Newton’s first law lab - WELCOME TO MR.FLEMING SCIENCE



Newton’s First Law

|Method – draw the procedure |Observations – what happened? |Results & conclusions - explanation |

|Predict what you think will happen: | | |

|Predict what you think will happen: | | |

|Predict what you think will happen: | | |

Summary: Explain how Newton’s First Law of Motion allows us to predict motion

Materials required

|Inertia labs |Forces labs |

|Wacky washers |Dancing circles |

|6 washers |Al foil |

| |Paper punch |

|Pass the water |Styrofoam cup |

|Shallow baking pan | |

|Pitcher of water |Center of gravity |

| |Hammer |

|Tablecloth trick |Rubber band |

|Flask |Ruler |

|Note cards | |

|Stack of pennies |Round the world |

| |Rubber stopper |

|Air hockey |String |

|Dry ice | |

| |Driving uphill |

|Seat belts save lives |Pull-back car |

|Matchbox car |Meter stick |

|Clay |Ramp |

|Ramp | |

|Tape |Projectile motion |

|Pencil |Computer |

| |Forces and gravity CD |

|Circular motion | |

|Modified aluminum pie pan |The pressure’s on |

|Marble |Water |

| |Plastic cup |

| |Note cards |

Wacky washers

|To do |You will need |

| |6 washers or pennies |

| |Smooth surface |

| | |

| |Stack 5 washers one on top of the other so that you form a tower of washers. Place the stack of washers on a smooth |

| |surface. |

| |Aim the last washer at the bottom of the stack of and give it a good hard flick with your finger or hand. |

| | |

| |[pic] |

| | |

|To observe |Observe carefully. Try some other things: does it work with more or fewer washers? |

| | |

| |Record your observations. |

|To explain |Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s First Law. Use labeled diagrams if appropriate. Your explanation |

| |should make it clear that you understand Newton’s First Law. |

| | |

| |Newton’s First Law says: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a |

| |constant velocity unless acted on by an outside force. |

| | |

| |You will want to use some of the following words: |

| |Force |

| |Balanced, unbalanced and net forces |

| |Inertia |

| |Gravity and/or friction |

Pass the water

|To do |You will need |

| |Shallow baking pan |

| |Pitcher of water |

| | |

| |This is an outdoor activity. Fill in the first column; get your materials; and go outside so you don’t make a mess |

| |inside. |

| | |

| |Fill the pan with water to the brim. |

| |Hold the pan of water level, and walk around. As you walk, make careful observations of the water and of your |

| |tendency to be more or less careful of spilling it at various locations. If you spill a significant amount of water |

| |at any time, refill the water to the rim. Your walking should include the various types of motion: |

| |Starting with the water at rest on top of a bench, abruptly accelerate the water to a high speed in a short amount |

| |of time. |

| |Walk with a constant speed in a straight line for at least 20 feet. |

| |After walking for a given distance in a straight line, make an abrupt right-hand turn; repeat this procedure for a |

| |abrupt left-hand turn. |

| |After walking some given distance in a straight line at a moderate speed, abruptly stop. |

|To observe |Record your observations; including what happened under a variety of conditions. |

|To explain |Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s First Law. Use labeled diagrams if appropriate. Your explanation |

| |should make it clear that you understand Newton’s First Law. |

| | |

| |Newton’s First Law says: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a |

| |constant velocity unless acted on by an outside force. |

| | |

| |You will want to use some of the following words: |

| |Force |

| |Balanced, unbalanced and net forces |

| |Inertia |

| |Gravity and/or friction |

Tablecloth trick

|To do |You will need |

| |Erlenmeyer flask |

| |Note card |

| |Stack of pennies |

| |[pic] |

| | |

| |Set up the apparatus as shown. Flick the card with your finger. |

|To observe |Experiment – how many pennies can you drop into the flask? |

| |Record your observations. How many pennies could you drop into the flask? What was the best technique? |

|To explain |Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s First Law. Use labeled diagrams if appropriate. Your explanation |

| |should make it clear that you understand Newton’s First Law. |

| | |

| |Newton’s First Law says: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a |

| |constant velocity unless acted on by an outside force. |

| | |

| |You will want to use some of the following words: |

| |Force |

| |Balanced, unbalanced and net forces |

| |Inertia |

| |Gravity and/or friction |

Air hockey

|To do |You will need |

| |Dry ice |

| |A smooth surface |

| | |

| |Caution – don’t do anything stupid with the dry ice. There are many ways to be stupid (or unsafe); avoid them all. |

| | |

| |Flick the dry ice across the table. |

|To observe |Try to figure out why this is so much fun. |

| |Does the dry ice move the same way as other objects moving across a smooth surface? |

| |Can you discover why? |

| |How far can you make it move? |

| |Does it to the same thing on a rough surface? |

| | |

| |Record your observations. |

|To explain |Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s First Law. Use labeled diagrams if appropriate. Your explanation |

