Science
Fabulous Forces
Year One
Science | Year 5 | Forces | Fabulous Forces | Lesson 1
WALT: Identify forces acting on objects
4/11/21
Success Criteria
Aim
What Are Forces?
Forces are often referred to as pushes and pulls.
Look at the pictures below and talk to your partner about whether each picture shows an example of a pushing or pulling force.
What Are Forces?
Forces affect the movement or shape of an object. They can make an object start to move, stop moving, move faster or move more slowly. They could also make an object change its shape or cause a moving object to change direction.
What is the name of the force pulling the skydivers down?
What Are Forces?
Gravity is a pulling force exerted by the Earth. The gravitational force from the Earth pulls in a direction towards the centre of the Earth.
Gravity is pulling the skydivers towards the Earth.
gravity
What Are Forces?
In this image, you can see that a force is slowing the skydivers down.
This force is pushing in the opposite direction to gravity.
Talk to your partner about what is happening in this picture.
What Are Forces?
Air resistance is the name of the force that is pushing up against the parachute.
Gravity is pulling the skydivers towards the ground. However, they are slowed down because a force (air resistance) pushes against the inside of the parachute and they descend more slowly.
Gravity and air resistance are opposing forces in this situation.
air resistance
gravity
What Are Forces?
As well as gravity and air resistance, there are other forces that can act on objects.
What forces do you think might be represented by the arrows in this image?
cyclist’s driving force
friction
What Are Forces?
What forces do you think might be represented by the arrows in this image?
man’s pushing force
water resistance
What Are Forces?
What forces do you think might be represented by the arrows in this image?
gravity
buoyancy
In this example, the boat doesn’t sink because there is a buoyant force (upthrust) created by the volume of water. It is the balance of the gravity and the buoyancy that keeps the boat floating.
Talk about Forces
With your partner, read the story on the Talk about Forces Activity Sheet. Highlight or underline examples of forces in the story.
In the second column, briefly explain the forces that are being applied in each example.
Talk about Forces
Can you explain how some of the forces that you found were acting on the objects?
Forces in Action
Complete the Forces in Action Activity Sheet. For each picture, name the forces acting on the objects and draw an arrow for each force to show the direction it is acting in. Then, draw your own examples of forces acting on objects, drawing arrows and labelling the forces.
Forces Examples
Share your own examples of forces acting on objects with a partner.
Can you identify some different kinds of forces and talk about how these forces act on objects?