Mass and Motion

Mass and Motion Lab

Gravity is a pulling force between two objects. Looking at the data of our jump heights from different planets, we were able to see that our jump height was affected by gravity.

Mass effects the Force of Gravity

Certain planets have more gravitational force and pull us back to those planets more. 
This is why our jump height was not as high on planets like Jupiter compared to here on Earth. 

We also noticed that a planet had a stronger pull of gravity if it had more mass. This means that mass affects the force of gravity. 

Open Ended

Infer: Which object (Sun or Earth) would exert more gravitational pull? EXPLAIN.

Multiple Select

Infer: What affect does mass have on the way the Sun and Earth move/interact in outer space? (HINT: If you are inferring, you need to use both what you know and other observations to form a conclusion).

• The Sun revolves around Earth

• Earth revolves around the Sun

• The Sun is more massive

• The Earth is more massive

Lab Materials

• Sheet – the sheet represents spacetime/outer space 

• 5lb steel spheres – the larger balls represent the sun 

• Marbles– the smaller balls represent planets 

Insert video of ball rolling across sheet #1

Watch the following video and be prepared to answer a question on the next slide.

Multiple Choice

How does the ball roll across the sheet?

• In a straight line

• In a circle

• It bounces

• It does not roll at all

Use this image to help you answer the following question.

Multiple Choice

How does the sheet, representing spacetime, change when the 5lb sphere was added?

• The sheet/spacetime dipped down/warps

• The sheet/spacetime stay the same

• The sheet/spacetime moves non-stop

Insert video of marbles revolving around sphere #2

Watch the following video and be prepared to answer a few follow up questions.

Multiple Choice

How has the motion of the smaller ball changed when our new object was placed in the center of the sheet?

• The smaller balls rolled straight.

• The motion of the smaller balls did not change.

• The smaller balls revolved around the sphere.

Multiple Select

How do the two objects' mass compare?

• The marbles are more massive than the sphere.

• The sphere is more massive than the marbles.

• The sphere and marbles have the same mass.

The marbles were REVOLVING around the sphere

• Revolution-The movement of an object around another object

• Rotation -The spinning motion of a planet on its axis

• Orbit- The path that a body follows as it travels around another body in space (similar to revolution)

Open Ended

Explain how mass impacts gravity.

Explain how mass impacts the revolution of an object.

Include all of the underlined words in your response. (revolve, more, less, massive)