Gravity pulls down
Drop balls all around the Earth to see that “down” points to its center, then race a bowling ball and a feather on Earth, the Moon, Mars and Jupiter.
Standards: 5-PS2-1
1Wonder
People in Australia are on the other side of the world from people in the USA. So why don’t they fall off the Earth? Which way is “down” for them?
2Explore
This activity needs a bigger screen
Turn your phone sideways, or open this lesson on a tablet or computer. The explanation and quiz below work here.
- Press Drop the balls. Which way does each ball fall? Where would all the arrows meet?
- Drag yourself to the bottom of the Earth and drop again. Does your ball fall “up”?
- Choose Drop tower. Drop a bowling ball and a feather with air on. Which lands first?
- Now go to the Moon (no air!). Drop them again. What happens?
- Try Jupiter. Do things fall faster or slower than on Earth?
3Explain
Gravity pulls things down
When you let go of an apple, it falls. A pull called gravity pulls everything toward the Earth.
Gravity pulls objects toward the center of the Earth, which is what we call “down”. Without air, heavy and light objects fall at the same rate.
4Practice
A child in Australia drops a ball. Which way does it fall?
5Recap
- Gravity pulls things toward the Earth.
- “Down” always means toward the center of the Earth, wherever you stand.
- Without air, heavy and light things fall together.
- Air resistance slows light, wide things like feathers.
- Other worlds have different gravity: weaker on the Moon, stronger on Jupiter.