Funky Forces
LEARNING OUTCOME
How can forces act without touching? How do magnets create forces from a distance? How do surfaces affect friction and the movement of objects?
SESSION ACTIVITIES
Explore how friction changes depending on the surface or angle of a plane.
Friction ramp challenge – students slide objects down different surfaces or angled planes and compare how friction affects the speed and distance travelled.
Investigate magnetic metals and predict which materials will be attracted to magnets.
Magnetic metals investigation – students test different objects to determine which materials are magnetic and identify patterns in magnetic metals.
Using iron filings to visualise what magnetic forces look like around a magnet.
Demonstrating magnetic attraction and repulsion between poles.
Comparing how objects move on different surfaces to show the effect of friction.
Learn about static electricity and Van de graph generators
POST WORKSHOP ACTIVITIES
Students record the objects they tested and classify which materials were magnetic or non-magnetic.
Students compare results from the friction ramps and discuss how changing surfaces or angles affects movement.
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Australian Curriculum
Yr 4 – Forces can be exerted by one object on another through direct contact or from a distance (ACSSU076)
Yr 3–4 – Science involves making predictions and describing patterns and relationships (ACSHE061)
Yr 3–4 – With guidance, identify questions in familiar contexts that can be investigated scientifically and predict what might happen based on prior knowledge (ACSIS064)
Yr 2 - A push or a pull affects how an object moves or changes shape (ACSSU033)
Yr 3 - Science involves making predictions and describing patterns and relationships (ACSHE050, ACSHE061)
Yr 4 -Forces can be exerted by one object on another through direct contact or from a distance (ACSSU076) victorian curriculum
Yr 3 - The way objects move depends on a variety of factors including their size and shape: a push or a pull affects how an object moves or changes shape (VCSSU048)
Yr 4 - With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be based on previous experiences or general rules Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations (VCSIS086)