Physics & Space - Station #1
Complete all activities for this station independently. In bold, you'll see the information and questions that need to go in your ISN. You are encouraged to take other notes in your ISN of anything that you find important to help you with your online quiz. Just turn to the next open page of your ISN and just label it "STATION #1." Also label the Activity number as well. You may use your ISN to take your quiz at the end.
Activity #1 - What is gravity? How are mass and weight different?
- Click the following links and read about mass, weight and gravity. (Just stay on the first page it brings you to, you don't have to go further) Take notes in your ISN about these topics for each link. Just turn to the next open page of your ISN.
-Link #1
-Link #2
-Link #3
- Hint: Make sure that you have written down information to answer questions like these - a) Why is gravity a force? b) What has gravity? c) What affects how strong the force of gravity is? d) What is weight? e) What keeps things in orbit around planets?
- Next, click here to investigate more about gravity and orbital motion by using this simulation.
Activity #2 - Videos of Apollo missions
- Click here to watch some videos from the Apollo missions to the Moon (some have sound and some do not). The Moon has a mass that is about 1/6 the mass of the Earth. So, the force of gravity on the moon is considerably less than it is on Earth. Choose some videos to watch and then answer the following in your ISN:
- What affect does the reduced gravity have on the movements of the astronauts?
- In addition to reduced gravity, there is also no atmosphere on the Moon. So, there is no air resistance when things fall. Explain why the hammer and the feather in the third video hit the ground at the same time on the Moon. Why would the hammer and feather not hit the ground at the same time if you did this on Earth?
Activity #3 - Your weight on different planets
- Go to this site and determine what your weight would be on different planets in our Solar System. (Note: Remember that Pluto is no longer classified as a planet, but is instead considered a dwarf planet.)
- In your ISN - list where you are the heaviest to where you are the lightest.
- Now go to this site and determine the relative mass of the planets. The relative mass compares the mass of each planet to the mass of the Earth. So Earth's relative mass is 1 (one times the mass of the Earth, more massive planets would be a higher number times the mass of the Earth, planets that are less massive than Earth would show a fraction of the Earth's mass)
- In your ISN - Answer the question "How do the mass of a planet and the force of gravity pulling on objects on that planet relate?"
Activity #4 - Comet Game
- Go to this site and choose "Planet Impact". Explore how angle, mass and speed affect which objects collide with planets. (It is OK to let the computer update Flash Player if it isn't the most recent version.)
STATION #1 QUIZ
Activity #1 - What is gravity? How are mass and weight different?
- Click the following links and read about mass, weight and gravity. (Just stay on the first page it brings you to, you don't have to go further) Take notes in your ISN about these topics for each link. Just turn to the next open page of your ISN.
-Link #1
-Link #2
-Link #3
- Hint: Make sure that you have written down information to answer questions like these - a) Why is gravity a force? b) What has gravity? c) What affects how strong the force of gravity is? d) What is weight? e) What keeps things in orbit around planets?
- Next, click here to investigate more about gravity and orbital motion by using this simulation.
Activity #2 - Videos of Apollo missions
- Click here to watch some videos from the Apollo missions to the Moon (some have sound and some do not). The Moon has a mass that is about 1/6 the mass of the Earth. So, the force of gravity on the moon is considerably less than it is on Earth. Choose some videos to watch and then answer the following in your ISN:
- What affect does the reduced gravity have on the movements of the astronauts?
- In addition to reduced gravity, there is also no atmosphere on the Moon. So, there is no air resistance when things fall. Explain why the hammer and the feather in the third video hit the ground at the same time on the Moon. Why would the hammer and feather not hit the ground at the same time if you did this on Earth?
Activity #3 - Your weight on different planets
- Go to this site and determine what your weight would be on different planets in our Solar System. (Note: Remember that Pluto is no longer classified as a planet, but is instead considered a dwarf planet.)
- In your ISN - list where you are the heaviest to where you are the lightest.
- Now go to this site and determine the relative mass of the planets. The relative mass compares the mass of each planet to the mass of the Earth. So Earth's relative mass is 1 (one times the mass of the Earth, more massive planets would be a higher number times the mass of the Earth, planets that are less massive than Earth would show a fraction of the Earth's mass)
- In your ISN - Answer the question "How do the mass of a planet and the force of gravity pulling on objects on that planet relate?"
Activity #4 - Comet Game
- Go to this site and choose "Planet Impact". Explore how angle, mass and speed affect which objects collide with planets. (It is OK to let the computer update Flash Player if it isn't the most recent version.)
STATION #1 QUIZ