Y5-7 VR Luna Experience
We all have seen astronauts, bouncing around the surface of the moon, seemingly effortlessly and with such grace. That powerful image is the corner stone of this moon VR experience . Why were they walking like that? The children have their virtual moment on the moon and then explore why the moon environment is so different form our own.
VR Workshop On The Moon
Allow students to virtually walk on the moon inside the VR . Talk to the students about how they moved around the surface and how different it was. Students should be made aware of the difference between weight and mass, as well as the relationship between gravity and weight. Weight is a force based on the effect of gravity on an object’s mass. Weight is measured in newtons (N). The gravitational field strength of the Earth is 10 while the moon’s is 1.6. Weight in newtons can be calculated by multiplying mass (in kg) by the gravitational field strength (N/kg). Students should research the gravitational field strength of all the planets in the solar system to discover their weight in newtons on each of them.
VR IMPACT ON LEARNING
VR allows pupils to pull on a virtual spacesuit and walk in the footsteps of Armstrong and Aldrin. That ability to experience something out of the ordinary has a powerful effect on learners. The excitement and pull of that experience can create a strong desire to learn more and to take that learning further. Activities like this, a blend of approaches covering science (physics), computing and maths are held together by the shared experience of pupils who have just ‘walked on the moon’.
LEARNING AIMS:
- To understand the difference between mass and weight.
- To understand the relationship between gravity and weight
- To calculate weight in newtons.