Play with forces affecting objects in a variety of ways. Experiment with numerous ways from dropping, tossing up, throwing, pushing, and beyond. Engineer powerful machines propelling objects further than throwing by your arm. Or make lightweight objects float, navigating winds.

Intro: Newton’s Three Laws of Motion

Intro: Inclined Planes

Intro: Class One Levers

Intro: Class Two Levers

Intro: Class Three Levers

Sierpinski Kite Flying Forces

Roller Coaster Run

Catapult Physics

Trebuchet Throw

Launch a Mars Lander

STEAM Classroom

United States

Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.*

NGSS

MS-PS2-1

Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

3-5-ETS1-1

Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

3-5-ETS1-2

Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

3-5-ETS1-3

Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

MS-ETS1-1

Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

MS-ETS1-2

Students develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.

ISTE Students

1.4.c Innovative Designer

Students communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.

1.6.c Creative Communicator

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

3-PS2-1

Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.

5-PS2-1

Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.

1.4.a Innovative Designer

Students select and use digital tools to plan and manage a design process that considers design constraints and calculated risks.

1.4.b Innovative Designer

Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.

1.4.d Innovative Designer

Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

Common Core ELA

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3

Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.7

Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.3

Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.7

Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.3

Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.7

Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.3

Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.3

Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.7

Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.

4-PS3-1

Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.

MS-PS2-2

Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.

MS-PS3-2

Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.

MS-PS3-5

Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.

1.3.d Knowledge Constructor

Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

3-PS2-2

Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

4-PS3-2

Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.

Phenomenal Forces