Since February, the 8th graders have been diving into physics in science class, exploring the forces of gravity, air resistance, and friction. Through a series of engaging, hands-on labs, they’ve been putting their knowledge to the test—seeing firsthand how these forces interact and impact objects on our planet.
The students started exploring gravity and air resistance by creating different-sized parachutes and dropping them from the ceiling of the science lab. Students could see the pull of gravity on the parachutes and how air resistance could be used to slow that force down by measuring the time each took to descend. Next, students worked on designing, creating, and launching rockets to see how to defy air resistance and gravity.
Last week, the class worked with projectiles that used both vertical and horizontal motion. Different paper airplane designs created more air resistance than others. The students saw how these forces act on objects and how various features of an object can affect these forces.
This week, students took their physics learning to the next level with an exciting experience to iFly in Union City where they explored terminal velocity in a real wind tunnel! They discussed how mass, air resistance, and surface area affect falling objects, then put theory into practice by suiting up and experiencing it firsthand. Students got to “fly” in the wind tunnel, feeling the exact force needed to keep them floating or falling at terminal velocity—a thrilling, hands-on lesson in action!
Students then made guesses at which toys thrown in the wind tunnel would fall the fastest or slowest based on size, mass and surface area! A lot was learned and experienced.
#SaklanHandsOn #SaklanFieldExperience
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