Science.5.7.A

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The student is expected to investigate and explain how equal and unequal forces acting on an object cause patterns of motion and transfer of energy; and
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Knowledge and Skills Statement

Force, motion, and energy. The student knows the nature of forces and the patterns of their interactions.

a push or pull between two objects

an act, process, or instance of changing position or location  

regular sequences that can be found throughout nature

Research

Bobrowsky, M. Science 101 Q: What’s Wrong With “For Every Action, There is an Equal and Opposite Reaction”? Science and Children, (March 2019): 69–73.

Summary: This article explains how forces act on each other. It asks readers to clap their hands together to see that they feel the same amount of force from each hand and that the forces are equal in strength and opposite in direction. Similarly, magnets can either attract or repel each other, but the forces from each magnet are the same and occur simultaneously. Many students are surprised to learn that when gravity acts on an object, like an apple falling to the ground, the apple also exerts a small gravitational tug on the Earth. Students should know that forces come in pairs. Students can observe a set of blocks stacked on top of each other and try to identify all of the pairs of forces.