Speed, motion, momentum, gravity, forces. These realities control our world, but sometimes we don't understand the differences. Fermilab scientists share activities and demonstrations to help students develop a deeper understanding of the concepts of force and motion.

NGSS DCIs addressed: K-PW2 A-C; 3-PS2.A; 4-PS3.A-C
MS-PS2A; MS-PS3A
HS-PS2A; PS1A; PS2.A-B; PS3A, PS3.A; PS3.B; PS3.C; PS3.D

Length of time:Two options of 40 or 60 minute presentation are available.

Room preference: Classroom (12 ft. x 18 ft.) or all-purpose room (12 ft. x 24 ft.). A vertical space with a minimum of 8 ft. is needed for some demonstrations.

This demonstration can be presented in either a classroom or an assembly-style presentation.

To help make a Force And Motion presentation run smoothly, we ask the following:

1. Make sure the scientist has exact directions to your school and any parking and delivery information.
2. Because of the scale and amount of equipment used for this presentation, we request reasonable parking and access for loading and unloading.
3. Please review basic concepts with the students before the presentation. They will understand more if they have these concepts fresh in mind. The classroom presentations are intended to enhance your classroom curriculum.
4. This presentation is designed for students in 2nd-8th grades. Please let the scientist know of any specific related learning objectives you wish to address.
5. This presentation is intended for one or two classes. It is most effective if there are no more than 50-60 students in the audience. We want students to be engaged. Questions are encouraged.
6. This presentation engages students as volunteers. Setup should easily allow this involvement.
7. Seating and organization (general setup) needs to be done before the presenter arrives.
8. If you have scheduled multiple presentations, we request that we stay in the same room for all presentations. It is time consuming to move the set up from room to room. We would like 10-15 minutes between presentations if possible. Two presentations would be a maximum request.
9. Set up takes 35-45 minutes. We need 30 minutes to pack up and remove equipment.
10. We need one medium-sized table (3 ft. x 8 ft.) with a smooth surface and no "lip".
11. Some presentations require AV equipment such as LCD or overhead projectors.
12. A wireless microphone and sound system may be helpful to ensure that everyone can hear.
13. Teachers and/or aides should remain with students to assist with student engagement and management while you all enjoy the presentation!