Gravity, Zero-G what’s up or down in Ok Go’s Upside Down Inside Out Music Video? Click on the photo to see the video. The photo is a snip from the video. You will be taken to You Tube in a new window.
The concept of gravity is hard for teachers to teach and difficult for kids to conceptualize. After all we all feel we have experienced that force of gravity after a hard fall. I’m pretty sure I won’t be skating anytime soon after my last fall…I blamed it on gravity! Not wanting to accept that my hard fall had more to do with my mass rather than gravity. (sometimes the truth hurts…literally) Remember gravity is relative depending on where you are and how much gravitational force exists.
Gravity Defined
Check out this link for a simple definition. Gravity is the force that pulls two objects toward each other.
Zero-G not Zero Gravity
There is Zero-G. That is where Ok Go’s video happens. It is all about mass and acceleration. Ok Go’s video was filmed on a flying plane. You can experience temporary weightlessness. The video was made over 21 flights. Zero-G was achieved by the plane flying in a pattern that ascends and descends giving the experience of Zero-G. I love this video…what an awesome STEAM example. Science, technology, engineering, art and math. Challenge your students to think about how each is used.
Ideas for teaching about Gravity
PBS has a lesson for teaching 3-5 graders about gravity using hammer, feathers and apples. You can find it here.
Understand more about gravitational forces by viewing this instructional video from BBC Bitesize. It is an interactive video. Gravitational Forces. This video is directed at learners in the upper elementary grades and middle school.
My third graders enjoyed Galileo’s Leaning Tower Experiment. It has great illustrations and explains Galileo’s experiments from the perspective of a young boy. You can find it at Greenleaf Press. We followed it up in class by dropping some objects and seeing what happened.
STEAM with Ok Go
Ok Go’s Upside Down and Inside Out video is going to be a big hit in the lab. If you want to review the lyrics you can check them out here. I know the kids are going to want the know the science behind it. I wish I could be on that plane too! STEAM science at it’s best! I don’t know if Ok Go knew that they were they were creating a STEAM masterpiece but this science teacher loves it.
To learn about Newton and gravitational forces…particularly some that misbehave. Check out this post about non-Newtonian Materials. Plus you can find out why you can’t get ketchup out of the bottle!
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