Force and Motion: Balance Investigation

We have been studying balance in our unit on force and motion in science, and this is always one of the big hits, as far as experiments go.  :)  The students had a blast trying to find ways to balance a pencil on its point, and they did GREAT!

Things we learned:
-You must find a stable position in order for something to balance.
-The counterweights must be placed BELOW the point that you are trying to balance.
-If the counterweights are ABOVE the point, the object will be too top-heavy and topple over.

It was so fun watching the kids figure out how to make the pencil balance and how THRILLED they were when they got it!

Hope you enjoy our pictures of our "Balancing Pencils" investigation.