Science and Engineering week activities at the Physics Factory, Birmingham

Several primary and secondary school classes visited the Physics Factory on Friday 15th March to learn about Forces, Motion and Rockets.

In one-and-a half hour sessions, the pupils took part in hands-on forces demos with a hammer & tin, a falling egg, deforming a sponge ball, a magnet and paper clip, a hovering ball, floating and sinking, bed springs and more. Every child investigated balanced and unbalanced forces using a helium balloon with plasticine weights, and how forces can change the shape, speed and direction of motion of a paper ball.
Using a hover board and a big push off, the pupils experienced for themselves moving at a constant velocity when no external forces were acting on them (Newton’s First law). Finally we finished each session with action and reaction demos, including the putt-putt boats and a highly competitive rocket balloon race.
Feedback from teachers was that they and the pupils enjoyed all aspects of the sessions and the only thing cited that could have been improved was more time to enjoy more Physics Factory teaching.
‘Pupils loved it – engaged, enjoyed and learned lots of new information’ Year 7 Teacher.