What do we know about forces?

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What do we know about forces?
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1. Exploration

• In which direction did
  the toy person fall?
• Why did this happen?
• What do you think gravity is?
• Can you agree on an idea or rule about what
  happens to an object when you drop it?
• Would your rule work in Australia?

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2. Hands together

• What happens when your partner pushes against
  your hand?
• What happens if you do nothing in return? What
  happens if you push back? What do you need to do
  to keep your two hands in the same place?
• What can you say about the forces when your hands
  stay in the same place? What difference does it
  make if you change how hard you push?

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3. Can I move the wall?

• What will happen to the wall when you push it?
• Why does it stay where it is and not fall down?
• Can you explain this using what you know about
  balanced forces?
• How can thinking about what happened with your
  hands help you?

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4. Staying still

• What forces do you think keep the book on the
  table?
• Where does the push up on the book come from?
• Why is the spring/sponge squashed? What will
  happen to it if we take the book off?
• What are your groups ideas about explaining
  forces on stationary objects? What evidence do
  you have to support your ideas?

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5. Rocket power

• When the rocket is moving in space, what happens
  if the engine is turned off? What happens if it
  stays on? How does the rocket stop?
• What does this tell you about the forces on the
  rocket? When are the forces balanced?
• Can you describe when the rocket is moving and
  has balanced forces? Can you describe when the
  rocket is moving and the forces are not balanced?

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6. Back to the start and future learning

• How have your ideas changed today?
• What progress have you made with your
  understanding of balanced forces?
• What arguments have you used to explain your
  point of view or idea?
• What other evidence would help you understand
  better?