Gravity pulls us toward Earth

Meet gravity

Let go of a soft ball near the floor. Which way does it move? Down. Earth pulls the ball toward it. We call this pull gravity. The ball does not need to hear the words, come back here! Gravity is already acting.

Down has a direction

Look at the arrows around Earth. Each arrow points toward the middle. People on the other side of Earth have a down direction too. Their down points toward the middle, just like yours. They do not fall off the planet.

Gravity keeps pulling

Gently toss a soft ball a little way up. Your hand starts it moving upward. Gravity still pulls downward. The ball slows as it goes up, then falls back. Only do this with an adult, with space around you and nothing breakable nearby.

Why does a book stay up?

A book on a table does not fall through the table. Gravity pulls it down, but the table pushes it up. These pushes and pulls balance while the book rests. The book has not found a secret gravity off switch.

Pause and point

Imagine a ball held just above the floor. Your hand lets go without throwing it. Pause and point the way you think gravity pulls. Does it pull toward the ceiling, toward the floor, or sideways toward your snack?

Explain your prediction

Gravity pulls toward Earth, so the ball moves toward the floor after you let go. Before you let go, your hand was holding the ball up. Notice the difference between a ball held still and a ball that is free to fall.

A surprising job

Here is a fun fact. Gravity helps hold the air around Earth. Air is made of matter too. Gravity does much more than bring a dropped ball back. We cannot see gravity itself, but we can notice what it does.

Your turn to investigate

Ask an adult to help you lower a soft ball just above a clear floor and let go. Stay on the floor yourself. Never climb or drop things from a window. Tell someone what happened. Then continue to the worksheet and follow the arrows.