ShareForce & Motion - Well, Blow Me Over!
In the previous experiment we used our hot air to get things moving in the water. We are now going to find out what will happen when we use the same force on different objects using a fan, wind, and a tornado. Each object has a different resistance to forces around them. The experiment will take place inside and outside.
Materials:
- Fan (with 3 speeds)
- Sock
- Piece of paper
- Newspaper
- Book
- Blanket
- Beach ball
- Towel or washcloth
- Ruler or yardstick
To begin with, choose one of the objects and set it in front of the fan. Set the object one foot away from the fan. Turn on the fan. What did you observe? Now increase the fan speed. Keep repeating the experiment with different objects. If the object moved, take note of how far it moved. Record your measurements on the chart below. Which item moved the farthest? Which item moved the least?
| object | low | med. | high |
| blanket | |||
| newspaper | |||
| beach ball | |||
| sock | |||
| wash cloth | |||
| book |
Use a ruler to measure the distance.
Were you surprised a by your findings?
With the same objects above, how do you think wind such as a nice stiff breeze, would affect them?
Experiment 2:
How many of you have mismatched socks around your house? Do you have a lone sock that just refuses to match up with another sock? Grab it. We are going to put it to work. Don't worry, we won't make it smell and it won't get wet.
Material:
- One cup of dry rice
- One sock (a tube type sock would be best)
- Large paper clip
- Twenty washers (Not a dishwasher or washing machine but the round disk-shaped washers)
- Piece of string-12 inches long
- Piece of string-36 inches long
Put the rice into the sock. Tie the sock opening with the 12 inch string to keep the rice from escaping. Tie the 36 inch string to the closed end of the sock. Unfold the large paper clip and tie it to the free end of the string. Lay the sock on a flat surface such as a table or desk. (Your string needs to hang down, but not touch the ground.)
Procedure:
Lay the sock on the table and have the string hanging
over the edge about six inches. Did the paperclip pull the sock over the
edge? Of course not. The rice is heavier and remains in place. Add a washer
to the paper clip. Does the rice move? Continue adding washers to the
paper clip until you see some movement. How many washers did you add before
the sock moved? How many washers did you add before the sock moved two
inches? Continue adding washers until the sock is at the end of the table.
How many do you think you can add before the sock falls?
Fill in your predictions in a chart like the one below.
| Number of washers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Hypothesis | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Actual findings |
Shade in the number of squares you predict, then shade in the actual number in the row below the hypothesis row after your testing.
Did you like adding washers? This is an easy test for you to perform. Let's try another test using washers and some new items.
Find a draw string toy or a windup toy, a large paper clip, 20 washers, and some masking tape.
Place the tape on the floor with a beginning line and an ending line. Pull the draw string on the toy car/truck. Observe how far it goes. Hook the paper clip to the back of the toy. Pull the string. Was there a difference of distance moved? Try this activity over and over adding a washer after each move. Record your predictions and your findings in a chart like the one below.
| Number of washers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Hypothesis | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Actual findings |
These experiments show that when you use an object that has the same strength (the sock with rice, the fan, and the toy car) different opposing weights will affect the movement of it.
