

Checkout complete lesson on Forces and Motion for 3rd Grade

Get the full Forces and Motion track as a printable PDF โ€” all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.

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