Comparison of Weights: Heavy and Light
We will compare the weights of a tennis ball and a feather by placing them at each end of the scale.
A tennis ball pushes the scale down more than a feather does.
The side with the tennis ball moves down, causing the side with the fur to move up.
A feather is lighter than a tennis ball.
It doesn’t matter what size the object is, the heaviest object moves down the scale.
The heaviest object moves down the scale.
The lightest object is moved upwards.
Carrots tip the scale more than strawberries.
How to Compare Weights using Heavier than Lighter than
In this lesson we introduce weight and how to compare the weight of two objects.
The weight of an object is a downward force.
You can feel the weight of many different things when you hold them.
Scales can be used to compare the weights of two objects.
We put mass at one end of the scale.
The weight of the mass pushes down on this end of the scale and this left side moves down.
When teaching weight to children, it’s helpful to have a physical set of scales to play with, so your child can experience how it works for himself.
We don’t need a huge mass to push the scale down.
Since there is nothing at one end, if something is placed at the other end, it will be pushed down the scale.
The pencil pushes down on the left side of the scale, causing this side to move down.
In the example below, we will place two objects on the scale. Let’s compare the weight of a tennis ball and a feather.
To compare the weight of two objects, they must be on opposite ends of the scales.
The side with the tennis ball moves down.
This happens because the tennis ball pushes down on the scales rather than the fur.
We say that a tennis ball is heavier than a feather.
We say that a tennis ball is heavier than a feather.
This means that it is more difficult to lift than a feather.
The opposite way to say this is to say that a feather is lighter than a tennis ball.
This means that the feather is easier to lift than a tennis ball.
When teaching weight and mass to children, we can think of them as very similar, using the words almost interchangeably.
The weight of the tennis ball pushes down more than the weight of the feather.
The mass of the tennis ball means that it is harder to move in any direction.
We can try blowing a tennis ball and a feather and find that the feather moves more easily.
In these starting examples, we just need to decide which object is heavier by looking at the scales to see which side is pushed down.
In the next example we will compare the weight of a book and a leaf.
The side with the book moves down causing the side with the leaf to lift.
The book is smaller in size than the leaf.
Therefore, the book is heavier than the leaf.
And the leaf is lighter than the book.
Note that the leaf only moves up because the book moves down and pushes the edge of the leaf up.
Some children may have the misconception that the leaf being light causes the scales to move upwards.
The best way to overcome this misconception is to remove the book and see what happens when the leaf is only on the scales.
If the leaf is only on the scales and there is no book, the leaf will push its side down.
It does not cause an increase in size.
The weight of objects can only be pushed down.
Objects are always pushed down by their weight.
Even feathers and leaves have weight pushing down.
In this last example, we compare the weights of a carrot and a strawberry.
In this last example, we compare the weights of a carrot and a strawberry.
The carrot pushes this side down, causing the strawberry side to lift.
The carrot has a greater weight than the strawberry.
Carrots are heavier than strawberries.
Carrots are heavier than strawberries.
Strawberry is lighter than carrot.
When teaching and introducing weight to children, it is important to consider real life examples so that the child can relate their understanding to what they have already experienced.
Simply holding two objects in each hand can be a way to feel and compare their weights.
If you don’t have scales to use in this lesson, you can just hold the objects and feel which one is more difficult to lift.
However, it is important to explain that this is not always true when comparing different materials.