Feel the force
Publication description These activities provide an opportunity for children to think about the properties of air and in particular, the frictional forces it exerts. The ideas are put into a real-life context, that of a transport company looking for ways to reduce the fuel consumption of its lorries.
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Feel the force
Science topic: Forces
Type of enquiry: Comparative/fair tests
Keywords: Air reistance, forces, push, pull, compare
The children are introduced to the concept of air resistance as a force by running in playground with sheets of paper.
Measuring the force 1
Science topic: Forces
Type of enquiry: Comparative/fair tests
Keywords: Air resistance, forces, friction, measuring, compare
Children compare toy vehicles with different sized front areas to discover that vehicles with a larger front have greater air resistance.
Measuring the force 2
Science topic: Forces
Type of enquiry: Comparative/fair tests
Keywords: Air resistance, air flow, forces, measuring, compare
Children investigate the impact of adding various shapes of card to the lorry front (known as fairings) to find out whether there is any impact on the air resistance.
Report back to the company
Science topic: Forces
Type of enquiry: Problem solving
Keywords: Air resistance, forces, presenting findings, communication
Graphs, patterns and data can be reported back to the company with final recommendations.
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Supported by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation.