Beacon Lesson Plan Library

Forces and Balloons

Paul Scime

Description

Students use balloons to investigate and discuss the forces of compression, tension and torque on common birthday balloons.

Standards

Florida Sunshine State Standards
SC.C.2.3.2.8.1
The student knows some common contact forces (for example, friction, buoyancy, tension).

Florida Process Standards
Critical and Creative Thinkers
04 Florida students use creative thinking skills to generate new ideas, make the best decision, recognize and solve problems through reasoning, interpret symbolic data, and develop efficient techniques for lifelong learning.

Cooperative Workers
08 Florida students work cooperatively to successfully complete a project or activity.

Materials

-Balloons, one per student. Suggest standard 8- birthday balloons or circus balloons (the balloon animal type). Any type of balloons will work.
-Overhead projector.
-Textbooks, for use as weight on balloons.
-Duplicated student worksheets, (see Attached Files).

Preparations

-Download attached file.
-Become familiar with the background information given in the attached file.
-Make transparencies from attached document.
-Duplicate selected worksheets (one per student) from attached document.

Procedures

1. Blow up and/or breaka few balloons as an attention getter.

2. Administer Pre-Test (see Attached Files). This is a pictorial test. Students are to describe the forces they see in the diagrams. (10 Min)

3. Explain to the student that you will be discussing forces and how they affect the balloon. Students learn the forces that affect the balloon and apply them to everyday life.

4. Initiate discussion: Display each transparency (individual copies for each student may be desired).

5.Assist the student in completing the Forces Review Worksheet (see Attached Files) while explaining each type of force shown in the transparency. The effect of compression, tension and stress are shown on a balloon. Strength in shape is shown on an aluminum soda can. Easy to crush on its side, difficult to crush from top to bottom. (10 15 Min.)

6. Hand out a balloon to each student. Allow each student to experiment with the forces discussed. Allow the students to stretch the balloon (tension), and place textbooks on the balloon to demonstrate compression. Twisting the balloon the demonstrate torque. (Note a modification of this demonstration is to allow the students to experiment with the amount of air in the balloon versus the amount of compression it can handle before failure (breaking). (20 Min)

-While the students experiment, visit each group and discuss different forces such as shear, static and dynamic forces.

7. Assign homework: State and discuss five or more examples where these forces apply to everyday life.

Assessments

Summative assessment: pre-test assignment, student activity questions and answers. Formative assessment: Forces Review Worksheet with responses to discussion and activity questions.

Attached Files

A set of student worksheets including review sheets, crossword and word search puzzles, and all materials needed to successfully complete this lesson. File Extension: pdf