EXPLORATIONS

EDUCATOR’S GUIDE — Grades 4–8

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EXPLORATIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About this topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Connecting with the classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Minnesota Academic Standards . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

At the museum activities

Chaperone page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Student pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12

Teacher key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-17

Notes to the teacher—INTERMEDIATE

IN THIS GUIDEExplore force and motion in the ExperimentGallery by inviting students to take on the roleof scientists as they investigate the movementof objects, changes in their speed or direction,and interrelationships between motion, forceand mass. The guide begins with an explorationto find moving things and speculate about theforce causing the motion.

HOW TO USE EXPLORATIONS•Give chaperones copies of Explorations stu-dent pages and the chaperone page

•Add your own page(s). Connect with yourown special unit. You can use just one page orall. Choose the ones that meet your needsbest. Since this Exploration is designed for alarge span of grade levels, it may be mostappropriate to use it in different ways withdifferent grades. For the younger grades, planyour trip to allow students multiple motionexperiences at the beginning of your unit orfor application of concepts learned in theclassroom. For older grades, the activities canprovide concept application in real life exam-ples. Provide extensions of museum experi-ences back at school, especially focusing ondata patterns, further experiments, andgraphing results.

•Components are not sequential. You can startanywhere in the exhibit

• If your time in the exhibits is limited, choosejust a few stops. Don’t try to rush your stu-dents to finish the Explorations suggestions.Some questions may leave students with morequestions. Use these as the basis for after-trip discussions or group research.

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EXPLORATIONS

ABOUT THIS TOPIC

Newton’s CradleSo who’s this Newton guy and why do we havehis cradle? At the end of the seventeenth centu-ry, Isaac Newton formulated three laws ofmotion. The “cradle” you see on many desksand in our Experiment Gallery allows you toplay with spheres in motion and experimentwith Newton’s Laws. Play and experimentationwith real motion are key elements of thisExploration. BecauseNewton’s laws of motion are simple to state, but much research in recent years has documented that students typically have difficulty relating formal ideas of motion and force to their personal view of how the world works. For example, to say that a book presses down on the table is sensible enough, but then to say that the table pushes back upwith exactly the same force (which disappears the instant you pick up the book) seems false on the face of it. …What is to be done? Students should have lots of experiences toshape their intuition about motion and forces long before encountering laws. (Benchmarks http://www.project2061.org/tools/benchol/ ch4/ch4.htm#Motion)

MotionEverything in the universe moves. Describing, analyzing and understanding motionunderlies many other topics in science. Thereare many topics in the study of motion, but thisExploration only touches on a few: relationshipsof force and motion, gravitational motion, rela-tionships of mass and motion, moving air and avery brief introduction to waves and motioninfluenced by magnetic forces. This Explorationdoes not include breaking down motion intoposition, velocity and acceleration, but if yourclassroom study includes these, insert your ownexhibit activities to reinforce these concepts atthe museum.

A force is a push or pull Changes in speed or direction of motion arecaused by forces. The greater the force is, thegreater the change in motion will be. The moremassive any object is, the less effect a givenforce will have on it. Some objects move slowlyand others move too fast for people to see them.Students need to have opportunities to observeand recognize forces that attract or repel otherobjects and demonstrate them. Vocabulary may

get in the way if stu-dents have to strug-gle over the meaningof force and acceler-ation. Both terms

have many meanings incommon language thatconfound their specializeduse in science.

Notes to the teacher—INTERMEDIATE

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EXPLORATIONS

Mass and WeightThe mass of an object is the measure of theamount of matter in the object. The weight ofan object is the force of gravity on the object(the mass times the acceleration of gravity).Weight changes depending on many things,including what planet you’re on! To focus onmotion, and being able to isolate forces, mass isused in referring to the object.

Notes to the teacher—INTERMEDIATE

Waves This Exploration includes one activity withwaves in water. The focus is on the interrela-tionship of the elements of waves – wavelength,frequency and amplitude. In water, waves aredisturbances that travel through the interactingmolecules of water. Experiences with water andwatching waves will give students mentalimages as they begin to study waves that arenot as easily observable, such as sound waves orelectromagnetic waves.

The Teacher Key on pg. 16 includes two web-sites specific to waves in the ocean.

Gravity is the force thatcauses things to fall to earth. There is a gravitational force betweenall objects with mass. This is usual-ly not observable unless oneobject’s mass is much largerthan the other’s is. That iswhy we can observe thiswith the Earth andeverything on it,since the Earth’smass is much larger.

