How Objects Move

What students will do

Students begin by rolling and sliding differently shaped objects toward a target, observing how shape affects movement and control. Working as a group, they then move a weighted platform across the table using cylindrical rollers underneath it, in the same way ancient Egyptians are believed to have moved heavy loads. They experiment with a balloon car powered by released air pressure, comparing how the amount of air affects speed and distance. Working in pairs, students drop a figure with and without a parachute to investigate air resistance, then take turns launching pump rockets. The session closes with a whole-group sink-or-float investigation using materials of similar volume, a Cartesian diver and a plasticine ball shaped into a boat.

Learning outcomes

• Investigate how the shape of an object affects the way it rolls or slides toward a target
• Move a weighted platform using rollers and explain how rollers reduce friction compared with dragging
• Use a balloon-powered car to investigate how the amount of stored air affects speed and distance
• Compare how a figure falls with and without a parachute and explain the effect of air resistance
• Launch a pump rocket and investigate how the force and angle of launch affect height and distance
• Test a range of materials and shapes to predict and observe whether they sink or float

Curriculum links

• VC2S2U10·Core

  The way an object moves depends on factors including its size, shape and the material it is made from. View on VCAA ↗

• VC2S2U11·Core

  Pushes and pulls can change the speed, direction or shape of an object, and vary in strength and direction. View on VCAA ↗

• VC2S2I01·Core

  Experiences and observations can be used as a basis for posing questions and making predictions about familiar objects and events. View on VCAA ↗

• VC2TDE2C01·Related

  Explain how technologies, including force and motion, affect the way products and systems move. View on VCAA ↗