This Grade 5 gravity worksheet introduces terminal velocity and air resistance through nine fill-in-the-blank questions and a four-pair matching activity. Students learn that gravity speeds objects up until air drag balances the pull, creating a steady top falling speed. The page connects parachutes, skydivers, and lunar feathers to NGSS 5-PS2-1 concepts in a Grade 5 friendly way for classroom or at-home practice.
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Gravity
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. When an object falls, gravity makes it speed up, or accelerate.
2. Air pushing back on a falling object is called air resistance.
3. The greatest speed a falling object can reach in air is its terminal velocity.
4. At terminal velocity, the falling object stops accelerating because forces are balanced.
5. A skydiver reaches a higher terminal velocity when she pulls her arms in to be more streamlined.
6. On the Moon, there is no atmosphere, so a feather and hammer fall at the same rate.
7. The unit scientists use for acceleration is meters per second per second.
8. Earth's gravitational acceleration is about 9.8 meters per second squared.
9. When a parachute opens, air resistance grows quickly, so terminal velocity decreases.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
Acceleration
→ Rate at which speed changes
Falling with only gravity acting
Air resistance
→ Frictional force from the atmosphere
Frictional force from the atmosphere
Terminal velocity
→ Steady top speed of a falling object
Steady top speed of a falling object
Free fall
→ Falling with only gravity acting
Rate at which speed changes
Gravity
★ Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1) When an object falls, gravity makes it speed up, or accelerate.
2) Air pushing back on a falling object is called air resistance.
3) The greatest speed a falling object can reach in air is its terminal velocity.
4) At terminal velocity, the falling object stops accelerating because forces are balanced.
5) A skydiver reaches a higher terminal velocity when she pulls her arms in to be more streamlined.
6) On the Moon, there is no atmosphere, so a feather and hammer fall at the same rate.
7) The unit scientists use for acceleration is meters per second per second.
8) Earth's gravitational acceleration is about 9.8 meters per second squared.
9) When a parachute opens, air resistance grows quickly, so terminal velocity decreases.
★ Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1) Match each item to its correct answer.
Acceleration
→ Rate at which speed changes
Falling with only gravity acting
Air resistance
→ Frictional force from the atmosphere
Frictional force from the atmosphere
Terminal velocity
→ Steady top speed of a falling object
Steady top speed of a falling object
Free fall
→ Falling with only gravity acting
Rate at which speed changes
Ready to Practice?
Complete each section carefully.
10 Questions
10-15 minutes
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