Forces Science of Stupid

We are going to watch a clip from National Geographic, Science of Stupid, where we will see how gravity, resistance, and gradient affect acceleration.

Task: as we watch, complete the True or False activity. If false, right the correct answer below in the space provided.

True / False 1. Wheels build up speed when going downhill due to

gravitational acceleration. 2. ______True / False Wheels have low rolling resistance, meaning that they

do not pose much opposition to gravity’s pull. ______True / False 3. The steeper the hill, the smaller the acceleration. ______True / False 4. To stay balanced, you must keep your centre of mass above the narrow base of support (i.e. the wheels) - if you move your centre of mass outside of the base of support, you will become unbalanced. ______True / False 5. A sudden hit of resistance will make you slow down gradually. ______True / False 6. A wider base of support and a lower centre of mass makes something less stable. ______

Forces Science of Stupid

We are going to watch a clip from National Geographic, Science of Stupid, where we will see how gravity, resistance, and gradient affect acceleration.

Answers

1. Wheels build up speed when going downhill due to gravitational acceleration. 2. Wheels have low rolling resistance, meaning that they do not pose much opposition to gravity’s pull. 3. The steeper the hill, the greater the acceleration. 4. To stay balanced, you must keep your centre of mass above the base of support (e.g. the wheels) - f you move your centre of mass outside of the base of support, you will become unbalanced. 5. A sudden hit of resistance will make you rotate forward. 6. A wider base of support and a lower centre of mass makes something more stable.