Exploring force, motion, and friction

Today we raced cars to see which surface could make the car go faster. We learned that carpet has more friction so the car goes slower. We also learned that less force makes things move slower while a harder force makes things move faster. Then we made ramps to test how far the cars could go after getting a force (push).  The higher the ramp, the faster and farther the cars went. 

Push and pull with sleds

We had a great time experimenting with push and pull using our sleds. The weather was perfect and everyone shared sleds. For some, it was their first time sledding! If only we had a bigger hill... 

Ann Arbor Hands On Museum

Today we had an "in school" field trip from the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum. It was to kick start our study of force and motion. The children used hover crafts to explore hard and soft pushes, how an object can impact the force in which another object hits it, and how push and pull are both forces affecting motion of an object. 

Then we used giant rubber bands and predicted what would happen. 

We also observed what would happen if one ran into the other. We noticed that size made a difference in how it moved. We learned about path of motion. Then we learned about how surface friction affects motion. We pushed the large hovercraft on carpet and measured how far it went. Then we went in the hall and watched how far it could go on a smooth surface. 

We had a great time learning about force and motion!