Plan About Gravity
Plan About Gravity
Objective:
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
"Have you ever wondered why things fall when you drop them? Or why you don’t float off into
space?"
Let students share their ideas. They might suggest things like "gravity" but might not know
exactly how it works.
Key Concept: Introduce gravity as the force that pulls objects toward each other. On Earth,
gravity pulls everything toward the ground. Gravity is also the reason we stay on Earth and why
objects fall when dropped.
What it is: Sir Isaac Newton discovered that every object in the universe exerts a gravitational
force on every other object. The strength of this force depends on two factors:
The mass of the objects: The more massive an object is, the stronger its gravitational pull.
The distance between the objects: The closer the objects are to each other, the stronger the
gravitational force.
Example: The Earth is much larger and more massive than a ball, so Earth’s gravity pulls the
ball toward the ground.
The ball's gravity also pulls on Earth, but because the Earth is so much larger, we don't feel it.
Key Fact: Gravity works over long distances, which is why it keeps the planets orbiting the Sun,
even though they are millions of kilometers away.
3. The Effects of Gravity on Earth (5 minutes):
Gravity and Weight: Weight is the force exerted by gravity on an object. The more mass an
object has, the greater its weight.
Example: A person weighs more on Earth than on the Moon because the Moon has weaker
gravity.
Gravity and Falling Objects: When objects fall to the ground, gravity is pulling them toward
Earth. All objects, regardless of mass (if there's no air resistance), fall at the same rate.
Demonstration: Drop a small object (like a paperclip) and a larger object (like a ball) from the
same height and discuss how they fall at the same rate.
Key Fact: In the absence of air resistance, all objects fall at the same rate due to gravity (this
was proven by Galileo).
Example: If Earth had no gravity, everything would float away, including the atmosphere and
oceans.
Key Fact: Even in space, astronauts experience gravity. That’s why astronauts aboard the
International Space Station appear to float—they’re in freefall, orbiting Earth due to gravity, but
they don’t feel the weight of their bodies because they're continuously falling toward Earth.