Forces and Motion Teachers Guide: Notes added below in RED

This activity was used in a 7

th
grade science classroom. The students used only the
irst tab o the Forces and Motion sim to com!lete the activity.
Name""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Grade""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
#re $ab
Joe needs to push a file cabinet across the room. He begins by just looking at it. (%cene &)
He then begins pushing on the file cabinet. At first, the file cabinet does not move. (%cene ')
Then the file cabinet begins to slide. (%cene ()
a. se !ords and pictures to describe all the orces you think are acting on the cabinet
in each scene.
b. "hy do you think the file cabinet moves in scene ( but not in scene & or '#
Forces and Motion
%cene &:
)oe not !ushing
%cene ':
)oe !ushing but cabinet
not moving
%cene (:
)oe !ushing and cabinet
moving
1
c. $f the floor is covered !ith ice, ho! !ould the motion of the cabinet change#

Forces and Motion 2
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Name""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Grade""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Forces and Motion 3
Forces in &D
$earning *b+ectives:
%e able to identify !hen an object is being acted upon by unbalanced forces.
%e able to predict the change in motion !hen a force is applied to an object.
#art &: ,nderstanding balanced and unbalanced orces
&. 'pen the Forces and Motion %imulation by clicking the icon on your computer(s screen.
). *lay !ith the first tab of the sim for about + minutes. -hat do you ind.
$ encourage the students to spend at least a fe! minutes just playing !ith the sim at the beginning of
an activity. This helps students orient to tools available, develop o!nership over controlling the
simulation and gets some of the giggles out of the !ay so they can focus on the activity !hen open
play is done.
,. sing the simulation for help, dra! pictures sho!ing Joe, the file cabinet and orce arrows.
-. Describe !hat is necessary to start the file cabinet moving.
+. /om!are the Applied .orce arro! and the .riction .orce arro!.
a. "hat is similar#
b. "hat is different#
/. se your ans!ers to 0+ to say !hether the forces are balanced or unbalanced in each
scene.
#art ': ,nderstanding 0!!lied1 Friction and Total Force
1. Ho! can you make the Friction Force arro! longer#
Forces and Motion
%cene &:
)oe not !ushing
%cene ':
)oe !ushing but cabinet not
moving
%cene (:
)oe !ushing and cabinet
moving
4
2. Apply enough force to move the cabinet.
a. "hat do you think happens to the .riction .orce arro! !hen you stop applying force
(no Applied .orce arro!)#
b. "hat do you think happens to the .riction .orce once the cabinet stops moving#
3. Ho! !ould you...
a. ...describe .riction .orce#
b. ...describe Applied .orce#
Teacher led discussion: /om!are a!!lied and riction orces.
This !ould be a time for students to say !hat they thought the friction and applied force arro!s
meant. The friction force arro! can be difficult for the students, as it(s harder to imagine the ground
pushing back. This discussion time be used as an opportunity to briefly discuss friction and even
compare !hat happens !ith and !ithout friction (ground as ice or !ood).
&4. Have Joe move a ne! object. Ho! is moving this object different from moving the file
cabinet#
&&. $n the table, dra! the Total Force arrow for the different cases5
&). 6an you find , different !ays to make the Total Force arrow change#
$ist them here:
Forces and Motion
%cene &:
)oe not !ushing
%cene ':
)oe !ushing but dog not
moving
%cene (:
)oe !ushing and dog
moving
5
&,. $n your o!n !ords, !hat is Total Force#
&-. .or each case, dra! the Total Force arrow. "rite !hich direction you think the object is
moving and !hether it !ill speed up or slo! do!n.
a.
b.
c.
#art (: ,nderstanding Force and /hange in %!eed
This section is asking students to notice acceleration (ho! fast an object changes speed). "hile it(s
not necessary that they kno! the term 7acceleration(, from using the simulation they may be able to
Forces and Motion 6
make some 8ualitative observations about ho! objects change speed. (A greater force causes
greater acceleration, !hile a smaller force causes less acceleration). $f the concept of acceleration is
not something you !ant to introduce, take out *art ,. 9epending on your learning objectives, you
might !ant to delve deeper into this concept, and maybe even go to the third tab and have students
plot acceleration.
&+.
a. :ive the sleepy dog a little !ush...

...ho! much does the dogs speed change#
b. :ive the sleepy dog a big !ush...


...ho! much does the dogs speed change#
&/. sing your ans!ers to ;uestion 0&+, !hat general statement can you make about the
relationshi! between the a!!lied orce and how ast an ob+ect changes its s!eed.
Forces and Motion 7

Name""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Grade""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
#ost $ab
&. Joe needs to push a file cabinet across the room. He begins by just looking at it. (%cene &)
He then begins pushing on the file cabinet. At first, the file cabinet does not move. (%cene ')
Then the file cabinet begins to slide. (%cene ()
a. se !ords and pictures to describe all the orces you think are acting on the cabinet in each
scene.
b. "hy do you think the file cabinet moves in scene ( but not in scene & or '#
c. "hat do you think Joe could do to make the cabinet move faster#
Forces and Motion
%cene &:
)oe not !ushing
%cene ':
)oe !ushing but cabinet
not moving
%cene (:
)oe !ushing and cabinet
moving
8
d. $f the floor is covered !ith ice, ho! !ould the motion of the cabinet change#
e. "hat !ould be different if Joe !as moving a book, instead of a file cabinet.
). Ho! useful for your learning !as this science activity, compared to other science class
activities# (circle)
<ore useful About the same =ess useful
Ho! enjoyable !as this science class activity, compared to other science class activities#
(circle)
<ore enjoyable About the same =ess enjoyable
"hy did you or did you not find it useful or enjoyable#
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Forces and Motion 9