Chain Reactions

In our first science unit, we learned about balances and forces to answer the question of how a train can float. During this unit, we learned about the different types of forces as well as the different types of magnetic forces. We used different objects to see if they attract or repel with magnets, and created our own magnetic forces.

For our final investigation of the unit, we talked about chain reactions and gravity. These play a part in the magnetic forces so we wanted to build our own chain reactions. Students watched a video of a man who created a chain reaction of pulls and pushes all to flip the page of his newspaper. After discussing with our table mates on how we know that was a chain reaction, what types of forces we saw, and a plan, they were ready to make their own chain reactions. They were given materials like an index card, a spoon, a wood block, a rubber band, and needed to work together as a team.