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7th grade · Science · Unit 4 of 18

Motion, Forces & Newton’s Laws

Speed, velocity, acceleration, friction and the Laws of Motion.

What your child practices

Practices speed, velocity, acceleration, forces, friction, gravity and Newton's three Laws of Motion, with stability. It follows the Grade 8 science skill descriptors on motion and stability and the Laws of Motion in the New Brunswick curriculum.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 7.7(A); 7.7(D) · average speed, and balanced and unbalanced forces (Newton's first law)

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Speed = distance ÷ time. Velocity is speed with a direction.
  2. Force is measured in newtons. Friction and gravity are forces.
  3. Newton’s laws: objects keep doing what they’re doing unless a force acts; more force means more acceleration; every push has an equal push back.

Example: A cyclist rides 30 m in 6 s. What is her speed? Speed = distance ÷ time. 30 ÷ 6 = 5. Answer: 5 m/s

Motion, Forces & Newton’s Laws in Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 4 of 18 in 7th grade Science, after Solutions & Separating and before Moving Heat.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    A car goes at 80 km/h for 3 hours. How far does it travel?

    • 240 km
    • 83 km
    • 160 km
    • 27 km

  2. Question 2

    If the same force pushes a light cart and a heavy cart, which accelerates more?

    • the light cart
    • neither
    • both the same
    • the heavy cart

  3. Question 3

    What is the difference between speed and velocity?

    • velocity includes direction
    • they are the same
    • velocity is slower
    • speed includes direction

  4. Question 4

    Which surface has the least friction?

    • gravel
    • carpet
    • sandpaper
    • ice

  5. Question 5

    Why do passengers lurch forward when a bus stops suddenly?

    • their bodies keep moving because of inertia
    • the seat pushes them
    • the road pulls them
    • gravity turns off

  6. Question 6

    Which graph shows a steady speed?

    • a zigzag
    • a flat line only
    • a circle
    • a straight sloped line on a distance-time graph

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