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Balanced & Unbalanced Forces Activity for Kids

Balanced & Unbalanced Forces DIY

  • Duration: 15-30 min
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Cost: $0 to $5

Use balanced & unbalanced forces to drop an egg into a cup without touching it!

Visit The Full Lesson Download Instructions as PDF

Material List

  • 1Metal or plastic pie tin
  • 1 Plastic cup of water
  • 2Eggs
  • 1 Toilet paper tube
  • 1Roll of paper towels for cleanup

Instructions

  • 1Fill the plastic cup halfway with water.
  • 2Place the plate on top of the cup (center it).
  • 3Stack the toilet paper tube on top and center it as well.
  • 4Finally, balance the egg on top of the toilet paper tube.
  • 5Use the palm of your hand to knock the plate away.
  • Tip:Don't hit the tube or the cup.

How It Works

As the egg sits on top of the stack, the forces acting upon the egg are balanced. Gravity pulls the egg down while the tube pushes it up, so the egg is not in motion. When we remove the plate and the tube, the force that was holding the egg up is suddenly removed and the only force on the egg is gravity—causing it to move down.

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Check out the Full Lesson on Balanced & Unbalanced Forces

In this lesson, we learn that:

  • Force has both strength and direction.
  • Unbalanced forces cause an object to change its motion.
  • Balanced forces do not cause a change in motion.

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