Teach Science Objects & Gravity for High School Experiments
Science Objects and Gravity is a section in high school curriculum that deals with the way that gravity impacts objects. Objects and Gravity is not always referred to in this way. Sometimes it is called Gravity Study, and sometimes just the Study of Gravity. No matter what it is called, it is a way for teachers to help students understand what gravity does to objects, and what the properties of gravity are.
Instructions
1. Find a tall surface that students can safely stand on. You could use the roof of a one-story building, or even a sturdy table top or risers or bleachers. You only need about five feet of space, but you can use a taller object.
2. Talk to the students about the rate of free fall, or how gravity acts on objects. The rate of free fall is 9.8 m/s/s. This is how quickly gravity is pulling the objects to the earth. If objects encounter no resistance, they will fall at that rate. All objects fall at that rate, except for those that have resistance working on them.
3. Show the students the three objects, the baseball, the pebble, and the feather. Ask them to guess which object will hit the ground first if they are all dropped at the same time. Most students will guess the baseball, followed by the pebble, followed by the feather.
4. Have a student drop the three objects off of the surface. Watch what happens. All three objects should hit at the same time. The feather might not; if there is wind pressure, any breeze at all, or any heaviness in the air, the feather will fall more slowly.
5. Discuss the free fall rate of 9.8 m/s/s, and how it affects objects. The students should notice that the baseball and pebble fell at the same rate, although the baseball was bigger and heavier than the pebble. This is because gravity works on all objects at the same rate, no matter how heavy they are. Discuss what it was about the feather that made it take longer. Talk about the friction of the air acting upon the feather, and how that impacted the rate of fall. As friction acted upon each of the tiny hairs on the feather, it slowed them down and caused the feather to fall at slower than free-fall speeds.
6. Get the feather wet, which should reduce the way that the air currents act upon it. Then try the experiment again and see if it falls at the same rate.
7. The students should discuss the way that they saw free fall demonstrated--first in the baseball and the pebble, and then in the feather when the resistance was removed. Tie this into other aspects of free fall--someone parachuting before they open up their parachute, for instance. The parachute creates friction to slow the person down, and they are no longer at free fall speeds. Discuss the idea that gravity is a force that you cannot see on its own, but you can see the effect it has on objects. Have students record what they have learned in their science journals or in their notebooks.
Related posts
Although it is weak, gravity holds the galaxy together.Gravity is an essential force in the universe, responsible for holding the solar system together and keeping people's feet firmly on the grou...
Downhill skiing is a real-life example of the effects of gravity.Gravity is a complex concept, but the simpler aspects can be presented to preschoolers in engaging ways. Keep in mind the age and d...
Using just two different sized and weighted balls, you can reenact Galileo's famous experiment demonstrating "universal attraction" on all objects. This is an ideal and fun science proje...
Science lessons involving the moon are exciting for children.People have always looked into the night sky with wonder at the luminous globe that is the moon. Since Neil Armstrong took the first sm...
Use scientific experimentation to nurture young children's natural curiosity.Using science experiments with preschoolers is a way to enhance and develop the natural curiosity of young children. De...
