Lesson 2: Balanced and Unbalanced Force

Duration: 1 day

I. Learning Competency
Describe the motion of an object by tracing and measuring its change in position
(distance travelled) over a period of time. (S5FE-IIIa-1)

II. Learning Objectives

1. Differentiate balanced and unbalanced forces
2. Infer what will happen when:
a. Balanced force interact
b. Unbalanced force interact
3. Explain how motion is produced

III. Subject Matter

Balanced and Unbalanced Forces
A. Concept
Motion takes place when forces acting on an object are unbalanced.
Motion takes place in the direction of greater force.
B. Materials
Real objects, rope, ball, stone, box, flaglets, rubberband, activity sheets
C. References
Science for Everyone 3 pp. 141 – 142
Science and Health 3 pp. 151 - 152
D. Process Skills
Observing, inferring, hypothesizing, experimenting
E. Values Integration
Teamwork, appreciation

IV. Learning Tasks

A. Engage
1. Checking of assignment
2. Review
How can we make things move?
What is force? Motion?
How are force and motion related?
3. Motivation

50 kg 50 kg
 100 kg 50 kg

Which will produce motion when collide?

When does motion take place?
When do objects move?
How can you move object?
B. Exploration
1. Group the pupils into four or five small groups with equal members.
2. Let the pupils recall the norms to be followed in performing the activity.
3. Let the pupils perform the activity Lesson 2: Balanced and Unbalanced
Force.
4. Supervise the pupils when doing the activity and give assistance whenever
needed.
5. Allot time for the pupils to wrap up and finalize their output.
C. Explanation
1. Discuss group outputs. Let each group present their work in class.
2. Give feedback.
3. Answer the different guide questions in the activity.
4. Answer the following:
Why is it that Team __ cannot move the members of Team ___ to their side?
What shall we do to Team __ ?
Why is it necessary to do that?
How can we move objects?
What shall we do to move the objects? Why?

D. Elaboration
Suppose all the forces in the world are balanced, what do you think will happen
to all the objects in it?

E. Evaluation
A. Choose the letter of the correct answer. For nos. 4 and 5, answer the
questions briefly.
1. You noticed a swaying curtain in your room. You can infer that there is motion
that takes place. Which of the following can be inferred for this situation?
A. There is an acceleration C. there is unbalanced force
B. There is gravity D. there is balanced force
2. You played seesaw in the park with your friend. You notice that the seesaw is
not moving even if the two of you are seated in the opposite plank of the
seesaw. What can you say about this?
A. There is applied force C. There is unbalanced force
B. There is gravity D. There is balanced force
3. What should we do in order to move objects?
A. Apply force C. apply gravity
B. Apply motion D. apply balance
4-5. How are force and motion related?
B. Performance based can be used as means of assessment for this lesson.
V. Assignment
Illustrate balanced and unbalanced force that can be observed in school, at home
and in the community

ACTIVITY SHEET
Motion

Learning Competency: Describe the motion of an object by tracing and measuring its
change in position (distance travelled) over a period of time. (S5FE-IIIa-1)

Lesson 2: Balanced and Unbalanced Force

Duration : 1 day

Activity 1

I. Objective: Observe that when forces acting on an object are not balanced,
motion takes place in the direction of the greater force, when balanced there
is no motion
II. Material
rope
III. What To Do
1. Select nine boys of equal weight and height, then add 1 boy taller and
heavier than them.
2. Divide yourself equally in number.
3. With the use of the rope, play tug-of-war.
4. Add more members as you do the activity.

IV. Guide Questions

1. Can your team pull the other team? Why?
2. When you add other members, can you pull them now? Why?
3. What are balanced forces?
4. Which group has greater force?
5. Which group has the lower force?

Activity 2

I. Objective: Observe that when forces acting on an object are not

balanced, motion takes place in the direction of the greater force, when
balanced there is no motion
 II. Material
Box
Rubber band
III. What To Do
1. Get a square box
2. Make two holes in the center of each side of the box
3. On each pair of holes, tie a 6-inch rubber band.
4. Ask four girls to hold each rubber band on the four sides. As they hold
the rubber bands, make sure that the box rests on the table.
5. At a signal, stretch gently the rubber band at the same time.

IV. Guide Questions

1. Did the box move? Why?
2. What should you do to make it move?

Activity 3
Spring Scales

Using two spring scales, have a

tame “tug of war” with your
partner. Observe the readings on
the two scales during the tug of
war (don’t pull too hard!).
Questions:
1. Describe the readings on
the scales.
2. Can you and your partner
pull in a way that will
produce a higher reading on
one scale than the other?
3. Can you and your partner pull in a way that will produce a reading of zero on one scale but not
on the other?
4. Explain your answer.

Activity 4
Materials
Small paper cup
Empty detergent bottle or soda bottle
Water
Tissue paper
What To Do
1. After moistening the tissue paper with water, use it to plug the hole in the
top of the detergent bottle.
2. Flip the cup upside down and place it over the top of the bottle.
3. Squeeze the bottle and tell students to watch what happens.
Guide Questions:
1. What happened?
2. Were the forces balanced or unbalanced?