Lesson 83 of 84 · Energy
Lesson⭐ 30 XP⚡ Spark LabAir Resistance and Drag (Part 3)
Air Resistance and Drag (Part 3).
🎯 Your mission
Understand the idea. Then look for it everywhere.
⚡ The twist
Energy never disappears — it just hides somewhere else.
Mind = Blown
🎢 You feel weightless on a roller coaster because you and the seat are falling at the same speed.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you start: which will move faster, and why?
What You'll Learn
Air resistance, also called drag, is a force that pushes against objects moving through the air. A falling feather drifts down slowly because air resistance acts on its wide surface, while a compact stone meets less drag and falls faster.
Key Words
Tap a word to see its definition.
Steps
Read about Energy and write down three key facts.
Set up a pendulum with string and a washer. Change the string length and count swings per minute for each. Graph your results.
Note any unexpected results and think about why they happened.
Share your findings with the class or a partner and discuss what you learned.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3Which is an example of potential energy?
Where you see this in real life
This is why airplanes can fly and why rockets reach space.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
This week, find one thing in your house that turns one kind of energy into another.
For the dinner table
“Show me something at home that uses this kind of energy.”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Checkout complete lesson on Energy for 7th Grade
Get the full Energy track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.