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3 Forces and energy

3.1 Gravity, weight and mass
In this topic you will:
• understand that the force of gravity acts between objects
• learn about what affects the strength of the force of gravity
on an object
• practise using the correct terms ‘weight’ and ‘mass’.

Getting started Key words

Work individually to answer these questions. accurate

1 Describe how gravity affects an object such as acts towards the
a textbook. centre
contact force
2 Copy and complete this sentence by choosing
the correct word from the list. Earth
force of gravity
length mass volume weight formula triangle
The newton, N, is a unit of ………………… gravity
3 Copy and complete this sentence. kilograms
The kilogram, kg, is a unit of ………………… mass
newtons
quantity
weight

Will need a different

background image as
the KW box will need
to move to where the
surfer is.
Tech-Set: Please advise

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3 Forces and energy

Gravity
When you drop an object, it falls to the ground.
What pulls the object down?
The Earth you live on is a large object with a mass of about .
Objects with large mass, such as the Earth, cause strong forces of
gravity.
All objects, even pens and pencils, cause forces of
gravity. Objects with small mass, such as pens and
pencils, cause very weak forces of gravity. That means
we do not notice other objects being attracted to
them.
The force of gravity caused by an object acts towards
the centre of the object.
You can imagine the Earth as a giant ball in space.
The force of gravity at positions around the Earth acts
towards the centre. That means when you drop an
object, the object falls in a line that points towards the
centre of the Earth.
The strength of gravity decreases as you go further
from a large object such as Earth. For example, if you
travelled away from Earth in a spacecraft, the force
of gravity from the Earth acting on you would get The force of gravity caused by the Earth acts toward
the centre of the Earth.
smaller.

Questions
A
1 Draw a circle to make a diagram of the Earth.
Put arrows around your diagram to show the
direction of the force of gravity.
2 Use your diagram from question 1 to explain why
people who go to the South Pole do not fall off
the Earth. Discuss your answer with a partner. D B
3 The diagram shows the Earth. It is not to scale.
A ball is dropped from four different places, A, B,
C and D.
Draw arrows to show the direction in which each
ball will fall. The first one has been done for you. C
Query log: For Q3, learners need to be told to
make a new diagram to draw the arrows onto
because the arrows will already be on their
drawing for Q1.
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3.1 Gravity, weight and mass

4 The Moon has a mass of about .

Some people think there is no gravity on the Moon. Are they
correct? Use the information in this question to explain why.

Weight
The force of gravity on an object is called
its weight.
It is difficult to lift a heavy object because
gravity is pulling it towards the centre
of the Earth. By lifting, you are pulling
against gravity.
Weight is a force and it is measured in
newtons, N. The weight of an apple is
about 1 N. That means gravity from the
Earth is pulling on the apple with a force The force of gravity is making it difficult to hold these weights.
of 1 N. You need to apply a force of 1 N You can see the effect of the force bending the bar.
to hold the apple.
The weightlifter in the picture is holding
about !

Updated version of this

The contact force was supplied in July

(muted character smiles)
When a book with a weight of 5 N is Tech-Set: This is the only
resting on a desk, gravity is still pulling it version we have been
supplied. Please advise
down with a force of . So why is the book
not moving down through the desk?
The answer is because the desk is
pushing back up on the book with
an equal force of .
This force from the desk is called the
contact force. The contact force acts up
from any surface to support an object.
The contact force is always equal to the
weight of the object when the surface is
not moving.
Sometimes the weight of the object is
larger than the contact force. If this Your weight pulls you down, but an equal contact force pushes
happens, the surface will break, or the you up.
object will sink into the surface.

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3 Forces and energy

The weight of this car is greater than the contact force from the sand.

Can you think of any other examples where the weight of an object is
larger than the contact force? Discuss your answers in pairs.

Questions
5 The diagram shows a box on a desk. Copy this diagram.

box

desk

On your diagram:
a add an arrow to show the weight of the box. Label this
arrow W.
b add an arrow to show the contact force from the desk.
Label this arrow C
6 A large rock rests on the ground. The weight of the rock
is 8000 N.
Write down the size of the contact force from the ground.

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3.1 Gravity, weight and mass

7 An elephant is standing on four feet. The weight of the elephant

is 40 000 N
Calculate the contact force from the ground on each of the
elephant’s feet.
8 A car travels into soft mud. The contact force needed to support
each wheel is 24 000 N
a At first, the contact force from the mud on each wheel is
2000 N. Explain why the wheels will start to sink.
b The contact force from the mud increases with depth.
Explain what will happen to stop the wheels sinking.

