ENGAGE

Activity 1: Find the Forces

In this activity, the teacher will dramatize a story that illustrates a variety of forces- forces that starts
things moving and forces that change the motion of things that are already moving. Though careful observation
and class discussion, students will identify these forces and what they do. You may want to tell the story while a
student dramatizes it.

Objectives:

At the end of the activity, the students are expected to:

1. identify forces
2. illustrate the variety of forces that makes things move and change their motion

Procedures:

Begin the activity by telling the students the following story. Make sure you, or a student, act out the
motions described. Encourage the students to listen carefully and watch closely. Only the Introduction and
Conclusion of the story are spelled out. The Middle Section includes suggested motions and forces they illustrate.
(You may want to modify these or add your own.) You create your own story line to accompany the movements.

Introduction:

Late last night I returned to our classroom to pick up some books. As I approached the window, I saw a
tall man moving around in the room. I watched him through the window, and this is what he did…

Middle Section:
Motions to be Dramatized Explanation of Forces
1. Open the door, but don’t let it go all the way. Push to open, pull to stop it.
Drop a book on the desk. Gravity pulls it down and gets it moving; the
2.
desk pushes up and stops it.
Push a ball so that it rolls off the table. You push; then gravity pulls it down; then floor
3. pushes up on it or maybe make it bounce up
again.
Push something that will slide for a short distance You push to start it; friction slowly stops it.
4.
across a flat surface like a desk or floor.
Slam the door. You push it to get it moving; the wall pushes
5.
back on the door to stop it.
6. Blow a tissue or a paper off the desk. Air pushes on the tissue or paper.
On a flat surface, push a chair so that it starts moving. You push the cart; friction may slow it down;
7.
Then give it a second push to speed it up. your second push will speed it up.
*NOTE: The story may be modified according to the teacher’s preferences. The students may be given a copy of
the story leaving the table blank in order for them to identify the motions dramatized and the possible explanation
of the forces being applied in each motion. The table is intended for teacher’s use only. Many students will say
that the book pushes down on the desk during impact. This is correct. Nevertheless, it is the desk pushing up on
the book which stops the book. This concept will be discussed on the forthcoming topic “Action and Reaction”.

Conclusion:

I watched in amazement, wondering who this stranger might be and why he was moving things in our
classroom. I quickly walked to the door, pushed it open and boldly asked “Who are you, and what are you doing?”
Although the stranger was startled by my abrupt entrance, he was eager to answer. “I’m here experimenting with
different forces, with what makes things move. Did you see all the forces moving things in the classroom? Were
you watching me closely?”

Discuss the scenario with the students, asking them to identify the forces they observed- instances
when an object started moving, stopped moving, speeded up, or moved in a different direction. In your
discussion, focus on how forces change the way a thing is moving. (Beware of saying that a force always produces
this effect; remember that two balanced forces pushing on something produce the same effect as no force at
all.)

Then have the students list the forces they observed and discuss what each force did.
EXPLORE

Activity 2A: Forces on Objects at Rest

Objectives:
After performing this activity, you should be able to identify the forces acting on an object at rest.

Materials:
pen pair of scissors string book

Procedure

Situation 1

1. Hang a pen by a piece of string as shown in Figure 3a.

Q1. Is the pen at rest or in motion?
Q2. Are there forces acting on the pen? If yes, draw the forces. You may use arrows to represent these forces.
2. Cut the string with a pair of scissors.
Q3. What happens to the pen? What could have caused the pen’s motion?

Situation 2

1. Place a book on top of a table as shown in Figure 3b.

Q4. Is the book at rest or in motion?
Q5. Are there forces acting on the book? If yes, draw the forces acting on the book.
2. Let one member of your group push the book in one direction and another member push it in the opposite
direction at the same time with the same amount of push (force).
Q6. Did the book move? How will you make the book move?
In the situations above, both the pen and the book are at rest. But this does not mean that there are no forces
acting on them. So what causes them to stay in place? Consider the next activity.

Activity 2B: Balance of Forces

Objectives:
After performing this activity, you should be able to:

1. examine the conditions when two forces balance, and

2. explain the effect of balanced forces on the state of motion of an object.

Materials:
4 sets spring balance 1 piece of sturdy cardboard threads

Procedure:

1. Bore four holes around the cardboard as shown. Label the holes A, B, C, and D.
2. Attach threads to the holes.
3. Attach a spring balance to thread A and another one to thread D. Hold the cardboard to keep it still. Pull the
balances along the same line such that when released, the cardboard remains at rest.
4. When the cardboard is at rest, examine the magnitudes and directions of the two forces by reading the spring
balance.
5. Draw the line of action of the forces acting on the cardboard. Extend the lines until they intersect. Mark the
point of intersection and draw arrows starting at this point to represent the forces acting on the cardboard.
6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 for pair B and C.
Q7. When the cardboard is at rest, how do the magnitudes and directions of the pair of forces acting on it
compare?
7. Now here is a challenge. Find out the directions of all the forces such that when all the threads were pulled
with the same amount, the cardboard will not move or rotate when released.
Q8. If you draw the lines of action of all the forces acting on the board and extend the lines, what will you get?
EXPLORE
Activity 3: Concept Check

Direction: Using the situations below, give what is being asked and create your own diagram showing the
direction of the forces acting on the objects.

1. A boy and a girl are pulling a heavy crate at the same time with 10 units of force each. What is the net force
acting on the object?

2. What if the boy and the girl pull the heavy crate at the same time in opposite directions with 10 units and 5
units of force respectively, what will be the net force on the object? Will the object move? To what direction will
it move?

3. Suppose another girl pulls the heavy crate in with 5 units of force in the same direction as the girl, what will
be the net force that will act on the object? Will the object move?

EVALUATE

Direction: For items 1-5, identify the type of contact and non-contact forces present in each situation.

1. What force attracts objects towards the earth?

2. An apple is falling from the tree towards the ground. What type of force is involved?

3. What force makes a charged comb attract small pieces of paper?

4. What type of force is used by a boy to kick a football?

5. What force makes an iron become attracted to a magnet?

6. Forces are measure in units called _______________.

7. Balanced forces act on objects that are

A. stationary B. in motion C. rising or falling

8. Which of the following is an example of unbalanced forces in action?

A. a boat floating on still water
B. a person sitting on a chair
C. a rising balloon

9. Forces can _________________.

A. slow down or speed up objects only
B. change the speed, direction or shape of an object
C. change the movement of objects but only if they were already in motion

10. Benjie was pulling a log towards the right with 20 units of force. To speed up what he was doing, his friend
Rex helped him by pulling the log in the same direction applying 10 units of force. How much force acts on an
object? Will it move? On which direction?
EXTEND

Activity 4: More about Forces

Forces are everywhere! You use force to pull a door handle, park a bike or even stir soup! When you
make something move, you exert force on the object. Look at the pictures below and describe how the person
is exerting force. See example:

Now draw the activities that you do that exert force in the box. Show the direction of the force applied.

Prepared by:

HENEDENA C. TAMBA ELEMAR GUMBAN

LORELYN EMBODO ELIZABETH OTABE

AMELIA NAPITAN JOSEPHINE QUILATON

HELEN CAMARE CRISTINE DATUMANONG

MERCEDITA CRUJEDO