Which Way Will It Go? What Moves the Puck?
Sim Lesson
Students use the Which Way Will It Go? simulation to add force arrows to a puck, build a balanced pair and then an unbalanced set, and observe how the puck responds. Lesson Purpose Students often think any force on an object will make it move. Comparing balanced forces (which cancel) with unbalanced forces (which do not) builds the idea that it is the net force, not just any force, that changes an object's motion.
In a game of tug-of-war, when both teams pull equally hard, the rope does not move. When one team pulls harder, it moves. Pushes and pulls are forces. What happens to an object when the forces on it are balanced, and what happens when they are not? In this lesson, you will use the Which Way Will It Go? simulation to put forces on a puck and watch when it moves and when it stays still.
Topics and standards: Science, Physics, Physical Science, Simulation, Motion, Forces & Motion, Grades 3-5, Forces, 3-PS2-1, SC.4.P.12.1, TEKS Science 3.7.B, 2-PS2-2, 3.2.3.B