Weight and mass

Weight is the force of gravity on an object. It is measured in newtons, N.
Mass is the quantity of matter in an object. It is measured in kilograms, kg.
People often confuse mass with weight. They often say things such as:
‘The weight of my bag is 10 kg.’ This sentence is not correct because it
makes a statement about weight, but gives a mass. The correct sentence
is: ‘The mass of my bag is 10 kg.’
On Earth, the force of gravity is 10 N on every 1 kg of mass.
Writing this as an equation: W
weight (N) = mass (kg) × 10 (N/kg)
or, using letters:
m × 10
W = m × 10
You can use a formula triangle for this equation.
To use a formula triangle, cover the part of the equation that you want
to find. Then, do the calculation that is shown in the uncovered part.
For example, if you want to find the mass, you cover .
W
The uncovered part is then
10
Divide the weight by 10 to get the mass.
Remember that m must be in kg.

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3 Forces and energy

The force of gravity that pulls on 1 kg tells you the strength of gravity.
On Earth, this is 10 N
As 10 N acts on 1 kg, you say this as ‘10 newtons per kilogram’,
or 10 N/kg. For example, if a person has a mass of 45 kg, their weight
on Earth is 45 × 10 = 450 N.
You can use the equation to calculate mass if you know the weight. For
example, a computer games console has a weight of 28 N. The mass of
the console is 28 = 2.8 kg.
10
The strength of gravity is not 10 N/kg in all parts of the Solar System.
The diagram shows the strength of gravity in some other parts of the
Solar System.

Moon Jupiter 25 N/kg Saturn

Earth 1.6 N/kg 10 N/kg Uranus Neptune
10 N/kg 8.7 N/kg 11 N/kg
Mercury
3.7 N/kg
Venus
8.9 N/kg Mars
3.7 N/kg

The weight of an object changes when the strength of gravity changes.

If you want to calculate your weight somewhere other than Earth, you
can use the same equation but you must change the number 10 to the
value of the strength of gravity wherever you are calculating it.
The mass of an object does not change.

Questions
9 The strength of gravity is 10 N/kg on Earth.
a Calculate the weight of an adult who has a mass of 75 kg.
b Calculate the mass of a car that has a weight of 8500 N.

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3.1 Gravity, weight and mass

10 Use the information in the diagram of the planets on the previous

page to answer these questions.
a Give the location where your weight would be greatest.
b Name the planet where you would have the same weight as
on Earth.
c Calculate the weight of a 25 kg mass on Mars.
d Explain how your mass on Earth would compare with your
mass on Mercury.
11 When you stand on scales you see your mass in kg. Explain whether
it is your mass or your weight that makes the scales work.
Discuss your answer with a partner.
12 In 1969, a spacecraft carrying people went from the Earth to the
Moon. The people explored part of the Moon. The spacecraft then
brought the people back to Earth.
Explain why a larger force is needed for a spacecraft to go from
Earth to the Moon than to come back from the Moon to the
Earth. Use the information in the diagram. Assume the mass of the
spacecraft is the same on both journeys.

Activity
Mass or weight?
On a large piece of paper, draw a table with two columns: one for mass and one for
weight.
Each of the statements below should start with either the word ‘mass’ or the word ‘weight’.
Work in pairs to decide which column to put each of the statements in.
When you have decided, write the statement in the appropriate column.
The statements are:
… of an object is affected by the strength of gravity on a planet.
… is measured in newtons, N.
… is measured in kilograms, kg.
… is not affected by gravity.
… of an object decreases as the object moves further away from Earth.
… is the quantity of matter in an object.

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3 Forces and energy

Continued

… can be measured in grams, g.

… is the force needed to lift an object.
… is equal to the contact force on a level surface that is not moving.
… is the property of a planet that makes it have gravity.

• How did you decide which statements were about weight

and which were about mass?
• Did your strategy work?
• Could you use this strategy again, or would you change it?

Think like a scientist

Linking weight and mass clamp stand
In this investigation, you will find the weights of
some masses and draw a graph of your results.

You will need: force meter

• force meter • clamp stand

• mass hanger and masses

Set up the equipment as shown in the masses

diagram. on hanger

1 Start by hanging the force meter from

the clamp stand. Leave enough space
to hang the masses, remembering Finding the weight of a mass.
that the spring will extend.
2 Hook the mass hanger to the force meter. Record all your results using the kg unit for
mass. Remember that is .
3 Using the force meter, carefully measure the weight. Remember that this result is in
newtons, N.
4 Increase the mass by adding one mass at a time. (That is the same as adding each
time.) Use the force meter to measure and record the weight after every increase.

