Physics · Lesson Worlds

Gravity: interactive science lab

Watch an apple fall, change the pull of gravity, and prove you understand by controlling the drop.

Free · No account required · Runs in your browser

What will you learn?

Gravity is the pull that makes things accelerate toward a world. Weaker gravity, slower fall.

How does the lab work?

Observe the simulation, make a prediction, change a variable, run the experiment, and explain the result. Finish with a challenge that tests your understanding.

You can change: Gravity, Height. Compare what happens and connect the result to the scientific explanation.

Try a comparison in Gravity

Start with the lab’s initial settings. Choose one control below, predict the result, and change that control while keeping the others fixed. Record the setting and what you observe before making a second change.

Gravity: the lab starts at 9.81 m/s²; its available range is 0.4–26 m/s².
Height: the lab starts at 4 m; its available range is 2–10 m.

For a named starting condition, try Earth, Moon, Mars, Jupiter. A preset can change several settings: check the controls before treating two presets as a one-variable comparison.

Questions to discuss during the activity

Watch the apple fall. On Earth the apple speeds up as it falls. That pull is gravity. Watch the apple fall.
The pull has a name. Newton noticed that the same pull that drops an apple also keeps the Moon in its path. Gravity is that pull. On Earth it is about 9.81 meters per second squared — the apple accelerates toward the ground. Gravity pulls the apple toward the ground.
Change the pull. Lower g toward the Moon and the apple should take longer to reach the ground. Change g, then drop the apple.
Guess before you drop. If we lower g toward Moon gravity (1.62 m/s²), the apple will… Guess what will happen, then drop to check.

After your comparison, explain how the observations connect to this idea: Gravity is the pull that makes things accelerate toward a world. Weaker gravity, slower fall. Name one condition you held fixed and one feature of the real world this model simplifies. A completed run is a starting point for discussion, rather than proof of mastery.

Who is it for?

Curious learners exploring physics. A parent or teacher can help younger learners read the instructions and discuss the results. Choose by topic and prior knowledge rather than a fixed grade level.

Is this lab free?

Yes. This interactive lab is free without signing in or a paid membership.

No app download is needed; interactive play requires JavaScript and a modern browser.

Use this activity with a learner

Families and educators · choose by prior knowledge

Learning goal: Gravity is the pull that makes things accelerate toward a world. Weaker gravity, slower fall.

Before you begin: Read the controls for Gravity, Height. Make one prediction before changing a setting.

Check understanding: Ask for one observation, the evidence that supports it, and a question to investigate next.

A simulation simplifies the real world. Explain which conditions stayed fixed; a successful run alone does not demonstrate mastery.

Investigate gravity with a falling apple: prediction, evidence, and follow-up

Share Gravity with your family or class. No account is needed to open the free resource.

Activity and guide by Lesson Worlds. About the platform.

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