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Grade 8 · Science

8th grade Speeding up, slowing down and turning worksheet

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Speeding up, slowing down and turning

Grade 8 Science Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. A ball rises straight up after a toss. In Ari's side-view diagram, its velocity arrow points up and its net-force arrow (gravity) points down. What is the ball doing?

    • Rising at a steady speed
    • Moving down, the way the force points
    • Slowing down as it rises
    • Speeding up, since gravity acts
  2. In Bo's diagram, a cart's velocity arrow and net-force arrow both point left. What is the cart doing?

    • Moving right
    • Slowing down, moving left
    • Turning to the right
    • Speeding up, moving left
  3. Force arrow diagram (top view). A puck slides right on ice, tied by a string to a post at the top of the page. The net force points toward the post. What is the puck doing, Esme?

    • Speeding up, since the string pulls
    • Turning toward the post
    • Stopping at once
    • Moving straight to the post
  4. Read this first

    Table (example data)

    Time (s) and velocity. 0 s, 10 m/s north; 1 s, 8 m/s north; 2 s, 6 m/s north; 3 s, 4 m/s north.

  5. Kira records a bike's velocity on a straight road. Is the bike accelerating?

    • Yes: it is slowing down
    • Yes: it is turning
    • No: speeding up is what counts
    • No: it keeps going north
  6. Table (example data)

    Time (s) and velocity. 0 s, 3 m/s east; 2 s, 3 m/s south; 4 s, 3 m/s west; 6 s, 3 m/s north.

  7. Luz's robot drives a square path at one speed. Is the robot accelerating?

    • No: its speed stays 3 m/s
    • Yes: it speeds up
    • No: it ends heading north
    • Yes: its direction changes
  8. Milo learns that a car has a gas pedal, a brake and a steering wheel. Which of them can make the car accelerate?

    • All three of them
    • The steering wheel alone
    • The gas pedal and the brake, not the wheel
    • The gas pedal alone
  9. On a bike, Noah can pedal harder, squeeze the brakes or turn the handlebars. Which actions make the bike accelerate?

    • All three of the actions
    • Turning the handlebars alone
    • Pedaling harder alone
    • Pedaling and braking, not turning
  10. Pia pushes a scooter faster, drags a foot to slow it, then leans into a turn. During which actions is the scooter accelerating?

    • Pushing and slowing, not turning
    • All three of the actions
    • None of them
    • Pushing faster alone
  11. Car A cruises at a steady 30 m/s on a straight road. Car B speeds up from 0 to 10 m/s. Which car is accelerating, Ren?

    • Both, as both are moving
    • Car A, as it is faster
    • Neither
    • Car B
  12. Zee sees a parked bike, a bus at a steady 15 m/s on a straight road and a car on a roundabout at a steady 8 m/s. Which is accelerating?

    • No object, as no speed changes
    • The bus, as it is fastest
    • The parked bike
    • The car on the roundabout
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8th grade Speeding up, slowing down and turning worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Speeding up, slowing down and turning. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can tell whether something is accelerating: its speed or its direction changes.
  • I can read a box diagram: force along the velocity speeds it up, against it slows it, sideways turns it.
  • I can say that slowing down and turning at a steady speed are both acceleration, and that a steady straight motion is not.

Standard: supports MS-PS2-2

Words to know

acceleration: Any change in velocity: speeding up, slowing down or turning

velocity: Speed together with direction

net force: The overall push or pull on an object

velocity arrow: Shows which way the object is moving

net-force arrow: Shows which way the motion is being changed

Common mistakes

Your child counted only changes in speed. Turning at a steady speed is acceleration too, because the direction changes.

Your child thought anything moving, or moving fast, is accelerating. A steady speed in a straight line is not acceleration.

Your child thought only speeding up counts. In science, slowing down is acceleration too, opposite to the motion.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with speeding up, slowing down and turning?

Your child counted only changes in speed. Turning at a steady speed is acceleration too, because the direction changes.

Are these 8th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 8 science

See all grade 8 science

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