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3.1 Gravity, weight and mass

Continued
5 Record the weights in a table. Remember to put the units in the column headings
and not in the table itself.
6 Measure the weights as accurately as possible. Being accurate means being close
to the true value.
7 Your results should go from up to .
8 Draw a line graph of your results. Put mass in kg on the horizontal axis and weight
in N on the vertical axis.
Questions
1 When you have finished your graph, copy and complete these sentences.
As the mass gets bigger, the weight gets … .
When the mass doubles, the weight … .
2 Is the weight of 1.0 kg exactly 10 N as in the equation W = m × 10? If not, what
is the weight of 1.0 kg?
3 The strength of gravity at the Earth’s surface varies slightly between 9.7639 and
9.8337 N/kg
Explain why you can use the value of instead of these more accurate values.

Self-assessment
1 For each of these statements about your experiment, decide how well you
think you did.
• I worked safely, taking care not to drop any masses or knock the clamp
stand over.
• I took the reading from the force meter as accurately as possible.
• I continued to record actual results, even when I thought I could see a
pattern developing.
• I wrote down or drew my results clearly, so that someone else could
understand them.
• I made my graph accurate and clear.
2 Write down one thing that you did really well.
3 Write down:
• one thing that you could do better next time
• how you will try to improve next time.

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3 Forces and energy

Summary checklist
I can describe why objects such as planets have gravity.
I can describe how the force of gravity acts around the Earth.
I can describe weight as the force of gravity on an object.
I can describe mass as the quantity of matter in an object.
I can understand the difference between weight and mass.
I can use the mass of an object and the strength of gravity to
calculate weight.

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3.2 Formation of the Solar Systemaxis

3.2 Formation of the

Solar System axis

In this topic you will:

• learn about how scientists think the Solar System was formed
• think about objects in space growing larger and increasing in
mass
• understand that as these objects increase in mass, their
gravity increases
• understand that as their gravity increases, they can attract
even more mass.

Getting started Key words

Choose one correct answer to each question. axis

1 An object causes a strong force of gravity. What must the contradict
object have? evidence
formed
large size large mass small size small mass
model
2 Which of these objects has the largest mass in the Solar nebula
System? observe
Earth Jupiter Sun Neptune orbit
plane
3 Which of these objects is at the centre of the Solar System?
spin
Earth Moon Mercury Sun support

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3 Forces and energy

Where did the Solar System

come from?
When the Solar System formed, there were no people to observe how it
was made. Observe means to watch something happening. So how do we
know what happened?
Scientists can try to solve a problem like this in two different ways.
• They can look for evidence, in the form of facts from observations
or experiments to support their theory, and then try to explain what
they have found.
• They can think of a testable theory, called an hypothesis, and then
look for evidence to support the hypothesis.

Facts about the Solar System

Look at the diagram of the Solar System.

Neptune

Mercury
Earth
Venus Mars
Jupiter
Uranus

Saturn

The Solar System.

Here are some facts about the Solar System:

• All the planets in the Solar System follow a path or orbit around the
Sun in the same direction.
• The Sun and all the planets (except Venus and Uranus) spin on their
axes (singular: axis) in the same direction.
• Most of the moons of the planets orbit their planets in the same
direction as the planets rotate around the Sun.
• The direction of spin of the Sun and the planets (except Venus and
Uranus) is the same as the direction in which the planets orbit the Sun.

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Where did the Solar System come from?

• All the planets orbit the Sun in the same plane. Objects that are in
the same plane could all be placed on the same flat surface, just like
all the objects on a desk. That means the Solar System looks flat.
Scientists can use these facts as evidence.

Watching the birth of stars

Scientists can see distant stars forming
in other parts of space. These stars are
being formed from clouds of dust
and gas.
A cloud of dust and gas in space is called
a nebula. The picture shows one of these
clouds of dust and gas. You can see the
young stars in the cloud.
Some young stars can also be seen with
a flat disc of dust around them.
Scientists think our Solar System was
formed this way.

The Orion Nebula – stars are being born here.

Using models
Scientists cannot observe a star or Solar System forming in an experiment.
Instead they use computers to create models. A model is a way of
representing something that is difficult to observe directly.
The scientists put many of the known laws of physics into a computer
program. Then the computer uses this information to predict what will
happen, starting with a cloud of dust and gas.
The result is a prediction that a star will form, surrounded by planets.

How do stars and planets form out of dust

and gas?
The picture shows what scientists think our Solar System looked like
as it was forming.
You saw in Section 3.1 that any object can act as a source of gravity.
All the particles of dust and gas in the pictures have their own
weak gravity.

