Earth’s Gravity and How it Affects Objects of Different Masses

In this lesson, students will test Earth's gravity and how gravity affects objects of different masses. Students will see that mass does not have an effect but instead air resistance is what causes objects to fall at different rates. Students will use one bolt and one nut and drop it at least 1.75 meters high, students will then drop one bolt and two nuts, and continue this to 6 nuts so they can see that the time it falls is the same or very close to it (human error can affect it).

Students will also practice writing a hypothesis using "if", "then", and "because". Students will calculate the mean (average) of three consecutive trials to figure out if mass plays a role. Students will also create a bar graph and analyze and interpret their data to conclude if the gravity on Earth is affected by different masses.