Physics Playground
Observation Prompts
Use these questions to help you describe what you see:
1. How does changing gravity affect the ball’s fall speed or bounce height?
2. What happens when you increase or decrease mass?
3. Does friction change how far the object rolls or slides?
4. How does elasticity affect how energy is lost after each bounce?
📊 Summary & Reflection
Which variable had the biggest impact on how the ball moved?
Which settings made the ball bounce the longest?
How do gravity and mass work together to change motion?
If you were designing a video game, how might you use these physics settings to make it more fun or realistic?
🌍 Gravity
Gravity is a force that pulls things toward the ground.
The stronger the gravity, the faster objects fall.
On Earth, gravity always pulls things down.
⚖️ Mass
Mass is how much stuff an object has inside it.
A bowling ball has more mass than a tennis ball.
More mass means it’s harder to move or stop the object.
🧤 Friction
Friction is a force that slows things down when they touch.
It’s like when you slide across a carpet — you stop quickly because of friction.
Less friction means objects slide farther or faster.
🪀 Elasticity
Elasticity is how well something bounces back after being stretched or squished.
A rubber ball has high elasticity — it bounces high.
A clay ball has low elasticity — it barely bounces at all.