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3 Forces and energy

The particles of dust and gas pull on each

other with very weak forces due to their
own gravity. As they stick together, their
total mass increases. As their mass increases,
so does the strength of their gravity. That
means they attract more dust and gas with a
stronger force.
This starts to form a small ball.
Gradually, this ball gets bigger.
If the ball gets beyond a certain size, it will
get hot enough to become a star. Otherwise
it will become a planet.
Most of the facts about the Solar System
support or agree with this hypothesis.
This is how our Solar System may have looked 4.6 billion years ago.
The fact that Venus spins on its axis in the
opposite way to all the other planets seems
to contradict this hypothesis. Contradict is
the opposite of support – it means to go against something.
Scientists think the planet Jupiter almost reached the size to be a star.
It takes millions of years to form a star or a planet.

Questions
1 Use words from the list to copy and complete this sentence.
different directions the same direction
opposite directions random directions
All the planets in the Solar System orbit the Sun in ….
2 All the planets in the Solar System orbit the Sun in the same plane.
Explain what ‘the same plane’ means.
3 Which of these is the name given to a cloud of dust and gas in space?
planet star nebula moon
4 Name the force that can pull particles of dust and gas together
in space.

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Where did the Solar System come from?

Activity
Solar System story board
Work in groups.
Use a large piece of paper to make a storyboard to tell people about how the Solar
System formed. A storyboard is a series of drawings that tell a story. There can be
writing with the drawings.
In your storyboard you should show:
• a nebula and what it contains
• how a star such as the Sun forms
• how planets form around the Sun.
Include in your storyboard reasons why:
• all planets orbit the Sun in the same direction
• most of the planets spin on their axes in the same direction.

Self-assessment
1 For each of these statements about your experiment, decide how well you think
you did.
• I contributed ideas to the group.
• I worked in a team, cooperating with others.
• I thought the storyboard communicated ideas clearly.
2 Write down the most interesting thing you learned about the formation of the Solar
System.
3 Write down one thing that still puzzles you about the formation of the Solar System.

Think like a scientist

Using models
In this task you will be thinking about how scientists use models and how they use
an hypothesis.
Scientists use computers to model how the Solar System was formed.
One reason for using a model is that it takes millions of years to form a star and
planets from a cloud of dust and gas. A model can speed this up.

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3 Forces and energy

Continued
Questions
1 Suggest one other reason for using a model in this way.
2 Models are not real, so may not be accurate.
Which term describes this?

an error a mistake a limitation a strength

3 Look at the facts about the Solar System given earlier in this section.
Scientists use facts like these to support their hypothesis of how the Solar System
formed. An hypothesis is a theory or idea that is testable.
a Give two facts about the Solar System that seem to contradict this hypothesis.
b Explain why these facts seem to contradict the hypothesis.
4 Which two of these statements describe the hypothesis of how the Solar System formed?
• It has been proven to be correct.
• Most, but not all, of the evidence supports it.
• The model that is used has limitations.
• It can be fully tested by experiments.

Summary checklist
I can recall that there are clouds of dust and gas in space.
I can recall that stars and planets are formed from dust and gas.
I can understand that gravity can pull particles of dust
and gas together.
I can describe how stars and planets are formed.
I can understand how scientists use a model to test
an hypothesis.

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3.3 Movement in space

3.3 Movement in space

In this topic you will:
• learn about what keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun
• understand why planets move at different speeds
• discover why objects moving in space do not slow down as
they do on Earth.

Getting started Key words

1 Write the names of the planets in order, starting with the one air resistance
that is closest to the Sun. circlar
2 Name the object that orbits the Earth and not the Sun. speed
vacuum

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3 Forces and energy

The Sun
In Section 3.1 you saw that objects with more
mass have more gravity.
The Sun is the object with the largest mass in
the Solar System.
The mass of the Sun is times greater than the
mass of the Earth. In fact, the mass of the Sun
is more than the mass of all the other planets
added together!
The strength of gravity on Earth is . On the
Sun it is .

The Sun’s gravity

The Sun’s gravity is 27 times stronger than This photograph of the Sun was taken from a spacecraft,
the Earth’s gravity. using a special camera. You should never look directly at the
It holds all the planets in their orbits. The Sun’s Sun or try to photograph it yourself.

gravity gets weaker as the distance from the

Sun increases.
The planet Neptune is 30 times further from the Sun than Earth is.
The mass of Neptune is about 17 times the mass of Earth. So although
the Sun’s gravity gets weaker, it is strong enough to hold Neptune
in orbit.
direction of
orbit

Orbits of planets direction of force

from the Sun’s
planet

The orbits of the planets, including Earth, are gravity

almost circular. Circular means in the shape of
a circle.
Sun
To keep any object moving in a circle, there needs
to be a force causing it to turn.
The diagram shows how the force of gravity acts
on a planet to keep it in orbit.
The force of gravity from the Sun that acts on a
planet always acts towards the Sun.
If this force did not act in this way, the
The force of gravity from the Sun keeps a planet in orbit.
planet would travel off in a straight line
The diagram is not to scale.
into space!