| |should make it clear that you understand Newton’s First Law. |

| | |

| |Newton’s First Law says: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a |

| |constant velocity unless acted on by an outside force. |

| | |

| |You will want to use some of the following words: |

| |Force |

| |Balanced, unbalanced and net forces |

| |Inertia |

| |Gravity and/or friction |

Seat belts save lives

|To do |You will need: |

| |Matchbox car |

| |Clay |

| |Ramp |

| |Tape |

| |Marker |

| |Textbook |

| |[pic] |

| |1. Make a ramp by elevating one end on a book. |

| |2. Tape the marker perpendicular to the ramp about 2 car lengths from the end of the ruler. |

| |3. Use the clay to make a snowman type figure. |

| |4. Flatten the bottom and gently sit it on the hood of the car. |

| |5. Position the car at the top of the ramp and allow it to roll down to collide with the pencil. |

|To observe |You can experiment with different heights. You can fasten the clay tightly to the car to simulate wearing a seat |

| |belt. |

| | |

| |Describe what happened. |

|To explain |Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s First Law. Use labeled diagrams if appropriate. Your explanation |

| |should make it clear that you understand Newton’s First Law. |

| | |

| |Newton’s First Law says: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a |

| |constant velocity unless acted on by an outside force. |

| | |

| |You will want to use some of the following words: |

| |Force |

| |Balanced, unbalanced and net forces |

| |Inertia |

| |Gravity and/or friction |

Circular motion

|To do |You will need: |

| |¾ aluminum pie plate |

| |Marble |

| | |

| |Which way will the Moon go if the earth's gravity were suddenly switched off? |

| | |

| |The Pie Plate demo gives a good analogy. Spin a ball around the inside rim of the plate. The inward force of the rim|

| |keeps the ball in circular motion. But what happens when the rim ends? |

| |[pic] |

|To observe |What did you have to do to get the marble to follow around the rim of the pie plate? Describe the motion of the |

| |marble when it leaves the rim of the pie plate. |

|To explain |Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s First Law. Use labeled diagrams if appropriate. Your explanation |

| |should make it clear that you understand Newton’s First Law. |

| | |

| |Newton’s First Law says: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a |

| |constant velocity unless acted on by an outside force. |

| | |

| |You will want to use some of the following words: |

| |Force |

| |Balanced, unbalanced and net forces |

| |Inertia |

| |Gravity and/or friction |

Dancing circles

|To do |You will need |

| |Aluminum foil circles |

| |Paper circles |

| |Styrofoam cup |

| | |

| |Lay the paper and foil pieces on the table in separate piles. |

| |Place a static charge on the Styrofoam cup by rubbing it on your clothes. |

| |[pic] |

| |Bring the Styrofoam cup close to – but not touching – each pile. Describe what happens. |

| | |

| |Prediction – will there be any reaction? Will they behave the same? |

|To observe |Describe what happened to each pile of materials. |

|To explain |Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s First Law. Use labeled diagrams if appropriate. Your explanation |

| |should make it clear that you understand Newton’s First Law. |

| | |

| |Hint: the aluminum and paper pieces were originally at rest. |

| | |

| |Newton’s First Law says: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a |

| |constant velocity unless acted on by an outside force. |

| | |

| |You will want to use some of the following words: |

| |Force |

| |Balanced, unbalanced and net forces |

| |Inertia |

| |Gravity, friction or other forces |

Center of mass

|To do |You will need |

| |Hammer |

| |Ruler |

| |Rubber band |

| | |

| |Attach the hammer to the ruler with a rubber band and suspend it from the edge of the table as shown. You may have |

| |to try this several times. |

| |[pic] |

|To observe |Describe what happened. Did you have to make any modifications? |

|To explain |Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s First Law. Use labeled diagrams if appropriate. Your explanation |

| |should make it clear that you understand Newton’s First Law. |

| | |

| |Hint: if you balance it correctly, the hammer will not be moving. |

| | |

| |Newton’s First Law says: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a |

| |constant velocity unless acted on by an outside force. |

| | |

| |You will want to use some of the following words: |

| |Force |

| |Balanced, unbalanced and net forces |

| |Inertia |

| |Gravity and/or friction |

Round the world

|To do |You will need |

| |Stopper on a string |

| | |

| |This is an outdoor activity. Fill in the first column; get your materials; and go outside. Before continuing, make |

| |sure no one is in the way. |

| | |

| | |

| |[pic] |

| | |

| |Spin the stopper fast enough so that it makes a nice circle. Release the string and watch carefully where the |

| |stopper goes. Repeat as necessary until you are sure of the rubber stopper’s path. |

|To observe |Describe what happens to the stopper when it is released (you want to know its path). |

|To explain |Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s First Law. Use labeled diagrams if appropriate. Your explanation |

