Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Exploration Activities
Name: __________________________
Period: ______
September 5, 2017
Forces always occur in pairs. The pairs are either balanced or unbalanced. Balanced
forces do not produce any change in motion but unbalanced forces do. In the following
activities identify whether or not the forces were balanced or unbalanced, whether or not
the forces produced a change in motion.
Activity 1/STATION 1
1. View the picture and then sketch it in your PAPER:
2. Blue Team and Red Team are playing tug-of-war. If Blue Team pulls the rope
to the right with a force of 800N and Red Team pulls the rope to the left with
a force of 800N, what will happen to the flag in the middle of the rope?
Explain.
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3. Is this force balanced or unbalanced? ___________________________
4. Create a representation of the picture with arrows. (Include numbers as well.
Activity 2/STATION 2
1. Set up the dominoes in a row so that they will touch each other when they
fall.
2. What type of force will make the dominoes fall? _________________
3. Touch 1 domino so that the others are knocked over.
4. Draw your domino set up below and draw arrows to show the direction of
movement.
DRAW HERE
Activity 3/STATION 3
1. With a lab partner: play PADDLE BALL 2 or 3 times.
2. WHO WON? __________________
3. What is the force that makes the ball stop? ___________________
4. Is there a different force making the ball fall towards the ground? ___________ If
so, what is it called? ___________________
5. When the paddle stops the ball, is that force moving in the same direction as
the ball? ___________
Activity 4/STATION 4
1. Place a ball on the floor, where the “X” is.
2. Is the position of the ball an example of balanced or unbalanced force? Why?
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3. GENTLY bounce the ball so that it bounces up from the floor to your hand.
4. Draw the movement ON YOUR PAPER and label the direction of forces.
5. Is the movement of the ball an example of balanced or unbalanced force?
Why? ________________________________________________________________________________
Activity 5/STATION 5
1. Place the book with the string around it on one end of a table.
2. Hook a spring scale to the string around the book and slide it across the table
at a constant speed.
3. How much force was needed to pull the book? _________________N
4. REPEAT STEP 1. Put several straws under the book spaced (SPACED OUT
EVENLY).
5. Attach the spring scale to the string around the book and pull it at a constant
speed across the table.
6. How did the force needed to pull the book on straws compare with the force
needed to drag the book without the straws?
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