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3.3 Movement in space

Mercury, which is the closest planet to the Sun, has the strongest pull
from the Sun’s gravity.
This causes Mercury to orbit with the highest speed of all the planets.
The average speed of Mercury around the Sun is 170 000 km/h! The
average speed of the Earth around the Sun is about 100 000 km/h.

Speed in space
On Earth, all objects that move have forces
acting on them to slow them down.
Air resistance is one of those forces.
It is caused by a moving object having
to push against the particles in the air.
Air resistance acts in the opposite direction
to movement.
The faster an object moves, the greater the
air resistance on the object.
Look at the picture of the aeroplane wing.
The aeroplane can slow down faster with extra
air resistance. The shape of the wing can be
This aeroplane has landed and is using extra air resistance to help
changed to produce extra air resistance. it slow down.
In space there is no air. There are very, very
few particles in space. A space where there
are no particles is a vacuum.
Look at the spacecraft in the picture.
This spacecraft, called the Juno probe,
would have a lot of air resistance if it were
moving on Earth.
In space, where there is a vacuum and no
air resistance, the Juno probe reached a
speed of as it passed Jupiter. It became the
fastest object that people had ever made.
This speed would not be possible for
the Juno probe on Earth because of air
resistance.
This spacecraft reached a speed of in July 2016.
Earth and the other planets are also moving
in a vacuum. This means there is no air
resistance to slow them down.
The only force acting on the planets is from gravity.

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3 Forces and energy

Questions
1 State the direction in which the force of gravity from the Sun pulls
on a planet.
2 Other objects, such as comets and asteroids, also orbit the Sun.
Suggest what keeps these other objects in orbit around the Sun.
3 The Sun has the strongest gravity in the Solar System.
Suggest which object in the Solar System has the second
strongest gravity.
Discuss your answer in pairs.
4 State the word used to describe a space that has no particles in it.
5 Voyager 1 is a space probe launched in 1977. Voyager 1 is now
outside the Solar System and is travelling at . Explain why Voyager 1
could not travel at this speed on Earth.
6 Which of these forces acts on the Earth as it orbits the Sun?

gravity only   air resistance only   

gravity and air    gravity, air resistance
   resistance      and friction
7 The orbits of the planets are not exact circles. The distance from the
Sun of each planet varies slightly as it goes around in its orbit. This
change in distance makes the speed of the planet change slightly.
Suggest how the speed of a planet changes with distance from the
Sun during its orbit.

Activity
Planet speeds
The table shows the average speed of each planet’s orbit around the Sun.
The speeds are given in kilometres per second (km/s) as they are so fast.

Name of planet Speed of orbit in km/s

Mercury 48
Venus 35
Earth 30
Mars 24
Jupiter 13
Saturn 10

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3.3 Movement in space

Continued

Name of planet Speed of orbit in km/s

Uranus 7
Neptune 5
Use the information in the table to draw a bar graph.
Put the names of the planets, in order from Mercury, across the horizontal axis.
Space them evenly so your bars are not touching.
Questions
1 Copy and complete the sentence.
As the distance from the Sun increases, the speed of orbit of the planets … .
2 Explain the advantages of presenting this information in a graph rather than in a table.
3 Explain the reason for the trend in your graph.
4 Explain why a bar graph is used for this information rather than a line graph.

Self-assessment
1 For each of these statements about your activity, decide whether you did it very well,
fairly well or not at all.
• I drew a bar graph with the correct information.
• My bars were evenly spaced and not touching.
• All my lines were drawn with a pencil and ruler.
• All my bars were the correct height.
• I understood the advantages of drawing a graph to display information.
2 Write down one thing that you did really well.
3 Choose one thing that you think you could do better next time and explain how you
will try to improve it.

Think like a scientist

Discovering planets
In this task you will find out about how scientists discovered the planet Neptune.
The planet Uranus was discovered in the year 1781. It was thought to be the most distant
planet from the Sun.
In 1821, a French scientist called Alexis Bouvard made calculations about the orbit of
Uranus. He worked out where Uranus would be at different times.

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3 Forces and energy

Continued
1 Which one word best describes these calculations?
The actual orbit of Uranus was different to the calculations.

observations predictions conclusions measurements

2 The planet was seen to move further away from the Sun at regular times.
These results were recorded.
Which word best describes these results?

observations predictions conclusions secondary information

3 Scientists thought that another source of gravity was pulling Uranus further
from the Sun.
Which word best describes this statement?

observation conclusion measurement secondary information

4 Scientists then made predictions about another planet further away than Uranus.
They used the results from the orbit of Uranus to predict where this other planet
would be.
Then, in 1846, scientists found another planet, which they called Neptune.
Neptune was very close to where they predicted it would be.
5 Use words from the list to copy and complete these sentences.
Uranus moving further away from the Sun the original prediction
about its orbit.
Scientists found Neptune using careful

testable a fair test contradicted results

conclusions supported observations measurements

Summary checklist
I can name the force that keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun.
I can describe the direction that this force acts on a planet.
I can understand why planets closer to the Sun move faster.

