Monday, November 28, 2011

An Apple on a Desk

Mrs. Charles pointed to an apple sitting on her desk.  She asked her students to describe any forces acting on the apple.  This is what some of her students said.

Warren: "The only force acting on the apple is air pressure"

Kaitlyn: "There is one force acting on the apple. Gravity is the force that pulls on the apple."

Claire: " There are two forces:  the desk pushes up on the apple and gravity pulls downward on the apple"

Jaikin: " There are many forces acting on the apple; but, it is the holding force in the apple that keeps it on the desk"

Amy: " There are no forces acting on the apple because the desk stops any forces from acting on it"

Which student do you most agree with?  Why?  Explain your thinking.  What rule or reasoning did you use to decide if there were any forces acting on the apple?

If someone has already left a comment please read and either agree or disagree.  Provide an explanation for your answer.  Disagreeing respectful is perfectly acceptable!

Prompts are based on the book uncovering student ideas in science by Page Keeley and Joyce Tugel

51 comments:

  1. Me I agree with me. Hahaha, no. I agree with katlynn because yes the gravity is pulling down on the apple. Claire is wrong because the desk is not pushing on the apple.

    I agree with katlynn.

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  2. I agree with Warren on his post because it is true that Claire's doe say that the desk is pushing on the apple that is not possible desks can't push things. I don'y t agree with Amy because there is something pushing the apple and that something is gravity on the table. I also agree with Kaitlyn because there is gravity in the room.

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  3. I, Jasckson H., agree with Kaitlyn because gravity is pulling on the apple, but the desk stops the apple from falling.



    I agree with Kaitlyn.

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  4. i agree with Kaitlyn because the gravity is pulling on the apple, I dont agree with Amy because their is force acting on the apple.

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  5. I agree with Kaitlyn because yes there is gravity pulling down on the apple. The apple is on the desk so the apple has gravity pushing down on it but the desk stops the apple from falling. I but I disagree with claire because the apple has no force pushing up on it.

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  6. i agree with Yaser, Jackson H, Jackson T, and warren because kaitlyn is right. The gravity can only pull nothing else. It can't be me because the desk cant push up.

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  7. oh and i agree with georgia l

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  8. The gravity pulling the apple is pulling it down, because the apple is staying on the table so the gravity is pulling it down.

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  9. I agree with Kaitlyn, Yaser, Georgia L., Claire J., Jackson T., Jackson H., and Warren because the gravity is pulling the apple down on the desk. It is not floating in the air. I disagree with Claire because the desk can't push up and I also disagree with Warren because the air pressure is not affecting the apple in any way. The desk keeps it from moving.

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  10. I agree with Kaitlyn because without gravity the apple would fly around. Since there is gravity, the apple is getting pushed down.

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  11. I agree with Kaitlyn, Yaser, Georgia L., Claire J., Jackson T., Jackson H., Melanie, Warren and Steven because gravity is pulling the apple down onto the desk. If that didnt happen the apple would float in the air and that is not happening. Air pressure is not effecting the apple in any way. Also, a desk cannot push up on an apple or stop other forces from acting upon the apple. Plus, there is not a holding force in the apple.

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  12. Kaitlyn’s strategy is correct because gravity pulls us down on earth so, if there’s no gravity the apple would float in the air.

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  13. i agree with kaitlyn, without gravity the apple would be hovering upside down upon the desk

    but.
    evan though this is not on any of the choices
    i think its gravity AND air pressure. I can remember on air planes they say the air presser down here is easier on our ears than up in the sky
    that is why i think that
    any body agree?

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  14. I agree with Kaitlyn because without gravity the apple would float and then the desk would not be holding it up.

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  15. Well Taylor the air pressure is like the gravity is pushing down on it so i do not agree that it could be air pressure. I agree with everybody because the gravity is pushing down on the apple to make it stay on the desk.

