Exercises for Force

Friday August 14, 2009

Let’s see how much you’ve picked up with these experiments and the reading – answer as best as you can. (No peeking at the answers until you’re done!)  Just relax and see what jumps to mind when  you read the question.  You can also print these out and jot down your answers in your science notebook.
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Here’s printer-friendly versions of the exercises and answers for you to print out: Simply click here for K-8 and here for K-12.


1. Name at least one force that is acting on you right now.


2. Name at least two invisible force fields that are surrounding you right now.


3. What kind of an object can be affected by a gravitational force field?


4. What kind of an object can be affected by an electrical force field?


5. What kind of an object can be affected by a magnetic force field?


6. What happens to the force on an object as it gets closer and closer to a magnet?


7. How does the force of the Sun’s gravitational pull on Neptune (the farthest planet from the Sun if you don’t count Pluto) compare to the force of the Sun’s gravitational pull on Mercury (the closest planet to the Sun).


Need answers?
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For advanced students…

…we have a more advanced set of exercises at the back of your textbook download.


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Answers to Force Exercises

Friday August 14, 2009

Let’s see how you did! If you didn’t get a few of these, don’t let it stress you out – it just means you need to play with more experiments in this area. We’re all works in progress, and we have our entire lifetime to puzzle together the mysteries of the universe!


Answers:
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1. Gravity is pulling on you. If you’re sitting your chair is pushing up on you as well.


2. Gravity and magnetic fields. To be honest, you are probably also sitting in an electromagnetic field as well. Can you get a radio or a cell phone to work where you are? If so, you’re in an electromagnetic field.


3. Any object can be pulled by a gravitational force field.


4. Any object. An electrically charged object or a neutral object can be pushed or pulled by an electric field.


5. Another magnet or something with a metal in it that can be magnetic.


6. The force the magnet exerts on the object becomes greater and greater as the object gets closer. The inverse-square rule is a way of describing how force increases as objects get closer together.


7. Since Neptune is farther away, the inverse-square rule says that the Sun’s gravitation pull on it is much smaller.


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