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3.4 Tides

3.4 Tides
In this topic you will:
• find out what tides are
• learn about tidal forces and where they come from
• discover how tidal forces affect the oceans and the land.

Getting started Key words

Work in groups to answer these questions. coastal

1 Which object has the strongest gravity in the Solar System? depth
earthquake
2 What large object orbits the Earth?
earth tide
3 What force keeps the object that orbits the earth in its orbit?
force of
attraction
harbour
tidal force
tidal range
tide

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3 Forces and energy

What are tides?

In some parts of the world, the depth of the ocean changes by several
metres during the day. The depth is the distance from the surface of the
water to the bottom of the ocean.
The picture shows the same place at two different times. The pictures
were taken six hours apart.
This change in depth of the water is called a tide.

Tides change the depth of the oceans. High tide (left) and low tide (right) are six hours apart.

The difference in depth of the water between high and low tides is
the tidal range.
The largest tidal range in the world is 16.3 m in the Bay of Fundy
in Canada.
Some of the smallest tidal ranges in the world are less than in the
Caribbean and Mediterranean seas.
Tides also cause the land to change in height through the day! This is
called earth tide. The tidal range due to earth tide is about 30 cm
High tides are about 12 hours apart. Low tides are also about 12 hours
apart. The time between high and low tide is six hours.

What causes tides?

The Moon orbits the Earth.
The Moon stays in orbit because of the force of gravity from the Earth
but the Moon also has gravity, and this gravity pulls on the Earth.

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What are tides?

As the oceans are made from water, low tide

the gravity from the Moon can pull direction of Earth
the water more easily than the land. spinning on
its axis
The pull from the Moon’s gravity high tide
is called a tidal force. The diagram
shows how this happens. high tide Moon

Look at the drawing of the Earth

and Moon. The Earth is viewed pull of gravity
from the Moon
from above the North Pole.
The side of the Earth closer to the
low tide
Moon will have high tide.
The blue line around the Earth represents the ocean depth. The difference
The Earth takes 24 hours to spin on
in depth is caused by the pull of gravity from the Moon. The drawing is not
its axis. to scale.
This means that 12 hours later, the
side that was closest to the Moon is
now furthest away.
You can see from the drawing that the side furthest away also has a
high tide.
This is why the time between high tides is 12 hours.
The Sun also produces a tidal force on Earth, but this is weaker as the
Sun is further away than the Moon.
When the Sun and the Moon are in line with Earth, this produces a
larger tidal force.
The next drawing shows how this happens.

greater tidal range when

Earth, Moon and Sun
are in line pull of gravity from the
Sun and the Moon

Moon Sun

Larger tidal forces affect the Earth when the Earth, Sun and Moon are in line. The drawing is not to scale.

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3 Forces and energy

Effects of tides
Some harbours can only be used at certain times of the day. If the water in
the harbour is not deep enough, boats cannot move safely. Harbours are
places where boats and ships can load and unload passengers and cargo.
In weather with strong winds, coastal areas are more likely to have
flooding at times of high tides. Coastal areas are parts of the land that
are close to the oceans.
The flow of water in and out of some coastal areas can be dangerous for
small boats.
In some places, tides affect food chains, including the human food chain.
For example, at low tide birds can eat some types of shellfish when
they are not covered with water. Some types of fish move to find food
according to tides in coastal areas.
Volcano eruptions have been linked with earth tides. By studying
Earth tides, scientists may be able to predict when a volcano will
become dangerous.
Earthquakes may also be linked with earth tides.
Movement of water with tides can be used to generate electricity.

Questions
1 Which of these causes the force of gravity for tides on Earth?
the Sun only   the Moon only   the Sun and Moon   the Sun, Moon and other stars
2 What is the name given to the pull of gravity that causes tides?
high tide low tide tidal range tidal force
3 State the time between:
a one high tide and the next high tide
b one low tide and the next low tide
c a high tide and the next low tide.
4 Explain why some harbours cannot be used at low tide.
5 Explain why the largest tidal ranges happen when there is either a
full moon or a new moon.
6 The average depth of water in a place near the coast of the Pacific
ocean is .
The largest tidal range in that place is .
Calculate the maximum depth of water at that place.

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What are tides?

Activity
Investigating tides
Work in groups.