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EXPLORATIONS

CONNECTING WITH THE CLASSROOM

Before Your VisitDo an open-ended exploration ofmotion with your students:How many kinds of motiondo you think you couldshow using a ball? Find aclear area in the gym, audi-torium, or yard.•See how many kinds of motion you can show with the ball. Try different ways of getting the ball started, and aim it in different directions. Don’t throw the ball hard—it’s easier to see what’s happening if it’s traveling slowly. Students can record observations by making diagrams that show the paths the ball took.

•Use some obstacles to change the way the ball moves. Make diagrams showing the different paths the ball took. What motion did the ball have when you rolled it with no obstacles in its way? What happened to the motion of the ball when it hit an obstacle? Did different kinds of obstacles affect the ball’s motion in different ways? Were you able to make the ball move in a curve? How did you accomplish it?

Review student activity pages for yourself andwith your students.

Review the schedule and your expectations forthe visit with your students. Divide studentsinto groups.

Back in the classroomReview the information that students gatheredat the museum by discussing the questions onthe student pages. See the answer key startingon page 13.

These activities are more explorations ofmotion and can be done before the visit, after-wards, or as small group activities. For olderstudents, more data collection, measurementsand graphing can be introduced.

Make a track For each group or student: construction paper,scissors, clay, duct tape, marble•Think about how you could make a marble travel in a straight line, in a zigzag, and in a circle or part of a circle using the materials listed. Draw a diagram of a track that you could build to show these motions.

•Make your track with the materials. Cut out construction paper shapes and attach them with clay or duct tape to the top of a table. You may also want to use clay for part of the track.

•Test your track with a marble. How can you make the marble start moving? How can you make sure it stays in motion? Record your observations.

•Experiment with the track until the marble shows straight-line, zigzag, and circular motion. Think about what you did to keep the marble in motion? What did you have to do to the track to change the marble’s straight-line motion to zigzag motion? What did you have to do to the track to change the marble’s straight-line motion to a circular motion?

Notes to the teacher—INTERMEDIATE

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EXPLORATIONS

Make a parachuteFor each group or student: a plastic grocery bag,scissors, tape, thread, 3 paper clips and a ruler.•Cut a 30 cm square from a plastic grocery bag. Cut four lengths of thread, each about 30 cm long. Tape one end of each piece of threadto each corner of the plastic square, and tie the other ends together. Attach three paper clips to the thread. This is the parachute.

•Hold the parachute up high in one hand and then drop it.

•Have a partner cut a hole about 5 cm wide in the top of their parachute. Then drop both parachutes at the same time.

•Take the paper clips off the parachute withoutthe hole. Drop the paper clips at the same time that your partner drops the parachute with the hole.

•Think about what might have pushed against the falling parachute to change its motion? Was there a change in the falling motion of the parachute when it had a hole cut in it? If so, why? What do you think would happen if you dropped the parachute folded up? How fast would it fall? Try it!

Try some magnet activitiesGather magnets you may have in your class-room, or ask students to bring some fromhome. Set aside free exploration time to investi-gate what happens when magnets are puttogether. Group students into groups of 4. Eachgroup should have a minimum of 4 magnets.Groups can generate as many magnet observa-tions as they can. Share observations with thewhole class. (Caution: Do NOT place magnetson computers, monitors, television screens,computer disks, videotapes or tape cassettes.)Inexpensive magnets are available at RadioShack, Fleet Farm and often at Ax Man.

Test your magnets: (Ask students to make achart summarizing their results.)For exampleItem tested Results

•What do magnets attract? Try coins, school supplies, desks, chairs, floor.

•Put a magnet on a string. What happens when brought near another magnet?

•Does a magnet work through a solid? (paper, cardboard, book)

•Does a magnet work through a liquid? (water)•Can a magnet change an object's direction? •Does it have to touch the object?•Hypothesize: How does a magnet push or pullan object?

Notes to the teacher—INTERMEDIATE

MINNESOTA ACADEMIC STANDARDS:

The Science Museum of Minnesota provides a field trip destination that allows teachers and stu-dents to reinforce Minnesota Academic Standards. Use of the materials in this Force and MotionExploration will help you link learning experiences to the following content standards.

Science:Grade 5Nature of Science and Engineering5.1.1.2.2 Identify and collect relevant evidence, make systematic observations and accurate measure-ments, and identify variables in a scientific investigation.Physical Science5.2.2.1.2 Identify the force that starts something moving or changes its speed or direction of motion5.2.2.1.3 Demonstrate that a greater force on an object can produce a greater change in motion.

Grade 6Physical Science6.2.2.2.2 Identify the forces acting on an object and describe how the sum of the forces affects themotion of the object.6.2.2.2.3 Recognize that some forces between objects act when the objects are in direct contact andothers, such as magnetic, electrical, and gravitational forces can act from a distance.

