One of the leading contributions to the world of physics is Sir Isaac Newton’s Three Laws of Motion. Isaac Newton was a very famous scientist who made many significant discoveries regarding force and motion. Newton came up with three Laws of Motion to describe how things move scientifically. He also described how gravity works, which is an important force that affects everything.
Newton’s First Law says: An object at rest will stay at rest until a force acts upon it. A moving object will stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. This law is commonly known as “the law of inertia”.
*Remember: Inertia is the tendency not to move or change
That means, a ball sitting on the ground will stay in that place forever unless acted upon by an outside force. Just the same, a ball that is kicked through the air will fly on and on unless a force acts upon it to change its course/speed. The force of gravity acts on the ball bringing it back down toward the ground while air resistance slows the ball down.
*Remember: Inertia is the tendency not to move or change
That means, a ball sitting on the ground will stay in that place forever unless acted upon by an outside force. Just the same, a ball that is kicked through the air will fly on and on unless a force acts upon it to change its course/speed. The force of gravity acts on the ball bringing it back down toward the ground while air resistance slows the ball down.
Newton’s Second Law says: The acceleration of an object is dependent upon the force acting on the object and the mass of the object.
This means that the more mass an object has, the more force is needed to change its motion, and the stronger the force, the greater the acceleration of the object. Therefore, the harder you kick a ball, the farther it will go.
This means that the more mass an object has, the more force is needed to change its motion, and the stronger the force, the greater the acceleration of the object. Therefore, the harder you kick a ball, the farther it will go.
Newton’s Third Law says: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
This means that there are always two forces that are acting upon an object at the same time. If you push an object, that object pushes back in the opposite direction equally hard. Keep in mind that this force is sometimes gravity.
Newton’s Third Law says: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
This means that there are always two forces that are acting upon an object at the same time. If you push an object, that object pushes back in the opposite direction equally hard. Keep in mind that this force is sometimes gravity.
Watch one of the two video clips linked below. These clips further explain and give examples of Newton’s three laws of motion. Choose the link based on your color group from class.
Now that you have a solid grasp of the three laws of motion, watch this video clip “Circus Physics – Newton’s Laws of Motion”. In your science journal, record examples of each of the laws. You must find at least two examples for each law.
Time to test you smarts! Take this short 10-question quiz below. When you have finished, email your results to me by clicking the email address at the bottom of the screen.