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A girl dropping a ball and a pecan from a porch rail onto grass, both falling side by side.

Science / All lessons / Pushes, Pulls and Magnets

Gravity Pulls Down

Why everything falls the same way.

Lesson 16 of 41

Try this first

Before we start

Today’s story

Gravity Pulls Down

Hank throws a ball into the air. It goes up. It slows. It stops for a moment. Then it comes down. Every time.

Something pulls it. That something is gravity. Gravity pulls things toward the center of Earth. It is a force at a distance. Earth does not touch the ball.

Gravity works everywhere on Earth. The steps show what it does.

See it

Five steps. Every time.

    Hands on

    Drop test

    20 minutes · Do this with a grown-up nearby

    You need

    • A ball
    • A coin
    • A book
    • A tissue
    • Paper and pencil

    Do this

    1. Predict which falls first.
    2. Hold a ball and a coin at the same height.
    3. Drop them at the same time.
    4. Listen for the landing.
    5. Crumple the tissue and drop it with the ball.
    6. Drop a flat tissue and compare.
    7. Record each result.
    Write or draw: A table with the pair, prediction and what you saw.

    Watch for: Notice that air slows light flat things but gravity still pulls them.

    Safety: Hold things at shoulder height, stay on the floor, and keep your feet clear.

    Same every time

    Three rules

    Rule 1Gravity pulls objects toward Earth.

    That is why things fall.

    Rule 2It works at a distance.

    Earth does not have to touch the object.

    Rule 3Drop from the same height to compare.

    Fair tests need the same start.

    Grandpa Fenn’s notebook

    Say it like a scientist

    gravity
    The force that pulls objects toward Earth.
    fall
    To move down.
    at a distance
    Working without touching.

    Poppy’s quiz

    Six questions

    Tap an answer. Green means right. You will see why.

    Talk about it

    Say it out loud

    • What did you notice when you dropped two objects? How do you know?
    • How does gravity matter at home or in a field?
    Did you know

    On the Moon, gravity is weaker, so astronauts can jump much higher than on Earth.

    Someone who does this

    An airplane pilot plans a flight knowing gravity is always pulling down.

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