Mississippi Science P.3.6.2
The Standard
- P.3.6
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of magnets and the effects of pushes, pulls, and friction on the motion of objects.
Plan an experiment to investigate the relationship between a force applied to an object (e.g., friction, gravity) and resulting motion of the object.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Motion, Forces, and Energy
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students plan a test with a toy car and choose one thing to change, such as the surface it rolls on. They decide what to keep the same, what to measure, and how many times to try it.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student draws a ramp test using the same car, ramp height, and release mark for tile and carpet. They plan to measure how far the car rolls from the bottom of the ramp in three trials on each surface.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may change both the ramp height and the surface, then credit the surface for the result. They may push the car in one trial but simply release it in another. Some think a longer roll means more friction.
How to Assess It
- Ask students to sketch a toy-car test comparing tile and carpet. Have them label what changes, what stays the same, and where they will measure the car's stopping distance.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Set a book ramp beside tile and carpet; groups release one toy car from a taped mark and measure where it stops.
Ask: A car rolled farther on tile than carpet. What changed, what stayed the same, and what might explain the difference?
Give pairs four car-test cards; they sort fair tests from tests that change both the surface and ramp height.
Show photos of smooth and rough playground slides; ask students to sketch matching toy-car ramps and predict which car will travel farther.
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Printable P.3.6.2 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- P.6.6.6
Investigate forces (gravity, friction, drag, lift, thrust) acting on objects (e.g., airplane, bicycle helmets). Use data to explain the differences between the ...
- PHY.2.8
Design an experiment to determine the forces acting on a stationary object on an inclined plane. Test your conclusions.
- P.5.6.4
Plan and conduct scientific investigations to test the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the speed and/or direction of objects in motion.
- P.5.6.3
Develop and use models to explain how the amount or type of force, both contact and non-contact, affects the motion of an object.
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