Understanding Forces and Motion - Activities

NC Standard:  4.01

Activity:  Speed

Question: How does the motion of an object change over a distance?

Vocabulary: speed

Materials:
1 small marble
1 meter length tube (foam insulation for water pipes cut in half lengthwise)
a meter stick

Procedure:

• 1.  Stack your Social Studies book on top of your Science book on the floor.
• 2.  Place one end of the tube on the top book and one end on the floor.
• 3.  Release the small marble from the line on the tube that is halfway up the tube.
• 4.  Measure the distance from the end of the tube to where the marble stopped in centimeters.
• 5.  Repeat steps 3 and 4 four times.
• 6.  Release the small marble from the line on the tube that is at the top the tube.
• 7.  Measure the distance from the end of the tube to where the marble stopped in centimeters.
• 8.  Repeat steps 6 and 7 four times.
• 9.  Record all results.
• 10.  Using Excel graph your results.

Further Questions:  What will happen when you release a small marble at the marked line on the tube which is halfway up the tube? What will happen when you release a small marble at the marked line that is at the top of the tube?

Observations:

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Conclusions:
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Line of Learning:  This line is drawn to provide students with a space to share their experimental learning in words or pictures.
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