Summary Students experiment with magnets and optionally water resistance. Demonstration of electrostatic force and air resistance. Science content Physics: Motion and Forces, Newton’s Laws, Gravity (K, 2, 6) Activities in this lesson Magnets: what sticks to them? Magnetic force through materials Dancing magnets Magnetic force field patterns Static electricity with a balloon Air resistance Water resistance: racing shapes through water Materials Materials in the activities Procedure I have done a couple of different station arrangements of these activities. If including water restistance, these trays are intensive to set up, and need longer to run, so have half the students at a time on this activity: Half the students move through magnet stations: 1. Magnets through materials 2. Dancing magnets 3. Magnetic force field patterns. Half the students do the water resistance activity: racing shapes through water. Then switch the student groups. (The multiple short magnet activities should match the time needed to do the longer water resistance activity.) End with a demonstration of air resistance. If omitting water resistance, set up the four magnet stations and have the whole class move through them as four groups followed by discussion, as in magnet stations lesson. Magnetic force is a NON-CONTACT FORCE. Demonstrate other non-contact forces: gravity (by jumping) and electrostatic force. Pushes and pulls that make objects move are CONTACT FORCES. Demonstrate another contact force: air resistance with paper plates. More details on the different kinds of forces: Magnetic force can act through materials and acts at a distance (it does not need to touch the material/magnet to push/pull it) - it is a non-contact force. Water resistance is the slowing force on an object as it moves through water, as the water pushes against it. We build boats with a shape that reduces water resistance, to go faster and reduce energy - they are 'streamlined'. Fish have different shapes that match their need to move through water: the fast-moving ones are long and thin (streamlined), whereas those that don't need to go fast are flatter or rounder. Air resistance is a slowing force on an object moving through air. Like water resistance, it is a contact force. We build planes with a streamlined shape to reduce air resistance. A parachute is very wide, to maximize air resistance and to slow the parachutist down. Water and air resistance are both also called 'drag'. Grades taught Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 3
