Find science information on all the forces topics that Science Alive covers. This includes education classes, resources we hire, exhibit examples, interesting forces facts, fun activities, experiments, useful links and general forces information.
Forces education classes: See our education section for more
Fantastic Forces - Years 5-8
What is gravity? How does friction affect us? Explore Newtons three laws of motion and much more.
Key Concepts: gravity, friction, air pressure, momentum, balance, mechanisms - gears, levers, and wheels.
Forces exhibit examples: See our exhibitions page for more
Antigravity Wheel - A roller appears to defy gravity by rolling up hill.
Bed of Nails - Stand at the foot of the bed, crouch and then lean back to hold onto the handles. Lean back onto the handles and gently lower yourself on to the nail bed.
Pirouette Cycle - The visitor stands on the platform and spins by holding the cycle bars. By leaning the body away from the bar the spins slows down; by leaning close to the bar the spin increased dramatically!
Human Gyro - A person rotates in all directions. Simulates astronaut training.
Black Hole - Run a ball bearing into the black hole and watch it run around the narrowing conical hole. The increasing speed of the ball bearing is fascinating to watch and the dramatic noise that accompanies the bearing's furious rotation heightens the feeling of the forces that are at work.
Air Maze - Ping pong balls are pushed along the maze corridors as a result of air being pumped into the maze near the entrance. Opening trap door flaps around the edges of the maze can control the direction of the balls.
Vertical slide – Experience the thrill of gravity in its purest form on New Zealand’s highest vertical slide.
Interactive Forces game:
Learn about forces in action as you experiment with different weights and gradients in this fun interactive game.
Useful Forces links:
The Atom's Family - Explains concepts of electricity, matter, energy and forces, in fun and imaginative ways.
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