Inertia Ball
Students commonly think that heavy balls will always roll down a ramp faster than light ones! Explore this misconception by filling hollow balls with different substances and make surprising observations. Set inquiring minds to work to figure out what is going on!
Standards
Idea Sheets are cross-referenced to subjects listed in the Common Core, Next Generation Science Standards, and California Content Standards.
Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object. ||Next Generation Science Standards||Grade 3||Physical Science||Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions |||Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion. [Examples: a child swinging in a swing, a ball rolling back and forth in a bowl, and two children on a see-saw.] “||Next Generation Science Standards||Grade 3||Physical Science||Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions |||Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object. ||Next Generation Science Standards||Kindergarten||Physical Science||Motion and Stability: Forces and interactions |||Analyze data to determine if a design solution works as intended to change the speed or direction of an object with a push or a pull.||Next Generation Science Standards||Kindergarten||Physical Science||Motion and Stability: Forces and interactions |||Science and Engineering Practices: 1. Asking Questions and Defining Problems 2. Developing and Using Models 3. Planning and Carrying Out Investigations 4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data 5. Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking 6. Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 7. Engaging in Argument from Evidence 8. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information ||Next Generation Science Standards||Kindergarten||Science and Engineering Practices|||Science and Engineering Practices: 1. Asking Questions and Defining Problems 2. Developing and Using Models 3. Planning and Carrying Out Investigations 4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data 5. Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking 6. Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 7. Engaging in Argument from Evidence 8. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information ||Next Generation Science Standards||Grade 1||Science and Engineering Practices |||Science and Engineering Practices: 1. Asking Questions and Defining Problems 2. Developing and Using Models 3. Planning and Carrying Out Investigations 4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data 5. Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking 6. Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 7. Engaging in Argument from Evidence 8. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information ||Next Generation Science Standards||Grade 2||Science and Engineering Practices|||Science and Engineering Practices: 1. Asking Questions and Defining Problems 2. Developing and Using Models 3. Planning and Carrying Out Investigations 4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data 5. Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking 6. Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 7. Engaging in Argument from Evidence 8. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information ||Next Generation Science Standards||Grade 3||Science and Engineering Practices|||Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object. ||Next Generation Science Standards||Grade 4||Physical Science||Energy |||Science and Engineering Practices: 1. Asking Questions and Defining Problems 2. Developing and Using Models 3. Planning and Carrying Out Investigations 4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data 5. Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking 6. Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 7. Engaging in Argument from Evidence 8. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information ||Next Generation Science Standards||Grade 4||Science and Engineering Practices|||Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.||Next Generation Science Standards||Grade 5||Physical Science||Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions|||Science and Engineering Practices: 1. Asking Questions and Defining Problems 2. Developing and Using Models 3. Planning and Carrying Out Investigations 4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data 5. Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking 6. Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 7. Engaging in Argument from Evidence 8. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information ||Next Generation Science Standards||Grade 5||Science and Engineering Practices|||Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object & the mass of the object.||Next Generation Science Standards||Middle School||Physical Science||Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions |||Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system. [Emphasis is on relative amounts of potential energy. Examples: the Earth & a roller coaster cart at varying positions on a hill, changing the direction/orientation of a magnet, & static electrical on a balloon.] [Assessment on two objects & electric, magnetic, & gravitational interactions.] ||Next Generation Science Standards||Middle School||Physical Science||Energy |||Construct, use, & present arguments to support the claim that when the motion energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.||Next Generation Science Standards||Middle School||Physical Science||Energy |||Science and Engineering Practices: 1. Asking Questions and Defining Problems 2. Developing and Using Models 3. Planning and Carrying Out Investigations 4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data 5. Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking 6. Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 7. Engaging in Argument from Evidence 8. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information ||Next Generation Science Standards||Middle School||Science and Engineering Practices|||Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, & its acceleration. [Objects subject to a net unbalanced force, e.g., an object falling , rolling down a ramp, or a moving- pulled by a constant force.]||Next Generation Science Standards||High School||Physical Science||Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions|||Science and Engineering Practices: 1. Asking Questions and Defining Problems 2. Developing and Using Models 3. Planning and Carrying Out Investigations 4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data 5. Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking 6. Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions 7. Engaging in Argument from Evidence 8. Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information ||Next Generation Science Standards||High School||Science and Engineering Practices
4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions & conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content of the other strands, students will develop questions & perform investigations.||CA Science||Grade Kindergarten||04. Investigation and Experimentation|||1.a. Solids, liquids, and gases have different properties.||CA Science||Grade 1||01. Physical Sciences||1. Materials come in different forms (states) including solids, liquids, and gases. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:|||4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:||CA Science||Grade 1||04. Investigation and Experimentation|||4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:||CA Science||Grade 2||04. Investigation and Experimentation|||1.e. Matter has three forms: solid, liquid and gas.||CA Science||Grade 3||01. Physical Sciences||1. Energy and matter have multiple forms and can be changed from one form to another.|||5. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions & conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content of the other strands, students will develop questions and perform investigations.||CA Science||Grade 3||04. Investigation and Experimentation|||6. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions & conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content of the other strands, students will develop questions & perform investigations.||CA Science||Grade 4||04. Investigation and Experimentation|||1.g. Properties of solid, liquid, and gaseous substances, such as sugar (C6H12O6), water (H2O), helium (He), oxygen (O2), nitrogen (N2), and carbon dioxide (CO2).||CA Science||Grade 5||01. Physical Sciences||1. Elements and their combinations account for all the varied types of matter in the world.|||6. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Student will:||CA Science||Grade 5||04. Investigation and Experimentation|||7. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will: ||CA Science||Grade 6||07. Investigation and Experimentation|||7. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions & conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content of the other strands, students will develop questions & perform investigations.||CA Science||Grade 7||07. Investigation and Experimentation|||3.e. In solids atoms are locked in position and can only vibrate, in liquids atoms and molecules are loosely connected and collide and move past one another, while in gases the atoms or molecules are free to move independently, colliding frequently.||Grade 8||01. Physical Sciences||3. Structure of Matter||3. Elements have distinct properties and atomic structure. All matter is comprised of one or more of over 100 elements.|||9. Investigation and Experimentation||CA Science||Grade 8||01. Physical Sciences|||1. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions & conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, & to address the content of the other strands, students should develop questions & perform investigations.||CA Science||Grade 9-12||05. Investigation and Experimentation|||2.a. How to calculate kinetic energy using the formula E=(1/2)mv2.||Grade 9-12||01. Physics||2. Conservation of Energy and Momentum||2. The laws of conservation of energy and momentum provide a way to predict and describe the movement of objects.|||2.b. How to calculate changes in gravitational potential energy near the Earth using the formula (change in potential energy) =mgh (change in the elevation).||Grade 9-12||01. Physics||2. Conservation of Energy and Momentum||2. The laws of conservation of energy and momentum provide a way to predict and describe the movement of objects.|||2.c. How to solve problems involving conservation of energy in simple systems such as falling objects.||Grade 9-12||01. Physics||2. Conservation of Energy and Momentum||2. The laws of conservation of energy and momentum provide a way to predict and describe the movement of objects.|||2.h.* How to solve problems involving conservation of energy in simple systems with various sources of potential energy, such as capacitors and springs. (achievement is optional)||Grade 9-12||01. Physics||2. Conservation of Energy and Momentum||2. The laws of conservation of energy and momentum provide a way to predict and describe the movement of objects.
- Physical Science
- Grades K-2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 6-8
- Science