Learning Goals:

Students will identify the Laws of Motion and learn about the forces acting on the system. There are multiple forces acting on a boat, some of these forces include acceleration, friction, gravity and thrust. High-level concepts that students will be able to apply to their own design:

1. Acceleration is the increase in the rate of speed that the boat moving through the water
2. Friction exists between the water and the boat and resists motion
3. Gravity acts on all objects on earth
4. Thrust is the forward force of the propeller moving through the water
5. Buoyancy is the force of water that pushes the boat toward the surface and is measured using the displacement of water.

Handouts

• Barge Building Handout
• Law of Motion Quiz
• Box and T Chart Student Sheet
• Box and T Chart Rubric

Classroom Supplies

• Aluminum foil
• Marbles
• Large tub or basin

Important Links

• Lesson Plan

Next Generation Science Standards

• 4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
• 4-PS3-4. Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.
• 3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
• 3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
• 3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
• PS2-1. Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.
• PS2- 2. Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.