RESOURCES:

Book:Force and Motion Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You can Teach It, William C. Robertson,NSTA Press, 2002, ISBN: 0-87355-209-1An easy to understand and fun introduction to the basics of force and motion. Includes Newton’slaws, clear explanations of major terms and examples of major concepts.

Websites:The Physics Classroom: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/A clear and thorough tutorial on terms and concepts, developed for high school physics students.

Benchmarks On-line- Motion http://www.project2061.org/tools/benchol/ch4/ch4.htm#MotionBenchmarks for Science Literacy, published in 1993, translated the science literacy goals in Science forAll Americans into learning goals or benchmarks, includes links to research, overview of topics andspecific learning goals by age level. Include many helpful suggestions about introducing terms andexperiences in studying force and motion at a variety of grade levels.

Fear of Physics: Speed and Acceleration http://www.fearofphysics.com/Xva/xva.htmlFor further background and an online demonstration of the elements of motion

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EXPLORATIONS

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EXPLORATIONS

All student pages refer to exhibit in theExperiment Gallery on Level 3.

Find things that move!There are many things to choose from in theGallery. Students should choose one to completethe investigation.

Look for answers

What do you think?

Draw what you learned

7Chaperone page—INTERMEDIATE

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•Explorations Force and Motion helps students understand the how things move, what makes things move and the relationships among motion, force and the size of objects.

•Encourage students to play with the motion they find in the exhibits. •Observing motion, noticing change and what causes changes are very important.

CHAPERONE PAGE

Trip Tips

HARMONOGRAPH

BIG WAVE TANK

AIRSTREAM

Very popular exhibits with long possible waittimes. Come back to these if they are very busy.They work better if students work in pairs.

Questions are designed to allow exploration.Finding the right answer is not as important aslooking for the right answer. It’s OK for yourgroup to work to together to decide how toanswer the questions.

This is a popular gallery. If one exhibit is busy,students can choose another.

If students are stuck or can’t find something,ask any staff member in a blue vest or apron.

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EXPLORATIONS

Circle one from your list to investigate further with a partner.

How fast is it moving? too fast to see very fast fast medium slow very slow too slow to notice

Describe the motion: (for example: straight, curved, zigzag)

Does the motion change in direction and/or speed?

Describe the force that made the motion change.

Student page 8

Explore Motion in the Experiment Gallery Level 3

Find things that move! List them below:

What’s moving? What is making Can you see what’s it move? providing the force?

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EXPLORATIONS

Student page

HARMONOGRAPH Draw a cool design with two pendulums.What’s moving here? (you should find at least 5 things that are moving)

Work with a partner. One person should move the adjustable weight pendulum and draw a pattern with the weight in one position.

The second person changes the position of the weight on the adjustable weight pendulum anddraws their own pattern.

Compare your patterns. What do you notice? ?

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EXPLORATIONS

BIG MAGNETDraw the Big Magnet here:

Student page

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Look at the big panel above the Magnet. Find the metal wand and the magnetic field tracer. Usethem to explore the force of the magnet.

Metal wandHold it near the magnet. What do you notice?

Where is the force the strongest?

Magnetic field tracerHold it near the magnet. What do you notice?

On your magnet sketch, draw where the force can be detected by the tools you used.What moved in the Magnetic field tracer?

Why is there a warning about watches, credit cards and pacemakers??

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EXPLORATIONS

SURF’S UP! The big wave tank

What kinds of waves push a surfer to shore? Use the controls to make the best waves for surfing.

Draw the tank with your “perfect wave”.

Student page 11

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What control settings did you use for?

•Wave frequency _______________________________

•Wave height _______________________________

•Slope of the bottom _______________________________

Change the force of the wave. What did you change?

How did that change the motion you observed?

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EXPLORATIONS

Student page

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Small Plane

Try these challenges:•Make the plane fly parallel to the bottom of the case.•Make the plane go as high as it will go.•Put the plane on the bottom of the case.Keep track of where the settings are for each of the controls

Fan speed Elevator control

Plane flies parallel to the bottom of the case.

The plane as high as it will go.

The plane on the bottom of the case.

From your experiments,What makes the plane move? Or another way to ask the question: where’s the force?

How did you make the plane change its altitude?

Airstream

What is moving?

Predict: If you put a large, light balloon over the airstream tube, would it move differently than the ball?

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EXPLORATIONS

Circle one from your list to investigate further with a partner.

How fast is it moving? too fast to see very fast fast medium slow very slow too slow to notice

Describe the motion: (for example: straight, curved, zigzag)

Does the motion change in direction and/or speed?

Describe the force that made the motion change.

Teacher key 13

Teacher Key: Allow 15 minutes for students to find things that move. Explore Motion in the Experiment Gallery Level 3

Find things that move! List them below:

What’s moving? What is making Can you see what’s it move? providing the force?

