Investigations on Force

Students were conducting a force investigation by rolling a golf ball down a ramp made of wood with different surfaces. They noticed that the golf ball didn't roll as far down the ramp with carpet on the wood as the ramp made of just wood. What causes this to happen?

• acceleration

• magnetism

• friction

• mass

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

Student scientists were rolling a marble down a ramp and measuring how far it rolled. It rolled 56 centimeters. What should the students do to ensure that is the accurate distance?

• remeasure to see if that is correct

• test different size marbles and measure how far they roll

• raise the ramp to different levels and test the same marble by rolling it down

• test the same marble by letting it go in the same place several more times

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

NGSS.MS-PS3-1

The picture shows student scientists conducting a force investigation. The picture shows the first trial. If the students added another weight and retested it again, what would their focus question be?

• Does gravity affect force?

• Does mass affect force?

• Does friction affect force?

• Does volume affect force?

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

Students conducted an investigation in which they measured the distance a toy car traveled after rolling down a ramp covered with sandpaper or wax paper. Which of these questions can the students answer by analyzing the results of their investigation?

• How does changing the height of a ramp affect the distance of toy car rolls?

• How does changing the surface of a ramp affect the distance of toy car rolls?

• How does mass affect the distance of toy car moves after rolling down a ramp?

• How does the design of a toy car affect its movement after rolling down a ramp?

If a student has two magnets, how might it be determined which magnet is stronger?

• measure the length and mass of both magnets

• submerge each magnet in a bowl of water

• examine each magnet to determine the north pole

• count how many paper clips each magnet can lift

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-5

Match each word with the correct definition.

• Constants

• The variable that results from the change and can be measured or observed in an investigation

• Independent Variable

• The things that do not change in an investigation

• Dependent Variable

• A variable that changes in an investigation

• Procedures

• A set of steps followed to answer a testable question

• Hypothesis

• A well-researched prediction

Identify the independent variable in the investigation.

• Height of the ramp

• Size of the wheels

• Distance the car traveled

• Speed of the car

Answer explanation

The independent variable is the change made in the experiment. They changed the size of wheels in the image.

Tags

NGSS.3-PS2-1

NGSS.3-PS2-2

Identify the dependent variable in the investigation.

• Height of the ramp

• Size of the wheels

• Distance the car traveled

• Speed of the car

Answer explanation

The dependent variable is the variable measured in the lab. They measured how far the car went, which is the distance traveled.

Identify two constants in this investigation.

• Height of the ramp

• Size of the wheels

• Distance the car traveled

• The car

Answer explanation

The constants are the variables that are kept the same in the investigation. For example, the height of the ramp and car were kept the same.

Suppose that the students added ice as a surface the car could travel on. Which result would you expect to be a distance that the car would travel on the ice in this investigation?

• 15 cm

• 35 cm

• 50 cm

• 66 cm

Answer explanation

Ice has very little resistance, therefore a small amount of friction. So, the car would travel a lot farther on ice then all the other surfaces.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-1

NGSS.MS-PS2-2