You will need:

card or paper, some circles to draw around, scissors

Cut out a small, a medium and a large circle. Label these ‘Moon’, ‘Earth’ and ‘Sun’ in
order of increasing size.
Next, cut out two thin crescents that will fit around your Earth, as shown here.

Call these two crescents ‘set 1’.

Now, cut out two thicker crescents that will also fit around your Earth, as shown here.

Call these two crescents ‘set 2’.

The crescents represent the ocean depth around the Earth.
Part 1: Why tides happen
For part 1, you do not need the shape that represents the Sun. Set it to one side for now.
Put the Earth and Moon on a desk about away from each other. This is not to scale.
Now put the crescents that represent the ocean depth, set 1, on either side of the Earth.
The deepest parts should be in line with the Moon.

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3 Forces and energy

Continued
Question
1 Why are the deepest parts of the oceans in line with the Moon?
Part 2: Times of the tides
Mark a point at the coast on your Earth. The activity will work best if you choose a
point close to the edge of the circle, which is the equator.
Now, slowly turn your Earth. You should turn it in the opposite direction to the
movement of the hands on a clock. You should only turn the Earth, not the ocean
depth shapes as well.
Questions
2 How many high tides does your chosen point get in one full rotation?
3 How many low tides does your chosen point get in one full rotation?
4 The Earth takes 24 hours to rotate once like this. Try to use the model to explain why:
a high tides are 12 hours apart
b low tides are 12 hours apart.
5 The Moon does not stay in one place like this. It orbits the Earth.
The Moon orbits the Earth in the same direction as the Earth rotates on its axis.
The Moon takes 27 days to orbit Earth once.
a Explain whether high tides will happen at the exact same time each day.
b Try to work out how much earlier or later high tides will be each day.
Part 3: Why tidal range also depends on the Sun
For part 3 you will need your shape that represents the Sun.
You will need to change the ocean depth shapes to set 2.
Put your Earth, Moon and Sun in a line like this (it is not to scale).

Earth Moon Sun

Questions
6 Can you explain why set 2 is now better than set 1 to show what happens with tides?
7 Name this phase of the Moon as it appears from Earth in this position.

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What are tides?

Continued
8 Now move the Moon to the other side of the Earth, but keep the Moon, Earth and
Sun in line.
Name this phase of the Moon.
9 a  hat can you conclude about the times when the highest tides happen, in terms
W
of how the Moon appears?
b The length of time taken by the Moon to orbit Earth is called a lunar month. How
many of these highest tides will occur each lunar month?

Self-assessment
In your groups, discuss each of these questions.
• What was my role in the group?
• How did my role help me understand the tides?
• How did other people in the group contribute to my understanding?

Think like a scientist

Discovering the causes of tides
In this task, you will find out about how scientists used evidence to discover what
causes tides.
In 330 BCE, a sailor from Greece noticed that the depth of water in some parts of the
oceans changed regularly.
He noticed that the depth increased to a maximum twice every day.
He thought that this was because of the Moon.
People did not know about gravity until much later.
1 Use words from the list to copy and complete the sentences.

a conclusion an observation a prediction

a measurement an explanation a model
The sailor noticed that the depth of water changed. This was .
The sailor thought that the change was caused by the Moon. This was .
The sailor did not know about gravity, so could not give . for the tides.

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3 Forces and energy

Continued
Around the year 1600, a scientist from Germany suggested that there was a force of
attraction between the Moon and water. He thought this force caused the tides.
People in 1600 did not know about gravity.
This German scientist said that the force of attraction was magnetic.
We now know that the attractive force between the Moon and the water in the oceans
is not magnetic.
2 Describe what could be done to show that there is no magnetic force between the
Moon and water in oceans.
People did not believe that the Moon or the Sun could have an effect on the oceans
because gravity had not been described.
The problem of what causes tides was finally solved by Newton in the year 1687.
Newton had already described the effects of gravity.
He then used his ideas about gravity to calculate the tidal forces, without the need
for experiments.
These calculations were accurate enough to show people that gravity from the Moon
and the Sun caused the tides.
People then accepted that tidal forces were caused by gravity from the Moon and
the Sun.
3 Which two statements explain why people accepted Newton’s ideas about gravity?
• Newton did experiments on the tides that were fair tests.
• Newton provided evidence to support an hypothesis.
• Newton made observations whereas previous scientists did not.
• Newton made predictions that were shown to be accurate.

Summary checklist
I can understand what tides are.
I can understand where tidal forces come from.
I can explain the part played by the Moon in causing tides.
I can explain the part played by the Sun in causing higher tides.
I can understand why there are two high tides and two low tides
every day.

