Science // Forces & Motion

Gravity & Falling Objects

Explain that unsupported objects fall towards the Earth because of the force of gravity acting between the Earth and the falling object

Ages
9 to 11
Type
Concept
Builds on
4 topics
Leads to
3 topics
Standards
2 codes

Quick check

Can the learner explain why everything falls downwards when you let go of it, and name the force that causes this?

Ask this to see whether the topic is secure.

Topic // Mastery

What mastery looks like

What a learner can do once this topic is secure.
  • Define gravity as a force of attraction between the Earth and objects
  • Explain that unsupported objects fall because gravity pulls them towards the Earth
  • Give examples showing gravity in action (dropping objects, jumping, water flowing downhill)

Topic // Map

Where this fits

What to learn first and what this topic opens up, with the reason for each link. Required links come first.
  • RequiredMust come first
  • HelpfulHelps, but not essential

Before this

4 topics
  • Forces VocabularyRequired

    Forces & Motion // Ages 5 to 8

    Explaining gravity requires the force vocabulary: gravity, weight, non-contact force

  • Contact & Non-Contact ForcesRequired

    Forces & Motion // Ages 7 to 8

    Must know about non-contact forces before learning gravity as a non-contact force

  • Drawing Force DiagramsRequired

    Forces & Motion // Ages 8 to 12

    Explaining gravity as a downward force requires representing it as a downward arrow in a force diagram

  • Balanced & Unbalanced ForcesHelpful

    Forces & Motion // Ages 8 to 9

    Balanced/unbalanced forces supports understanding gravity as an unbalanced force on unsupported objects

You are here

Gravity & Falling Objects

Ages 9 to 11 // Concept

Leads to

3 topics
  • Mass vs WeightRequired

    Forces & Motion // Ages 11 to 12

    KS3 weight = mass × g extends KS2 introduction to gravity as the force pulling objects toward Earth

  • Air Resistance & FrictionHelpful

    Forces & Motion // Ages 9 to 10

    Understanding gravity helps contextualise resistive forces opposing gravitational motion

  • Levers, Pulleys & GearsHelpful

    Forces & Motion // Ages 9 to 10

    Gravity context helps understand why we need mechanisms to lift heavy things

Topic // Research-informed

Teaching notes

From the Marble Skill Taxonomy. These notes have not been validated in classrooms, so treat them as a starting point for your own judgement.

The approach

For ages 9–11, build the idea that gravity is a non-contact attractive force the Earth exerts on anything with mass, pulling objects toward the Earth's centre ('down'). Gravity acts on all objects with mass — light ones as well as heavy ones, and objects in water too — not only on heavy things; the force is actually larger on heavier objects, but that does not make them fall faster. The core teaching battle is the intuitive Aristotelian belief that heavier objects fall faster; in negligible air resistance all objects fall at the same rate, while in air, air resistance (not weaker gravity) slows light, non-compact objects. Equally important is guarding against the over-correction 'everything always falls together,' which is only true when air resistance is negligible. Use predict-observe-explain drops, an air-versus-vacuum comparison, everyday examples of gravity in action (dropping, jumping, water flowing downhill), and the Apollo 15 Moon hammer-and-feather case, plus an orbit-as-continual-falling reframe for 'no gravity in space.'

Common misconceptions

  • Heavier objects fall faster (Aristotelian; appears from age 5; Potvin et al.)
  • Over-correction: all objects always fall at the same rate (only true in a vacuum / when air resistance is negligible; teachers are strong adherents)
  • There is no gravity in space or on the Moon; gravity needs air/an atmosphere to act
  • Gravity is magnetism / the Earth is a giant magnet
  • Gravity acts only on heavy objects, or does not act on objects in water
  • Astronauts float because there is 'no gravity' — actually they are in continual free-fall (orbit)

Useful representations

  • Weight arrow pointing toward the Earth's centre
  • Vacuum tube vs air column comparison (feather and coin)
  • Same-shape, different-mass drop pairs

Teaching practices

  • Predict-observe-explain drops: same shape, different mass land together; contrast a flat sheet of paper with the same sheet crumpled to expose the air-resistance variable
  • Show the Apollo 15 hammer-and-feather clip as the vacuum case — things do fall on the Moon, and together
  • Separate gravity (always attracts, acts on any mass, acts everywhere including space and the Moon) from air resistance
  • Confront 'no gravity in space' with the orbit-as-continual-falling reframe
  • Name the condition: do not let the corrected rule overshoot into 'mass never matters' — it falls together only when air resistance is negligible

Activities to try

  1. 1

    Air vs vacuum: strip the air and watch mass stop affecting how fast things fall

    Why it works: In negligible air resistance, objects of different mass fall at the same rate; the slower fall of a feather in air is caused by air resistance, not by weaker gravity. Gravity still pulls harder on heavier objects, but the fall rate does not depend on mass once air is removed.

    1. First predict which lands first when a hammer and a feather are dropped side by side (from rest) in a tall chamber full of air, and write down WHY.
    2. Drop them in air and observe: the feather drifts down slowly, the hammer lands first.
    3. Remove the air from the chamber (e.g. a pump control or vacuum toggle) and drop again; observe the feather and hammer fall together and strike the bottom at the same instant.
    4. Use mass sliders to set extreme heavy/light pairs and check the same-rate result still holds in vacuum.
    5. State in your own words what was actually holding the feather back in air, and whether an object's mass changes how fast it falls once the air is removed.
  2. 2

    Predict-observe-explain drops with real objects

    Why it works: Gravity pulls on both stones and they fall at nearly the same rate, because air resistance has only a small effect on compact stones over a short drop; changing only the shape of the same paper changes the fall because of air resistance, separating the effect of air resistance from weight.

    1. Hold a large stone and a small stone at the same height; predict which lands first and say WHY before dropping.
    2. Drop them together and observe that they land at about the same time.
    3. For contrast, drop a flat sheet of paper against a crumpled ball of the SAME paper and observe the difference.
    4. Explain what the two observations together show about gravity's pull versus air resistance, writing the pre-drop reason next to what actually happened.
  3. 3

    The Moon case: gravity without air

    Why it works: Objects fall on the Moon and fall together because there is gravity (just weaker than Earth's) and no air; 'no gravity in space/on the Moon' is incorrect.

    1. Examine a labelled Moon scene (hammer, feather, weight arrow pointing toward the surface) and the Apollo 15 drop where a hammer and feather were released together.
    2. Predict and then observe what happens when the hammer and feather are dropped on the airless Moon.
    3. Explain what the result shows about whether gravity exists on the Moon and in space, and why the feather no longer flutters.
    4. Tap labelled parts of the scene to reveal facts (e.g. no air, weaker gravity than Earth, objects still fall).

Topic // Standards

Curriculum standards

Codes for the curriculum statements this topic maps to. Each publisher owns its standard text.
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) K-5
5-PS2-1
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document
Y5.Sci.F.1

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