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Hands-on Activity

Impact!

Fun Forces
Summary
In this activity, students drop small spheres of different masses from different heights into flour. The students then describe the craters that form, measure the diameter and depth of the craters, and draw conclusions about how different variables affect the characteristics of the craters.
Overview
Topic: Impact Craters
Real World Science Topics:
  • An exploration of how the speed of a falling object is related to the height from which it is dropped.
  • An exploration of how mass and velocity are related to the energy of a moving object.
  • An exploration of how impact craters form.
Objective
Students will gain an understanding of performing a controlled experiment and how different variables affect the characteristics of craters formed from an impact.

Activity Difficulty Rating: 3 Each hands-on science activity has been ranked based on difficulty of set up and how difficult they are to perform. The rating scale is from 1 to 5, with 1 being the easiest and 5 being the most complicated.