August 21

Force and Motion

I asked these third grade students to repeat the physics investigations we did in class, so I could record them in slow motion. All three of these investigations illustrate the concept of inertia- an object at rest tends to stay at rest until an outside force acts upon it (Newton’s first law).  Vocabulary included mass, gravity, friction, and force.

Click on each link below.

Can you whip off a tablecloth without the dishes coming with it?  Why?
Investigation 1

A hex nut is on top of the yellow ring.  How can you move the ring and make the hex nut fall into the bottle?
Investigation 2

A golf ball is on top of a toilet paper tube which is on top of a tray.  How can you get the golf ball to fall into the cup of water without touching it? Why doesn’t it sail off with the pie plate?
Investigation 3

If you repeat the tablecloth investigation, make sure the tablecloth doesn’t have a hem. 🙂

I demonstrated this one too.  I hit the side of the tray which had more mass and the three balls fell into the glasses.  It is fun to try this with eggs. It is all about inertia!


Posted August 21, 2015 by pbright2 in category Science

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