This week we have been learning about forces and gravity. We began by learning about static electricity. We have experimented with balloons and know static electricity is related to electrons and lightning is linked to it too. We will be learning more about this next week.
We learned about magnetic poles and experimented with different sizes and shapes of magnet. We know a larger magnet doesn’t mean it is stronger. Next week we will make a game using magnets.
Finally we learned about gravity. We know gravity is a force which draws objects to the centre of earth and that two objects of the same size and shape will fall at the same rate because of gravity. It doesn’t matter what weight they are! We designed parachutes using our knowledge of air resistance and gravity to see if we could safely transport mini eggs from the balcony to the atrium. Everyone tested their original design and then made improvements. We discussed our changes with different teams to help us think about why we thought our changes would make the parachute better.
We then tested our designs twice. Some were more successful than others. Some toppled and the eggs cracked. Some had one or two eggs fall out. One parachute safely landed upright with all eggs safely intact and one box fell apart, though their parachute design was very good. All the eggs fell from quite a height!
