Inquiry Activity: Force and Motion
Essential Question: How can forces impact the motion of an object?
READ: So far in this unit we have been exploring the motion of different objects. We have yet to explore, however, how forces impact an object's motion. A force is the push or pull that one object exerts on another. Objects often have multiple forces acting on them at any given time. If these forces are balanced, that means that there are equal and opposite forces acting on the object. Consider if you pushed the front end of your car and your partner pushed the back end at the same time. If you push with the same force but are pushing against each other in opposite directions, the forces acting on the car would be balanced. This would result in no change in the object's motion. So, if the object is at rest, it will stay at rest. If it is in motion, it will stay in motion. However, if you barely push on the car's front and your partner pushes hard on the car's back, the forces would not be equal, and thus they would be unbalanced, resulting in a change in the car's motion.
- Define force.
- Consider the toy car as it sits on your table or desk. Do you think there are any forces currently acting on it? If so, list them below.
- Balanced forces are ________ and ________. They result in ________ in motion.
- Unbalanced forces are ________ and ________. They result in ________ in motion.
- Sketch a picture of your toy car with balanced forces acting upon it.
- Sketch a picture of your toy car with unbalanced forces acting upon it.
Essential Question: How can forces impact the motion of an object?
READ: So far in this unit we have been exploring the motion of different objects. We have yet to explore, however, how forces impact an object's motion. A force is the push or pull that one object exerts on another. Objects often have multiple forces acting on them at any given time. If these forces are balanced, that means that there are equal and opposite forces acting on the object. Consider if you pushed the front end of your car and your partner pushed the back end at the same time. If you push with the same force but are pushing against each other in opposite directions, the forces acting on the car would be balanced. This would result in no change in the object's motion. So, if the object is at rest, it will stay at rest. If it is in motion, it will stay in motion. However, if you barely push on the car's front and your partner pushes hard on the car's back, the forces would not be equal, and thus they would be unbalanced, resulting in a change in the car's motion.