Florida SC.5.P.13.3
The Standard
Investigate and describe that the more mass an object has, the less effect a given force will have on the object's motion.
Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Science
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students compare how objects with different masses move when the same force is applied. They describe that adding mass produces a smaller change in speed or direction.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can plan a fair test that changes mass while keeping the force the same. They use measurements to explain why the heavier object changes motion less.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think a heavier object always moves faster or requires no more force once it starts moving. They may also change both mass and force, making the test unfair.
How to Assess It
- Give students data showing two carts pulled with the same force but carrying different masses. Ask which cart changes speed less and why.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Pull identical toy carts carrying different numbers of washers with a spring scale set to the same force, then compare their motion.
Ask students to explain why an empty wagon starts moving more easily than the same wagon filled with books.
Give pairs mass and motion data cards to match, then have them justify each match using the equal-force condition.
Compare pushing empty and loaded grocery carts, then list how added mass changes starting, stopping, and turning.
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Printable SC.5.P.13.3 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to SC.5.P.13.3, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- SC.4.P.12.2
Investigate and describe that the speed of an object is determined by the distance it travels in a unit of time and that objects can move at different speeds.
- SC.5.P.13.2
Investigate and describe that the greater the force applied to it, the greater the change in motion of a given object.
- SC.6.P.13.3
Investigate and describe that an unbalanced force acting on an object changes its speed, or direction of motion, or both.
- SC.2.P.13.4
Demonstrate that the greater the force (push or pull) applied to an object, the greater the change in motion of the object.
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