This document provides instructions for an activity to explore balance and motion using objects, coins, markers, rulers, and different surfaces. Students are asked to think of surfaces that different drawn objects could balance on. They are then instructed to build a coin tower by placing coins on a ruler balanced on a marker and observe what happens when coins are added to only one side. The document explains that the tower falls over when the weights are uneven due to gravity pulling down on the unbalanced side. Students are encouraged to try building taller or different towers and test lighter weights.

1. Tiffany Perdue
Webquest – Balance and Motion
Intro
Different objects have balance on different types of surfaces (round, flat, pointed). Today we
will be using the objects you drew during the Zunal Webquest activity to explore how these objects
might balance on different types of surfaces.
Task
For each object that you drew, think of a surface that the object could easily be balanced on.
Afterwards, try this fun activity.
1.) Set a marker on a sturdy surface so that it is standing up tall.
2.) Place a ruler on top of the marker, and be sure to center the ruler so it has balance.
3.) Put a penny down on top of the tower in the center of the ruler.
4.) Continue adding coins to the tower - hold a penny in each hand and slowly set a penny down at
the same time on each end of the ruler.
5.) Try putting a penny down on just one end of the ruler. What happens to the tower?
What makes the tower topple down? Gravity is a force that is always pulling. When you put a cup of
water down on the table, it stays there because gravity pulls it down. When you jump on a trampoline,
you come back down because of gravity. When you put equal weights on each side of the tower, it was
balanced and even on each side. It's sort of like a see-saw when the ends are balanced and only your
feet touch the ground. With equal weights on each side of the tower, gravity pulled down with equal
force on each side, so it stayed balanced. When you placed a coin on just one side and not the other,
gravity pulled on that coin (because gravity is a force that is always pulling) and the tower was not even
any more. It was no longer balancing in the air and so it toppled over. The pull of that one coin caused
the ruler to be pulled down, making the tower collapse. Even a small coin can create a big motion
because of the powerful force of gravity pulling on it.
Do you think you can build a better balancing tower? Try building it higher using markers stacked on top
of each other. Do you think you could build the same tower using a new pencil (with an unsharpened
end) and a ruler? What if you used a weight that was lighter than a penny (for example, a flower petal,
paperclip, or scrap of paper), do you think the tower would still fall down? Try it out.
Process
Play this fun game to learn more about balance!
http://archive.fossweb.com/modulesK-2/BalanceandMotion/activities/rollercoaster.html

2. Rubric
You will be graded on the following:
Did you think of ten surfaces?
Did you show a clear understanding of how different surfaces can affect balance?
Did you answer all of the questions?
Conclusion
Share what you learned with the class!
Works Cited:
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/a/force-and-motion-science-projects-for-elementary