Newton's Law of Motion for Kids

Newton's laws of motion can be simplified so children can understand.

Newton's laws of motion are a complex subject covering three physical laws, so to help children understand the concepts, they must be explained in a simplified manner with some straightforward examples.

First Law of Motion

An object will not move unless force is applied to it. For example, a rock placed on the ground will not move unless something moves it, such as a person kicking it.

Second Law of Motion

Acceleration refers to the speed at which an object moves; this speed depends on the amount of force applied to the object. The more force used, the faster the object will move. If the rock in the first law is kicked with all of a person's strength, the rock will move further then if the rock is kicked with half of a person's strength.

Third Law of Motion

The third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This law includes two objects. For example, if you throw a tennis ball with a certain amount of force against a wall, the reaction of the ball will be to immediately bounce back to you. Another example would be when a bug hits the windshield of a car and makes a splat -- the bug hits the car and the car hits the bug -- even though they struck each other with the same amount of force, the bug's soft body can't withstand the force of the collision with the car.

References

• Csep10: Newtons Three Laws Of Motion
• Physics 4 kids: Physics 4 kids