Speeding up, slowing down and turning
Grade 8 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.
A toy car starts from rest and goes faster and faster down a ramp. Is it accelerating, Ari?
- No: a ramp does the moving, not the car
- No: it started at rest
- Yes: its speed is changing
Bo rides a bike at a steady 5 m/s along a straight, flat path. Is the bike accelerating?
- Yes: 5 m/s is fast
- Yes: it is moving
- No: same speed, same direction
Esme's toy train goes around a circular track at a steady speed. Is the train accelerating?
- No: toy trains are too slow
- Yes: its direction is changing
- No: its speed stays the same
In Jun's diagram, the velocity arrow and the net-force arrow both point right. What is the cart doing?
- Slowing down
- Speeding up
- Turning
- Moving at a steady speed
Milo watches things in the gym. Which one is accelerating?
- A ball slowing as it rolls to a stop
- A book resting on the bleachers
- A cart rolling at a steady 2 m/s in a straight line
- A mat lying on the floor
Noah lists four moving things. Which one has no acceleration?
- A ball dropped from a desk
- A bike braking at a red light
- A puck sliding at a steady speed in a straight line
- A car going around a bend at a steady speed
Pia rides the Ferris wheel (snack in hand). Which of these is accelerating?
- A Ferris wheel seat turning at a steady speed
- An empty Ferris wheel stopped for the night
- An escalator step going up a straight slope at steady speed
- A parked bus by the gate
Ren's glossary has a blank by acceleration. Which meaning fits there?
- Moving very fast
- Moving in a straight line
- Speeding up, and nothing else
- Any change in velocity: speed or direction
A car slows from 20 m/s to 10 m/s on a straight road. Is it accelerating, Tala?
- Yes, but just at the end
- No: it is still moving forward
- No: speeding up is the one that counts
- Yes: its velocity changed
Zee runs around the curve of the track at a steady speed. Is Zee accelerating?
- Yes: the direction changes
- No: runners speed up on straight parts
- Yes: running is accelerating
- No: the speed stays the same