Gravity
Materials
Quizizz Link: https://quizizz.com/join/quiz/5f10a92753c1fe001b7e8f99/start?studentShare=true
- A large bowl (anything with a large opening will work)
- Stretchy fabric
- Large rubber bands or thread
- Marbles, small balls, or circular objects of different sizes and masses
- Watch the Crash Course video on gravity linked below.
- Test your understanding of gravity by playing the Quizizz game linked below.
- Perform the Gravity Activity (Note: The experiment video linked below also walks you through the activity.)
- Take the large bowl and spread the fabric over the opening, using the rubber band or thread to fasten the fabric in place. You should end up with a smooth surface of fabric.
- This fabric surface represents the fabric of space.
- This fabric surface represents the fabric of space.
- Take a small marble and gently roll it across the surface of the fabric. Notice that the marble travels smoothly across in a straight path.
- This represents a planet’s movement when there are no other bodies near it.
- This represents a planet’s movement when there are no other bodies near it.
- Next, take a heavier marble or ball and place it on the fabric. You should notice that the heavier object sinks into the fabric.
- This represents how objects with high masses, like the Sun, create a gravitational field in space.
- This represents how objects with high masses, like the Sun, create a gravitational field in space.
- Take the small marble you used before and try gently rolling it across the fabric without moving the heavy marble. What do you notice? You should see that the small marble, now, does not move in a straight path anymore. The small marble’s path is altered into a circular orbit of sorts due to the heavy marble.
- This represents how a smaller object in space is affected when it comes into the gravitational field of a larger object. For example, imagine that the big, heavy marble is the Sun and the small marble is the planet Mars. Mars’s path in space is affected due to the gravitational pull exerted by the Sun.
- This represents how a smaller object in space is affected when it comes into the gravitational field of a larger object. For example, imagine that the big, heavy marble is the Sun and the small marble is the planet Mars. Mars’s path in space is affected due to the gravitational pull exerted by the Sun.
- Using different marbles of different masses, try experimenting to see what results you get. You should see that the object with the smaller mass is always attracted to the object with the greater mass in the fabric of space. Also, notice that objects closer to the central mass move faster than objects farther away from the dip in the fabric.
- Have fun experimenting!
- Take the large bowl and spread the fabric over the opening, using the rubber band or thread to fasten the fabric in place. You should end up with a smooth surface of fabric.
Quizizz Link: https://quizizz.com/join/quiz/5f10a92753c1fe001b7e8f99/start?studentShare=true
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Suggested Videos:
Crash Course Astronomy Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRAbZxQHlVw&feature=youtu.be
Experiment Video: https://youtu.be/OKXVRu6JL54
Crash Course Astronomy Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRAbZxQHlVw&feature=youtu.be
Experiment Video: https://youtu.be/OKXVRu6JL54
Published 7.18.2020
Author: Rupali Venkatesan
