🎯 I1 Forces & Motion

Strange things are happening at Mechanics Lab: gates close on their own and toys roll uphill. The park hires you as Force Detectives to crack the case.

Inventors, Intermediate. Engineer Stamp: Force Detective.

Lessons

  1. Unbalanced forces: the pull-back racer: Why does a still car start moving? Something must be pushing… but what?
  2. Balanced forces on a see-saw: Can a small weight ever beat a big weight? Detective question of the day!
  3. Predict the tip: Detectives predict before they test. Can you tell which way it will tip before you let go?
  4. Pendulum patterns: A pendulum always keeps time. Can we use its pattern to predict the future?
  5. Design Day: The self-closing gate: The park’s sheep keep escaping because people forget to shut the gate!
  6. Showcase: Case Closed! Gate Trials: Each gate faces the inspector: 5 pushes, 5 closes. Draw its force arrows on the board.

Design challenge

Build a gate that opens when pushed and closes all by itself afterwards.

Engineering ideas

Standards: 3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-2