A teacher drops a ball on the floor. The students draw the
model above to show the ball’s motion.
Embedded Files
Patterns and Motion
Patterns and Motion
Phenomenon
Phenomenon
Observations and Wonderings
Observations and Wonderings
What are you observing about this phenomenon?
What are you wondering about this phenomenon?
Focus Questions
Focus Questions
1. Do you notice anything that happens over and over again in this phenomenon?
2. In what direction is the motion happening?
Motion
Motion
The wings of this hummingbird are moving so fast that they're just a blur of motion. You can probably think of many other examples of things in motion. If you can't, just look around you. It's likely that you'll see something moving, and if nothing else, your eyes will be moving. So you know from experience what motion is. It seems like a simple concept. However, when you read this section, you'll find out that it's not quite as simple as it seems.
In science, motion is defined as a change in position. An object's position is its location. Besides the wings of the hummingbird in the opening image, you can see other examples of motion in the pictures. In each case, the position of something is changing.
Patterns of Motion
Patterns of Motion
Take a look around you. You can probably observe many different types of objects moving. Maybe you see the hands on the clock, a classmate tapping her foot or a fly buzzing around your classroom. Some of this motion may seem random, but on a closer look, predictable patterns can be observed.
Motion can be described in terms of speed and direction. Speed relates to how fast or slow something is moving. Direction refers to the path that an object takes.
Some objects follow a straight line or path. An example of this could be an acorn dropping from an oak tree, or a bowling ball sliding down the lane. Other objects move in a zigzag motion or back and forth, such as a child on a swing. Other objects can move in a rotational, or circular pattern, for example a merry go round or the hands on a clock. Finally, other objects move in an irregular pattern, such as a bee flying around a garden of flowers. If you can identify a
pattern of motion, then you can predict how an object will move in the future.
Putting it Together
Putting it Together
Focus questions
Focus questions
1. Do you notice any patterns in the ball’s motion?
2. Is there anything you could count or measure when observing this phenomenon?
Final task
Final task
The model shows four bounces, but the ball bounced five times. What do you think the fifth bounce was like?
Add on to the model to show what the fifth bounce looked like.
What could you measure to predict the distance and direction the ball will travel?
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