In Grade 10 physics, it's really important to understand free fall. Free fall happens when something is only pulled by gravity. This means that we can ignore air resistance for our experiments.
To show how free fall works, we can do some simple experiments in the classroom. This way, students can see it for themselves!
One easy experiment is to drop two balls that weigh different amounts.
For example, you can use a tennis ball and a basketball.
You might think the heavier ball (the basketball) would hit the ground first. But you will find out that both balls land at the same time!
This proves a key idea from Galileo: in a vacuum (where there’s no air), all objects fall at the same rate, no matter how heavy they are.
You should see both balls touch the ground very close to each other.
You can then talk about why the mass doesn’t change how fast something falls. This leads to learning about gravity, which pulls things down at about 9.81 meters per second squared near Earth.
Another fun experiment is dropping a coin and a feather. This helps us see how air resistance works.
Drop in Open Air: Let the coin and feather fall from the same height in open air. You will notice the coin hits the ground first. That’s because it’s heavier and the air doesn’t slow it down as much.
Try a Vacuum: If you have a vacuum chamber, put both the coin and feather in it and let them go from the same height. Without air, they should fall at the same time!
You can also drop different items to see how they fall.
If doing these experiments isn’t possible, you can use technology to help.
Websites and apps can simulate free fall, allowing students to change things like mass and height to see how gravity works.
After the experiments, students can collect their fall times and make graphs.
For example:
Through these fun experiments, Grade 10 students will learn about free fall and how gravity works.
By trying things out and discussing what they see, they’ll create a stronger understanding of physics. This foundation will help them as they continue to explore science in the future!
In Grade 10 physics, it's really important to understand free fall. Free fall happens when something is only pulled by gravity. This means that we can ignore air resistance for our experiments.
To show how free fall works, we can do some simple experiments in the classroom. This way, students can see it for themselves!
One easy experiment is to drop two balls that weigh different amounts.
For example, you can use a tennis ball and a basketball.
You might think the heavier ball (the basketball) would hit the ground first. But you will find out that both balls land at the same time!
This proves a key idea from Galileo: in a vacuum (where there’s no air), all objects fall at the same rate, no matter how heavy they are.
You should see both balls touch the ground very close to each other.
You can then talk about why the mass doesn’t change how fast something falls. This leads to learning about gravity, which pulls things down at about 9.81 meters per second squared near Earth.
Another fun experiment is dropping a coin and a feather. This helps us see how air resistance works.
Drop in Open Air: Let the coin and feather fall from the same height in open air. You will notice the coin hits the ground first. That’s because it’s heavier and the air doesn’t slow it down as much.
Try a Vacuum: If you have a vacuum chamber, put both the coin and feather in it and let them go from the same height. Without air, they should fall at the same time!
You can also drop different items to see how they fall.
If doing these experiments isn’t possible, you can use technology to help.
Websites and apps can simulate free fall, allowing students to change things like mass and height to see how gravity works.
After the experiments, students can collect their fall times and make graphs.
For example:
Through these fun experiments, Grade 10 students will learn about free fall and how gravity works.
By trying things out and discussing what they see, they’ll create a stronger understanding of physics. This foundation will help them as they continue to explore science in the future!