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Two children on a playground each drop a different ball from the same height while a third watches with a stopwatch.

Science / All lessons / Gravity, Friction and Magnets

Gravity Patterns

What gravity does to every falling thing.

Lesson 13 of 40

Try this first

Before we start

Today’s story

Gravity Patterns

Eli stands on the porch step and drops a rock into the stock tank. Splash. He drops a pecan next. Splash. They hit the water almost together. He did not expect that.

Gravity is a force that pulls objects toward the center of Earth. It acts at a distance. Nothing touches the rock, and still it falls. Gravity pulls every object the same way. It pulls toward the ground. It pulls harder on heavier things, but heavier things are also harder to speed up. So they fall at the same rate.

Air can get in the way. A feather falls slowly because air pushes against it. A flat paper falls slowly. A crumpled paper falls faster. That is a pattern we can test. Here are the steps.

See it

Five steps. Every time.

    Hands on

    Drop Test

    20 minutes · Do this with a grown-up nearby

    You need

    • A tennis ball
    • A sock filled with rice or sand, about the size of the ball
    • A sheet of paper
    • A tape measure
    • Notebook
    • A partner

    Do this

    1. An adult holds both objects at one meter, about waist high.
    2. Predict which falls first.
    3. Release the ball and the sock together.
    4. Write what you see and hear.
    5. Drop a flat sheet and a crumpled sheet.
    6. Record which landed first.
    7. Repeat each pair three times.
    Write or draw: A table with Pair, Prediction, Winner and Notes, repeated three times.

    Watch for: Notice that the ball and the sock land together. Notice the flat paper lagging because of air.

    Safety: Drop only soft or small objects and keep feet clear of the landing spot.

    Same every time

    Three rules

    Rule 1Gravity pulls down.

    It pulls toward the center of Earth.

    Rule 2Air slows light flat things.

    Shape matters in air.

    Rule 3Drop from the same height.

    That keeps the test fair.

    Grandpa Fenn’s notebook

    Say it like a scientist

    gravity
    A force that pulls objects toward Earth.
    force
    A push or a pull.
    at a distance
    Acting without touching.
    air resistance
    Air pushing against a moving object.

    Poppy’s quiz

    Six questions

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

    Talk about it

    Say it out loud

    • How do you know gravity is pulling and not pushing?
    • Where do you see gravity at work at home, such as water pouring or a ball rolling downhill?
    Did you know

    On the Moon a hammer and a feather fall together, because there is no air to slow the feather.

    Someone who does this

    A skydiving instructor uses what we know about gravity and air to keep jumpers safe.

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