Balanced & Unbalanced Forces

PROCEDURAL

Science›Forces & Motion|Ages 8—9|ID: mt_3WMADSy0mA

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object

Mastery Evidence

Define balanced forces (equal in size, opposite in direction — no change in motion) and unbalanced forces (cause motion to change)
Plan a fair test investigating how different force sizes affect an object's motion
Use results as evidence to explain when forces are balanced versus unbalanced

“Can [child] explain why a book sitting on a table doesn't move (balanced forces) but slides when you push it (unbalanced forces)?”

3-PS2-1Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) K-5codes only

Standard code — full text not included in this dataset.

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Pushes & Pulls hard
Must understand pushes/pulls before investigating balanced vs unbalanced forces
- Drawing Force Diagrams soft
  Understanding pushes and pulls as forces is supported by the arrow representation of magnitude and direction
Drawing Force Diagrams hard
Investigating balanced and unbalanced forces requires drawing force diagrams to record and analyse experimental findings
Friction & Surfaces hard
Must understand friction affects motion before investigating balanced/unbalanced forces
- Pushes & Pulls hard
  Must understand forces change motion before comparing movement on different surfaces
  - Drawing Force Diagrams soft
    Understanding pushes and pulls as forces is supported by the arrow representation of magnitude and direction
- Forces Vocabulary hard
  Comparing how things move on different surfaces requires friction vocabulary