| |should make it clear that you understand Newton’s First Law. |

| | |

| |Newton’s First Law says: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a |

| |constant velocity unless acted on by an outside force. |

| | |

| |You will want to use some of the following words: |

| |Force |

| |Balanced, unbalanced and net forces |

| |Inertia |

| |Gravity and/or friction |

Driving up hill

|To do |You will need |

| |A pull-back toy car |

| |A meter stick |

| |A ramp |

| |Textbooks to elevate ramp |

| | |

| |Measure the distance that the toy car can go on a flat surface and going up a ramp. Remember to pull the car back |

| |the same amount each time so the forward force is the same in each instance. |

|To observe |Construct and fill out a data table: |

| | |

| | |

| |Distance traveled, m |

| | |

| |Flat surface |

| | |

| | |

| |Going uphill with one book |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| | |

| |Investigate if steeper angles change your results. |

| | |

| |Record your data: how far does the car travel on a level surface and uphill ramp? |

|To explain |Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s First Law. Use labeled diagrams if appropriate. Your explanation |

| |should make it clear that you understand Newton’s First Law. |

| | |

| |Hint: why were the results different on the flat surface and up the ramp? |

| | |

| |Newton’s First Law says: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a |

| |constant velocity unless acted on by an outside force. |

| | |

| |You will want to use some of the following words: |

| |Force |

| |Balanced, unbalanced and net forces |

| |Inertia |

| |Gravity and/or friction |

Projectile motion

|To do |This is a virtual lab (computer simulation). |

| | |

| |You will need: |

| |A computer with CD |

| | |

| |Open the file Forces and Gravity 2.0 |

| |Choose Simulations |

| |Choose projectile motion |

| | |

| |Select one variable to change – location, ball’s mass, speed or angle. Test at least three different values and are|

| |report on your observations. |

| | |

| |(There is nothing to predict before you open the software.) |

|To observe |Record your data and discuss how changing one variable affected the other variable. |

|To explain |Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s First Law. Use labeled diagrams if appropriate. Your explanation |

| |should make it clear that you understand Newton’s First Law. |

| | |

| |Newton’s First Law says: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a |

| |constant velocity unless acted on by an outside force. |

| | |

| |You will want to use some of the following words: |

| |Force |

| |Balanced, unbalanced and net forces |

| |Inertia |

| |Gravity and/or friction |

The pressure’s on

|To do |You will need: |

| |Water |

| |Plastic cup |

| |Note card |

| |Plastic pan |

| | |

| |This is an outdoor activity. Fill in the first column; get your materials; and go outside so you don’t make a mess |

| |inside. |

| | |

| |Fill the cup to the brim with water. This will only work if the cup is totally full. |

| | |

| |Place the note card on top to make a tight connection. |

| | |

| |With your hand supporting the note card, quickly invert the card and cup (put it over the plastic pan). |

| | |

| |Remove your hand. |

|To observe |Describe what happened. |

|To explain |Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s First Law. Use labeled diagrams if appropriate. Your explanation |

| |should make it clear that you understand Newton’s First Law. |

| | |

| |Hint: if gravity pulls down, why didn’t the water fall out? |

| | |

| |Newton’s First Law says: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a |

| |constant velocity unless acted on by an outside force. |

| | |

| |You will want to use some of the following words: |

| |Force |

| |Balanced, unbalanced and net forces |

| |Inertia |

| |Gravity and/or friction |

I’m attracted to you

|To do |You will need: |

| |Magnet |

| |Paper clips |

| |String |

| |Masking tape |

| | |

| |Tie one end of a string to a paper clip. Tape the other end of the string securely to the table. |

| | |

| |Place the magnet about ½ inch away from the paper clip. Slowly lift the magnet, so that it remains consistently ½ |

| |inch away from the paper clip at all times. |

|To observe |Describe what happened. |

| | |

| |Questions to consider: |

| |What limits the paper clips motion? |

| |How many paper clips can you lift? |

| |Can you make the paper clip drop by putting a piece of paper in between the magnet and the paper clip? |

|To explain |Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s First Law. Hint: the paper clip was initially at rest. Once in the |

| |air, gravity pulls on it. |

| | |

| |Newton’s First Law says: an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at a |

| |constant velocity unless acted on by an outside force. |

| | |

| |You will want to use some of the following words: |

| |Force |

| |Balanced, unbalanced and net forces |

| |Inertia |

| |Gravity, friction or other forces |

Labs adapted from …

Wacky washers



Washers 2 (card trick)



Pass the water



Dry ice

Why you should wear seat belts



Circular motion - Partial pie plate



Group 2: forces Pendulum

Car going up hill

Magnetism

Dancing circles – TOPS Electricity #7

Centrifugal force

Rubber stopper on a string, Steppans page 100

Center of mass

Steppans book, page 72

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