Force, mass, and movement
Contents Overview
Introduction
This page includes activities related to force, mass, and movement.
Subtopics include: energy, conservation of energy, potential energy, kinetic energy motion, speed, slope, mass, height, gravity, friction, and Newton's Laws.
- Motion unit with plans & activities
- Gravity friction & motion unit plans & activities
- Relative position & motion plans & activities
- Investigation directory
Ramps, incline planes, & down hill runs
Will it get up the hill?
- Challenge learners to collect data to show a relationship between the release height or a vehicle or ball and the height to which the ball or vehicle will climb up the other side of the valley or U shaped run.
- Set up a U shaped track.
- Consider only vertical distance when making the measurements
- Measure to the nearest centimeter
- Decide on test run heights: select three - 10 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm, 40 cm, 50 cm, 60 cm
- Record: release height
- Record: climb height
- Review the data
- Graph the data
- Make a rule for how high a ball needs to be released to make it over a hill that is a certain height.
- Explain why or how your rule works.
Activities with K'Nex - include
- Down Hill Crash and Slide
- Down Hill Long Track
- Down Hill Runs from Different Heights
- Double Down Hill Vibrations
Will it make the turn?
- Challenge learners to collect data to show the relationship between the kind of turn and the speed of the ball.
- Create three kinds of turns with a track.
- Can measure the diameter: 10 cm, 20 cm 30 cm and the angle of the turn 30 degrees, 45, degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees ...
- Insert each corner and release the ball from three heights: 10 cm, 30 cm, 50 cm
- Repeat with each of the other corners.
- Record the data: type of corner, height, results
- Review the data
- Chart the data
- What is the difference in the corners A, B, and C?
- Make a rule for safe corners on coasters or ball runs.
How fast is fast?
- Challenge learners to collect data to determine the speed of a ball or vehicle as it moves across a smooth surface or track.
- Release a vehicle or ball from a point marked on a ramp
- Determine how to releases it so it rolls approximately the same speed each time
- Determine three distances and place markers: 100 cm 200 cm 300 cm
- Find the time that it takes the vehicle or ball to reach each of the distance markers.
- Do two or three time measurements for each distance.
- Record the data: time to reach each distance marker.
- Average the times and calculate the average speed in cm/s
- Was the ball’s speed constant? Explain.
- Use your data to determine a pattern to predict the speed of the ball at different distances or started higher up the ramp.
- Justify your answer.
Ball runs, & roller coasters - which complete a circular coarse
- Roller coaster activities
- Ball run track
- Rocket Coaster picture album and video - a K'Nex rocket coaster is a motorized roller coaster set.
Simple Machines and other ideas
- Simple machines with K'Nex - include equal arm balance, free pulley system, inclined plane with wood ramp, gears & screw & auger
Structures and bridges