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Magnus Flyers

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Grade Level: K-5
Discipline: STEM
Standards:

3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.
3-PS2-2. Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.
4-PS3-1. Energy: Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.
4-PS3-3. Energy: Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that occur when objects collide.
5-PS2-1. Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.


If you've ever seen a baseball game, you're probably aware that pitchers can curve the ball. We call this pitch, a curveball. There are other pitches that curve as well, like the slider, cutter, or split finger fastball. But have you ever wondered why the ball curves? That is called the Magnus effect. 

Learn more by downloading the activity above. 


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