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  16. I agree with kaytilyn because without gravity it would be floating around

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  17. I agree with Chance and Kaitlyn because an apple can't float aroung al by it's self it at least needs something to make the apple float,I mean it can't magicaly float around that would be odd and kind of unusaual, So yeah I agree with Chance and Kaitlnn!!!

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  18. I thank gravity is the only fource on the apple because all it is doing is siting on the table. If it where movieing then it would also have motion but it I siting there and only gravity is pushing on it. ��

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  19. I argee with kaitlyn because even though the apple is not moving it still has to have somthing that will keep it on the table.

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  20. I agree with Kaitlyn

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  21. I agree with kaytilyn because whithout gravity the apple would be floating in the air

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  22. I agree with kaitlyn and mac the appel would float if there was no gravity

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  23. I argee with Kaitlyn,Chance, and Angela because the apple cant float around in mid air there has to be gravity.

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  24. I agree with the second theory (Kaitlyn's theory and every one else how said hers to) because gravity dose pull on the apple. I disagree with Claire's theory because the force dose not push it up like Melanie said "it can't float."


    So I agree with Kaitlyn's theory.

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  25. That one was crystal's

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  26. i agree with clair because if the was no force on the apple the apple would roll off the decks on the floor so the force has to plusing on the apple and the decks up on the apple

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  27. I agree with Kaitlyn because gravity pulls things down,and gravity is pushing down on on the apple keeping it on the desk.

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  28. I agree with Kaitlyn because the gravity is pulling down the desk and the apple.If the gravity is not there, the apple would float

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  29. I argee with kaitln because if there was no gravite the apple would float i the air and we would float to if there was no gravite. And that the force that the apple is actingor using is gravite I think.

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  30. I agree with Kaitlynn and warren. I agree with them
    because,I know gravity is a force that interacts with everything and the table does push on the apple too.

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  31. I agree with me/Kaitlyn because, gravity is pulling down and the desk is not pulling up, but what about air pressure?

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  32. Accully I agree with me and Warren because it has a gravity pull and air pressure!!!!!

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  33. I agree with Kaitlyn because there is gravity that pulles down on the desk and the apple is on the desk so there is gravity pulling down on both of the items.

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  34. I agree with Kaitlyn because gravity is pushing on the apple and if there is no gravity it would be called zero gravity and there is only one force pushing on the apple.

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  35. I agree with Kaitlyn because the gravity is holding the apple down, but Claire could be right the earth could have a spinning push and the two forces could be equal and the forces could cancel each other out.

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  36. It would impossible with no gravity because it would float

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  37. Is anyone on the blog?

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  38. I agree with katlen because there is one force on the apple.this force is pulling it down.which is also know as gravity.

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  39. I agree with kaitlyn because gravity can pull on us to keep us down so it should be the same with a apple so thats why I agree with Kaitlyn.

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  40. I agree with Kaitlyn because the appel is being pulled down by gravity

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  41. i agree with Katelyn that the apple's gravity pulled the apple's force to the table.

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  42. I agree with kaitlyn because gravity is pulling the apple down and if there wasn't gravity the apple would be floating.

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  43. I agree with Kaitlyn because the table and apple are getting pulled down by the gravity.

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  44. I agree with Kaitlyn because gravity keeps the apple from floating away. I also agree with Warren about the air pressure because the air pressure pushes on the apple, but there are more forces than just air pressure.

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  45. I think kaitlyn is right because gravity keeps the apple on the table.

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  46. I agree with Jaikin because there are many forces acting on the apple.

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  47. i think jakin is right because there are forces happing on the apple.

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  48. The force of the gravity acts as a magnet,it is pulling every thing and everyone towards the center of the earth. In this case the apple is pulled to the desk.

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  49. I think Jaikin is right because there are alot of forces but th gravity force is the one holding it down.

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  50. Nevermind i agree with kaitlen because there are two forces: gravity and the force holing the apple

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