Gravity

You’ll Really Fall For It!

Essential Questions:

1. How does the mass of an object and the mass of the planet affect the rate of free fall?
2. Why do planets stay in orbit, and how does the mass affect this motion?

To answer this question, we will complete 2 activities.

Phenomena - Dropping a feather and a hammer on the moon

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Gravity and Newton’s 2nd Law Lab:

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1. Glue lab papers into lab book

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• Vocab: Write the following definitions into your lab

Force: a push or a pull

Net force: The sum total of all the forces acting on an object

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Acceleration: A change in the velocity (speed and/or direction)

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Weight: the force of gravity acting on the mass of an object

Mass: the amount of matter in an object

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Newton: The unit for force (mass X acceleration or kg/m/s²)

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Go to the Virtual Lab, follow the directions, and collect the data, calculate weight and answer the conclusion questions.

http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science/virtual_labs/grade8/E25/E25.html

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How does ‘weightlessness’ affect the human body?

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What is Gravity?- Video

Prompt: Write your name and the following 2 question on the piece of paper:

1. What is the formula for gravity?

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• What two variables determine the strength of gravitational force between two object?

https://ed.ted.com/on/ixi31NtQ

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Phet Simulation

Go to https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/gravity-and-orbits/latest/gravity-and-orbits_en.html, follow the directions given and then complete the activity.

Write in next Phenomena row...

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1. Watch the video and then write down 2 observations and 2 questions.

https://www.ngssphenomena.com/jupiter-asteroids/?rq=gravity

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How does an object begin to orbit?- Video

Guiding Questions:

1. How does an object start orbiting?

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• What keeps it in orbit?

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Claim, Evidence, Reasoning

Now you will answer the Essential Question, provide evidence and scientific reasoning to support your evidence.

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Claim, Evidence, Reasoning

Step 1 CLAIM:

Read the question. Answer the question BASED ON WHAT YOU OBSERVED IN YOUR LAB. You do not need to provide specific details here- just a pattern. You also do not need to say WHY. That happens. Later.

Claim, Evidence, Reasoning

Step 2 EVIDENCE:

Look at your data. You will choose 3 separate examples to write as evidence. Write one specific piece of evidence- with numbers- in each space provided.

Claim, Evidence, Reasoning

Step 3 REASONING:

This is the actual science that links your data to the claim.

Quietly re-read page 301 from annotations (on free fall and Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation).

In your own words, explain how free fall is explained by the laws of physics.

Claim, Evidence, Reasoning

TEAM CER:

Each person will have a different color marker.

Share your CERs with each other.

Each Choose a person to share one part of each of their CERs and write it on the poster. You may help edit- it does not need to be exactly as it originally appeared on your paper.

Jupiter’s moons affect each other’s orbits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVybNKuhpSY