ERIC Number: EJ1037498
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Jul
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-9120
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Equivalence Principle Comes to School--Falling Objects and Other Middle School Investigations
Pendrill, Ann-Marie; Ekström, Peter; Hansson, Lena; Mars, Patrik; Ouattara, Lassana; Ryan, Ulrika
Physics Education, v49 n4 p425-430 Jul 2014
Comparing two objects falling together is a small-scale version of Galileo's classical experiment, demonstrating the equivalence between gravitational and inertial mass. We present here investigations by a group of ten-year-olds, who used iPads to record the drops. The movie recordings were essential in the follow-up discussions, enabling the students to compare the different situations and to discern situations where air resistance was essential and where it could be neglected. By considering a number of familiar situations and simple investigations that can be performed, e.g., on a playground, students may come closer to an appreciation of the deep significance of the non-influence of mass on motion under gravity.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Secondary School Science, Middle School Students, Physics, Scientific Concepts, Science Experiments, Motion, Educational Technology, Handheld Devices, Technology Uses in Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Secondary Education; Middle Schools; Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A