Forces and motion – the basics

Integrated ScienceForces & MotionAges 11–12

Four screens to explore forces and motion: Net force builds two teams for a tug of war to show that the net force decides which side wins; Motion pushes an object on a frictionless surface to show that it keeps the same velocity once the force stops; Friction adds a resisting force as the object slides over a rough surface; Acceleration shows the numbers behind F = m·a. Students change the mass, the applied force and the amount of friction and watch the force, velocity and acceleration arrows update in real time. Based on the "Forces and Motion: Basics" simulation by PhET Interactive Simulations, University of Colorado Boulder (CC BY 4.0); rewritten.

Lesson: Forces and their effects