Learn physics at home with this fun and easy science experiment. All you will need are some household materials and an eager mindset to explore.
Weight is the force of gravity and one of the four forces of flight. It moves aircrafts like planes in a downward direction, toward the center of the earth. Today, we are going to take a look at the science of weight by doing an experiment!
Materials:
Flour, Small container, Baking sheet/newspaper, and Marbles or rocks
Time Estimated:
5-10 minutes
Directions:
Take your small container and fill it at least an inch full with flour. Put a baking sheet or newspaper under the container to avoid making a mess!
Hypothesize whether the marbles/rocks will make a bigger “crater” in the flour when they’re dropped from a higher or lower height.
Drop the marbles from different heights into the flour.
Experiment with different sized marbles or rocks to see how this affects the size of the crater!
Now take out your marbles/rocks and observe which ones made a deeper crater in the flour.
Think Like A Scientist:
Was your hypothesis correct?
Why did the marbles/rocks dropped from a higher point make a bigger crater?
What does this experiment simulate?
How It Works:
In this experiment, the flour is a representation of the moon, and the marbles you dropped are like meteorites or asteroids that impact the moon, causing craters. You may be wondering why the marbles or rocks dropped from a higher point have a bigger impact. This is because when height increases, so does the potential energy and the kinetic energy of the object, which causes a greater collision force. In other words, when marble/rock is higher, it gains more energy!
Looking for more fun at home STEM activities for your young scientist? Check out our workbook full of exciting science experiments and empowering activities!
