Here are some things to explain about gravity to primary pupils 9 and over:
1 First - What is mass?
For primary school pupils, mass is best understood as the amount of "stuff" or matter inside an object, measured in grams (g) or kilograms (kg). It's different from weight, which depends on gravity, but mass stays the same no matter where you are.
Matter is simply everything around you that takes up space and has weight, like your toys, the air you breathe, and even you! It can be in different forms: solids, liquids, or gases.
Here's a simpler explanation for primary school pupils:
Everything is made of matter:
Think about your toys, your clothes, the books you read, the water you drink, the air you breathe - all of these are made of matter!
2 Gravity is a force
that pulls objects with mass toward each other. It's what causes things to fall down, keeps you on the ground, and makes planets orbit the sun. Here are some things to explain about gravity to primary pupils:
3 Gravity is everywhere
Gravity is a force that exists everywhere, and anything with mass has gravity.
4 Gravity is stronger for larger objects
The bigger an object is, the stronger its gravity. For example, Earth's gravity is stronger than a toy car's gravity.
5 Gravity gets weaker with distance
The closer objects are to each other, the stronger their gravitational pull.
6 Gravity is a curve in space
Albert Einstein described gravity as a curve in space that wraps around an object, pulling nearby objects into the curve.
7 Gravity keeps planets in orbit
Gravity keeps all the planets in orbit around the sun, and the moon in orbit around Earth.
8 Gravity gives you weight
Earth's gravity pulls on all the mass in your body, which gives you weight. If you were on a planet with less mass than Earth, you would weigh less.
See astronauts bouncing about on the moon.
9 Centripetal force
9.1
9.2
9.3
No, you don't need to exert a constant force to stay on a merry-go-round; it's the merry-go-round that exerts a constant force (centripetal force) on you, keeping you moving in a circle, and that force is provided by friction between your feet and the platform or your grip on the bars.
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