Newtons Laws of Motion Project
Isaac Newton developed three laws of motion. The first states that only an outside force can change an object's velocity. The second says force multiplied by mass equals acceleration. The third states each action has a reaction. Projects with simple objects can demonstrate each of these laws.
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First Law---Law of Inertia
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Spin a hard boiled egg on a table top. Touch it with your finger to interrupt its momentum. You'll notice it stops. Next, spin a raw egg and touch it with your finger. It stops only briefly because the liquid inside continues to spin. Once the inner liquid stops moving, the raw egg stops moving.
Second Law---Acceleration
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Place two paper plates on the floor. Put half a cup of flour on each plate. Drop a small rock and a Whiffle ball from the same height. The two objects accelerate at the same rate due to gravity, but the rock's mass is greater. Since force equals mass times acceleration, the rock with its larger mass makes a bigger mess when it hits the flour because its force is greater.
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Third Law---Reaction
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Stand on a skateboard and throw a ball. The force of the throw pushes you backward because of Newton's law observing that for every action (you throwing the ball forward), there is an equal and opposite reaction (you going backward). You don't travel as far as the ball does because although the force applied to both you and the ball is equal, you weigh more and this slows your acceleration.
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References
- Photo Credit newton's cradle 02 image by Maik Blume from Fotolia.com
