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Force & Motion Inertia Tower

Shared by Cathy Walker

Details

Space: 
inside
Subject: 
Science
Grades: 
3rd Grade
Key Terms: 
constant
inertia
equilibrium
dependent variables
independent variables
Newton's First Law
Materials: 
Plastic Cups
note cards
string
hole punch

Lesson Overview

Teacher Overview:

Essential Question- How do we get objects to move when they are in contact with each other?

Introduce inertia- state of rest

Standards: 3-PS2-1 & 3-PS2-2 & #-PS2-4

Additional Video Resources

https://www.perkinselearning.org/accessible-science/activities/inertia-tower

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8iHvdDOrDk

Students will be given plastic cups, note cards, string, and a hole punch. Students will stack the cups, putting a notecard with a string attached in -between each cup. After the tower is completed, students will pull the card backward (not at an angle), noticing the inertia. Cups should stay in place. What will your constant be?

Possible Challenges:

1. Pull  2 cards at the same time

2. Build the tower with less or greater mass

3. Is the tower's change dependent or independent of other variables?

Student Summary: 

You will create a tower with the supplied materials. You should stack the cups, putting a notecard with a string attached in-between each cup. After the tower is completed, students will pull the card backward (not at an angle), noticing the inertia.

Lesson Phases

Plan

Was it necessary to focus on cup direction?
Description: 
Talk with your group and draw the design you will build.

Create

Did your tower stay in place?
Was there a special technique you used when pulling out the card?
Description: 
Build your tower and try to pull a card out backward without having the whole tower crumble.

Improve

Did you achieve the results you wanted?
What was difficult about the experiment?
Description: 
Make any necessary changes to the tower and now pull 2 cards at the same time?

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