ACTIVITY SHEET SCIENCE BEHIND GRAVITY Gravity is a pulling force and objects do not have to touch each other for the force of gravity to affect them. Every object in the universe that has mass has a gravitational pull. Even you and the people around you exert a gravitational pull on each other, but since none of us are very big, it isn’t strong at all. When you look at something with great mass, like a planet or a star, gravitational pull becomes very strong. Bigger mass doesn’t always mean a bigger object, think about the differences between a bowling ball and a basketball. They are about the same size, but the bowling ball has more mass, and therefore it is heavier. There is more material inside the bowling ball and gravity has a lot more matter to grab onto. You will be able to see the effects of gravity when you create your pom pom painting. If you drop your pom pom from a greater height, it will have more time in the air for gravity to pull on it. Since it will hit the ground at a greater speed, there will be more force when the pom pom hits the ground, resulting in a larger paint splotch. If you drop it from a lower height, the pom pom will have less time to accelerate and will travel slower, hitting the paper with less force and creating a smaller splotch.
KEY TERMS • • • • • • •
Accelerate - to undergo a change in speed. Exert - to put forth or into use. Force - strength or power exerted upon an object. Gravity - a pulling force created by objects with mass. Mass - the quantity of matter in an object. Object - a material thing that can be seen and touched. Universe - all existing matter, everything we can touch, feel measure, sense and detect.
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