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EXPLORATIONS

Teacher key

HARMONOGRAPH Draw a cool design with two pendulumsWhat’s moving here? (you should find at least 5 things that are moving)Pendulum with fixed weight, pendulum with moveable weight, pulleys, red arm, blue-gray arm, pen,metal rods connected to the pen, etc.

Work with a partner. One person should move the adjustable weight pendulum and draw a pattern with the weight in one position.

The second person changes the position of the weight on the adjustable weight pendulum anddraws their own pattern.

Compare your patterns. What do you notice? Answers will vary, e.g., the designs are different when: putting the weight in different places, starting thependulums at different times, making one go faster than the other does at first. Also, they both slow downand finally stop. The interrelationship of the motion of the pendulums, as friction damps the motion, cre-ates the patterns. The patterns can be considered a mathematical depiction of the motion of the coupledpendulums. It is another way to describe the motion. Note: Patterns take a few minutes to draw.

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EXPLORATIONS

BIG MAGNETDraw the Big Magnet here:

Teacher key

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Look at the big panel above the Magnet. Find the metal wand and the magnetic field tracer. Usethem to explore the force of the magnet.

Metal wandHold it near the magnet. What do you notice?

Where is the force the strongest?

Magnetic field tracerHold it near the magnet. What do you notice?

On your magnet sketch, draw where the force can bedetected by the tools you used.What moved in the Magnetic field tracer?The small magnet in the field tracer responds to themagnetic field in the big magnet. Magnetic force is notjust between the white plates, but can be felt and shownsurrounding the black encased magnet.

Why is there a warning about watches, credit cardsand pacemakers?The strong magnetic field (not just between the whiteplates) can influence the magnetic or electrical parts ofthese items.

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EXPLORATIONS

SURF’S UP! The big wave tank

What kinds of waves push a surfer to shore? Use the controls to make the best waves for surfing.

Draw the tank with your “perfect wave”.

Teacher key 16

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What control settings did you use for?•Wave frequency •Wave height•Slope of the bottom

The Rubber Ducky acts like the surfer. It gets pushed best by a “breaking wave”. That is formed when thefloor of the tank does NOT slope gradually, but has a bump in the middle (board # 3). Exploring the bestwave may take a long time, especially if there are many other visitors at the tank. Compare surfing results. Ifno one was there long enough to try many combinations, ask students to find information on waves, slope,and force.

For more on science and surfing: http://www.exploratorium.edu/theworld/surfing/Along the US Pacific coast, the sea floor off the coast changes very abruptly. This creates a steep slope, as theocean rapidly becomes shallower. This causes the waves to break, away from the shore and provides surferswith “radical waves.” Off the coast of Hawaii, tropical reefs create a sudden change in the floor depth produc-ing the same results.

Off the US East Coast, the Atlantic Ocean’s floor rises slowly towards shore. This cause waves to roll great dis-tances and break close to the shore. Change the force of the wave. What did you change?Either changing the height (more force) or the frequency (change in force frequency)

How did that change the motion you observed?

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EXPLORATIONS

Teacher key

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Small Plane

Try these challenges:•Make the plane fly parallel to the bottom of the case.•Make the plane go as high as it will go.•Put the plane on the bottom of the case.Keep track of where the settings are for each of the controls

Fan speed Elevator control

Plane flies parallel to the bottom of the case.

The plane as high as it will go.

The plane on the bottom of the case.

From your experiments,What makes the plane move? Or another way to ask the question: where’s the force?Moving air from the fan

How did you make the plane change its altitude?Changing the speed of the air and/or changing the shape of the airplane’s tail (elevators) Did the twoseem related? Yes. The forces involved in flight of airplanes are complex AND interrelated.Students canstart to observe a complicated system of motion, forces and interrelationships. For more on flight, try this website: http://www.aa.washington.edu/faculty/eberhardt/lift.htmAsk the students to make paper airplanes and include “elevators” like the ones on this small plane. Does itchange the motion?

Airstream

What is moving?The ball, a stream of air when the button is pushed.

Predict: If you put a large, light balloon over the airstream tube, would it move differently than the ball?Bring a balloon or two for students to try out at the Airstream exhibit. It should react differently because ofthe mass difference. Try making the balloon close to the same size as the ball, then smaller and larger too.

Supervise students when they are trying this. Please do not use small balls.

The force of the moving air works in similar ways to the Small Plane exhibit and has similarities to air-plane flight. The pressure is lower in a moving fluid than in a stationary fluid. This effect is called theBernoulli effect. A ball balances in the stream of air from the blower. The ball is strongly held in the lowerpressure stream of air, allowing it to overcome gravity forces as the airstream moves.