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3.5 Energy

3.5 Energy
In this topic you will:
The sentence at the second
• find out what energy is bullet point makes no sense.
Author to rewrite it.
• learn about different energy stores and transfers Tech-Set: there is no
information for the 3rd bullet
• discover how some ways that energy can be stored more
point in the query log!
easily than others.

Getting started Key words

With your partner, make a list of: chemical

1 some things that you need energy to do elastic potential
electrical
2 some of the types of fuel that you know.
energy
fuel
gravitational
potential
joule
kinetic
light
luminous
sound
stored
thermal
transferred

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3 Forces and energy

What is energy?
Energy is something that must be changed or transferred in order to
do something.
There are many different ways that energy can be stored or transferred.
For example, kinetic energy is the energy in movement.
The unit for measuring the amount of energy is called the joule (J).
You need about:
• to walk up the stairs between two floors in a building.
• for every metre you run
• to bring 1 litre of cold water to boiling point.

Energy stores and transfers

There are many different ways in which energy is being stored or
transferred around you all the time.

These runners have kinetic energy as they are moving.

The table describes some of these stores and transfers.

energy description energy store or energy transfer

kinetic energy stored due to movement store
of an object
chemical energy stored in food, batteries, store
chemical fuels such as wood, oil
and coal

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3.5 Energy

energy description energy store or energy transfer

thermal heat energy stored in hot objects store or transfer
and transferred to colder objects
elastic potential energy stored when things are store
stretched or squeezed to change
their shape
gravitational energy stored when an object store
potential is lifted away from a source
of gravity
electrical the flow of current in a circuit transfer
transfers electrical energy
sound energy transferred from transfer
vibrating objects
light visible energy from luminous transfer
objects (objects that give
out their own light) that you
can see

Look at the descriptions of energy in the picture.

chemical – the
kinetic – the bus is moving
bus carries fuel

electrical – for lights

thermal – the engine
is hot

sound – the engine

makes noise gravitational potential –
the bus is going uphill
elastic – the tyres get squeezed

This bus has many types of energy.

• How will you learn the different stores and transfers of energy?
• Can you think of a way to help you remember them?

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3 Forces and energy

Storing energy
Energy can be stored more easily in some ways
than in others.
For example, you can keep uncooked rice for a
long time. That is a store of chemical energy.
Coal and crude oil are stores of chemical energy
that formed millions of years ago. This shows that
some energy stores can last for a very long time.
A battery is another example of how chemical
energy can be stored. It is quite easy to store
chemical energy.
Gravitational potential energy is also easy to
store. The picture shows a tank containing water. The tennis ball has a store of kinetic energy while it
A pump has been used to lift up the water. The is moving.
water stores gravitational potential energy.
Some energy stores only last for a short time.
Thermal energy (heat) is one example. Hot objects will eventually cool
down (they will lose their store of thermal energy).
Kinetic energy is another example. Kinetic energy is more difficult than
chemical or gravitational potential energy to store.
The tennis ball in the picture has a store of kinetic energy while the ball
is moving, but the ball will eventually stop moving.

Rice is a store of chemical energy. The tank contains water that has been lifted up by a
pump. The water in the tank stores gravitational
potential energy.

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3.5 Energy

Questions
1 Look at the picture of the circuit.
Copy and complete these sentences. Choose from the
stores and transfers of energy you have learnt about.
a energy is stored in the battery.
b energy is transferred in the wires.

2 Name the energy store in each of these. There may

be more than one for each.
a food
b gasoline (petrol)
c a falling rock
d a book that has been lifted up onto a shelf

3 a Name two energy stores that will last for a long time.
b Name one energy store, apart from thermal energy, that will not
last for a long time.

4 Describe an example that shows thermal energy cannot be stored for

a long time.

5 The human population in the world is growing. Many countries are

developing rapidly.
Explain how this is affecting the amount of energy being used in the world.
Use some examples of different energy stores and transfers in your answer.
Discuss your answer with a partner.

Activity
Finding energy stores and transfers
You will need some magazines with pictures that can be cut out.
Work in pairs or small groups.
Look for pictures that show different energy stores and transfers.
Some pictures may show more than one.
Cut out the pictures.
Stick the pictures on a large sheet of paper to make a poster.

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3 Forces and energy

Continued
Your poster should show as many energy stores and transfers as possible.
Make sure the energy stores and transfers in each picture are clearly labelled.

Peer assessment
Swap posters with another group.
1 Does the poster show all the energy stores and transfers?
2 Are all the energy stores and transfers clearly labelled?
3 What did you like about the other group’s poster?
4 Suggest one way that the other group might be able to improve their poster.

Summary checklist
I can recall the ways that energy is stored and transferred.
I can describe each energy store and energy transfer.
I can give examples of each energy store or transfer.
I can understand that some energy stores last longer than others.

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