Gravity
Gravity is a force that pulls objects towards each other. It is what keeps the planets in orbit around the sun and the moon in orbit around the Earth. Gravity is also what makes objects fall to the ground when they are dropped.
Key Concepts
- Force of Attraction: Gravity is a force of attraction between two objects with mass. The greater the mass of an object, the greater its gravitational pull.
- Acceleration: Objects accelerate towards each other due to gravity. The acceleration due to gravity on Earth is approximately 9.8 meters per second squared (9.8 m/s2).
- Weight: Weight is the measure of the force of gravity on an object. It is the result of the gravitational pull between the object and the Earth.
- Universal Force: Gravity is a universal force that acts between all objects with mass in the universe.
Study Guide
- What is gravity and how does it affect objects?
- Describe the relationship between mass and gravitational pull.
- What is the acceleration due to gravity on Earth? How does it affect falling objects?
- Explain the concept of weight and how it relates to gravity.
- Why is gravity considered a universal force?
Experiments and Activities
1. Dropping Objects: Conduct an experiment to observe how different objects fall to the ground at the same rate due to gravity.
2. Weighing Objects: Use a scale to measure the weight of various objects and discuss how gravity affects their weight.
3. Modeling Orbits: Create a model to demonstrate how gravity keeps planets in orbit around the sun.
[Gravity] Related Worksheets and Study Guides:
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Worksheet/Answer keyWorksheet/Answer keyWorksheet/Answer keyVocabulary/Answer keyThe resources above cover the following skills:
LIFE SCIENCE
Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
Obtain information from literature and other media to illustrate that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water (e.g., woodland, tundra, desert, rainforest, ocean, river).
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
Earth’s Systems
Make observations from media to obtain information about Earth’s events that happen over a short period of time (e.g., tornados, volcanic explosions, earthquakes) or over a time period longer than one can observe (e.g., erosion of rocks, melting of glaciers).
Collect and evaluate data to identify water found on Earth and determine whether it is a solid or a liquid (e.g., glaciers as solid forms of water; oceans, lakes, rivers, streams as liquid forms of water).