The 8th graders spent the first trimester of this school year learning about physics, specifically focusing on force and motion. We learned about different types of collisions and what happens when two objects collide. We learned all objects have an elastic limit. We also learned that increasing the speed or mass of an object affects the peak forces in the collision, with speed having a greater overall effect.
We learned about Newton’s Three Laws of Motion. The first law is about inertia, an object at rest stays at rest or an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. The second law is called the Law of Force and Acceleration. It tells us that more force is needed to accelerate an object if the mass is higher. The third law is the Law of Action/Reaction. It tells us that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
We received a Rocketry kit from Midwest Model Supply to complete our unit on forces right before Christmas break.
Each 8th grader was able to build their own rocket using the provided kit and then we spent two class periods launching our rockets by the playground.
On the second launch day the 3rd through 7th graders were invited to watch. It was really exciting when a parachute actually opened to help the rocket gently come back down. We even caught a few rockets!
Mac Canfield said “the rockets went way higher than I expected!”
Nicholas Schaab said “my rocket got stuck in a tree, never to be seen again.”
Zack Kieda said “the rockets were a great way for us to test the laws of motion that we learned about in class.”
A huge thank you to the Aerospace Education Team, especially Sue Mercer, for her help obtaining these kits! And to Mike Sieloff, a 4th grade grandparent, for purchasing the membership to allow us to complete more fun, hands on activities in class.
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