3rd Grade Science : Physical Science
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for 3rd Grade Science
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Make Observations Of An Object's Motion
Annie observes an osprey carrying a large fish back to its nest. The osprey seems to be having difficulty flying. It is sinking and dipping towards the ground and has to flap hard to stay in the air. An osprey with no fish in its feet has no trouble flying to its nest.
Why is the motion of the osprey carrying the fish different than the one who is not?
The osprey with the fish has a greater mass. The more mass an object has, the more gravity affects it.
The osprey with the fish has a greater mass. The more mass an object has, the less gravity affects it.
The osprey with the fish has less mass. The less mass an object has, the more gravity affects it.
The osprey with the fish has less mass. The more mass an object has, the less gravity affects it.
The osprey with the fish has a greater mass. The more mass an object has, the more gravity affects it.
The osprey carrying the fish has more mass (weighs more) than the osprey that is not taking a fish back to the nest. When something has more mass, gravity has more of an effect on it. Gravity works from a distance, so even though the osprey is not touching the ground, it is still affected by gravity. Annie can observe the motion of the birds and compare the movements.
Example Question #1 : Make Observations Of An Object's Motion
Heidi is throwing a baseball in the backyard. No matter how hard or high she throws the ball, it comes right back down. What force is acting on the ball and brings it back down to the ground?
Velocity
Static
Gravity
Acceleration
Gravity
The reason that Heidi cannot keep the ball in the air and it keeps falling back down to Earth is because of gravity. NASA explains what gravity is, "Why do things fall when you throw them or drop them? The answer is gravity: an invisible force that pulls objects toward each other. Earth's gravity is what keeps you on the ground and what makes things fall." It is because of this that the ball returns to Earth and does not stay in the air.
Example Question #1 : Predictions Of Future Motion Through Patterns
Mallory went to a baseball game with her cousins. She was amazed to see how far the players could hit the ball and that it even went into the bleacher seats sometimes! She saw a player bunt the ball rather than hit it with a full swing, and the ball did not go far. Why was there a difference in the distance the two baseballs traveled?
None of the answer choices are correct.
When players hit the ball with a full swing, they apply less force, so the ball does not travel as far as it would with a bunt.
When a player bunts the ball they apply less force so the ball does not travel as far as it would with a full swing.
The player who bunted the ball must have been very weak and not able to hit the ball into the bleachers.
When a player bunts the ball they apply less force so the ball does not travel as far as it would with a full swing.
When a player takes a full swing and hits a baseball, they are applying a significant amount of force to the ball and changing the direction and speed of the ball. A bunt is not a full swing, and there is less force applied. When less energy is applied to an object, its motion will not be less than an object that is hit with a greater force.
Example Question #2 : Predictions Of Future Motion Through Patterns
DJ notices that when he pushes his little brother on the swing at the park, the swing moves higher. He stops pushing, and slowly his brother comes to a stop. Why did the motion of the swing change?
The force being applied was increased, so the swing moved faster.
The force being applied was stopped, so the swing stopped moving.
The force being applied was stopped, so the swing moved faster.
The force being applied was increased, so the swing stopped moving.
The force being applied was stopped, so the swing stopped moving.
The motion of the swing changed because the force being applied changed. When DJ was pushing his brother, he was applying force to the swing changing its motion, speed, and direction. When he stopped pushing, the energy was removed, and there was nothing to keep the swing moving. Eventually, the swing came to a stop, and it will not start moving again unless another force is applied to it.
Example Question #1 : Make Measurements Of An Object's Motion
Ashley wants to investigate how objects move and see if she can make correct predictions. She knows she will have to observe the object's motion. She wants to see which surface material will allow a toy car to get down a ramp in the least amount of time.
What will Ashley measure to determine which car was the fastest?
Ashley will measure the distance the car traveled on the ramp.
Ashley will measure the speed of the car as it exits the ramp.
Ashley will measure the time it takes for each car to go down the ramp.
Ashley will measure the weight of each material on the ramp.
Ashley will measure the time it takes for each car to go down the ramp.
Ashley will be investigating which car gets down the ramp in the least amount of time. The keyword "time" in that statement gives a clue to which answer choice would be the correct measurement. The only answer choice that measures time is, "Ashley will measure the time it takes for each car to go down the ramp.". This choice would collect information about each car so their times can be compared. The vehicle with the least amount of time would be the car that travels down the ramp the fastest.
Example Question #2 : Make Measurements Of An Object's Motion
Cindy rolls a marble down a ramp and hits a cup waiting on the bottom. She does this multiple times with different size marbles. After each roll, she measures the distance the cup traveled.
Which tool would be best for measuring the object's movement?
A measuring cup
A balance
A meter stick
A ruler
A ruler
The tool that would be most appropriate for measuring would be a ruler. This investigation is measuring distance so that would narrow the choices down to a ruler or the meter stick. A meter stick measures things that are a longer-distance, and a marble is not going to move a cup that far. A ruler would be sufficient for this investigation.
Example Question #3 : Make Measurements Of An Object's Motion
Jamarcus is experimenting at his local playground. He and his friends are all wearing pants made of different materials. They want to see which type of pants will move down the slide quickest.
Which tool should they use to collect this data?
A stopwatch
A pen and paper
A ruler
A scale
A stopwatch
This experiment is testing which pants' material will slide the fastest. This is a measurement of time and speed. The tool that would be the most appropriate would be the stopwatch. The boys could time each person from the top of the slide to the bottom to determine who's pants help them to slide the fastest. The person with the lowest time is the material that allows the quickest slide.
Example Question #4 : Make Measurements Of An Object's Motion
Which tool would be most appropriate for measuring how high the ball bounces in this experiment? Use the data table below for additional information.
A scale
A stopwatch
A balance
A yardstick
A yardstick
In this scenario, the students measure distance, and they measure up to 20 inches. A yardstick would be most appropriate because it uses the correct units of measurement and would reach the necessary length to complete the measurements.
Example Question #5 : Make Measurements Of An Object's Motion
What would be the most appropriate tool to measure the weight or mass of the marbles in the data table below?
A scale
A measuring cup
A beaker
A ruler
A scale
This data table shows the marble's weight is in grams. To measure the marble accurately, a scale should be used to find its weight or mass. A beaker and measuring cup would be more appropriate for liquids, and a ruler measures length. A scale or balance would be the best option for weight or mass.
Example Question #2 : Make Measurements Of An Object's Motion
Grant wants to investigate how objects move and see if he can make correct predictions. He knows he will have to observe the object's motion. He wants to see if a soccer ball will travel further on artificial turf or real grass.
What will Grant need to measure to determine which surface the soccer ball travels furthest on?
Grant will measure the weight of each type of grass.
Grant will measure the distance the balls traveled on each type of grass.
Grant will measure the time it takes for each ball to go across the grass.
Grant will measure the speed of the ball as it moves across the grass.
Grant will measure the distance the balls traveled on each type of grass.
Grant will be investigating whether a soccer ball travels further on artificial turf or real grass. The keyword "further" in that statement gives a clue to which answer choice would be the correct measurement. The only answer choice that measures distance is, "Grant will measure the distance the balls traveled on each type of grass.". This choice would collect information about each grass type and the distance the balls traveled so they can be compared.
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