8/13/2019 Gravity Force Lab

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Gravity Force Lab

This can be done either as an LCD projector or Smartboard activity, with one person (notnecessarily the teacher) makin the chanes to the objects, or, i! s"!!icient comp"ters areavailable, as a small#ro"p activity$

This is desined to teach So"th Carolina %hysical Science Standard (&otion ' Forces) , ndicator%S#$*+$

-plain how the ravitational !orce between two objects is a!!ected by the mass o! eachobject and the distance between them$

Learnin Goals.St"dents will be able to e-plain the e!!ects o! chanin mass or distance between objects

on ravitational !orce$

St"dent hando"t on /ndpae$

8/13/2019 Gravity Force Lab

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Gravity Force Lab 0S 1ame 222222222222222222222222222222 Date 22222222222

*$ Go to phet$colorado$ed"3sim"lations/$ Select 1ew Sims on the sidebar, then Gravity Force Lab$4$ 0hen the sim"lation !irst starts, the objects the h"manoids are holdin are 45 k !or the bl"e

one, and / k !or the red one$ 6n yo"r paper, write the !orce in 1ewtons e-pressed asscienti!ic notation (!or e-ample, +$++4 is written as 4$ 7 *+#4)

8"estion *.a) 0hat is the si9e o! the !orce o! the red object on the bl"e object: 22222222222 1b) 0hat is the si9e o! the !orce o! the bl"e object on the red object: 22222222222 1

;$ ncrease the si9e o! the red object "ntil it e$ Try chanin the mass o! the objects in relation to each other$ 6bserve the !orce on eachobject$

8"estion ;.0hat eneral r"le can yo" write to e-plain the !orces between objects o! di!!erent mass:

! the moon were twice as massive as it is (it is abo"t *3> the mass o! the arth), how wo"ldthat chane the ravitational p"ll on the arth:

?$ ncrease the bl"e object@s mass to + k, and the red object@s mass to 4+ k$ 1ow, move theh"manoid holdin the red object closer to the bl"e object$

8"estion .Aow did the !orce on the bl"e object chane: 2222222222222222222222222222

22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222

8"estion >.Aow did the !orce on the red object chane: 2222222222222222222222222222

22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222

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5$ %redict what wo"ld happen i! either h"manoid moved !"rther away !rom the other object$ Testit$

8"estion ?.-plain what happened$ 222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222

22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222

Concl"sion.

0rite a eneral r"le !or the ravitational !orce between objects, that e-plains the e!!ecto! increasin mass, and reater distance$