Today we are going to be learning about Newton’s First Law! Physicist Sir Isaac Newton came up with the three laws of motion. The basis of the first law is:
AND
An object in motion stays in motion
UNLESS
Acted upon by outside sources.
To learn more about Newton’s Laws, check out the link below!
The video below will demonstrate our focus today.
- What happened in this demonstration?
- How was Newton’s First Law at work here?
Want to try this out on your own?
- Crochet hoop
- Pen cap (or other small object)
- Bottle or vase
- Water
Here’s what to do!
- Fill the bottle with water.
- Place the crochet hoop on top of the bottle’s opening.
- Carefully place the pen cap on top of the crochet hoop so that it is balanced directly over the mouth of the bottle.
- Use one finger to quickly pull the crochet hoop directly sideways.
- When this happens, the pen cap should fall straight down into the bottle.
- If this didn’t work for you on the first try, don’t get frustrated! Just try it out again. If you continue to have difficulties, try using a bottle with a wider mouth.
Here’s another way to demonstrate the same concept. These students used a paper plate, a toilet paper roll, and a glass instead of the crochet hoop and bottle.
YOU WILL NEED:
- Two identical bottles
- Water
- A dollar bill
Here’s what to do!
- Fill one bottle with water.
- Place the dollar bill over the mouth of the bottle with water in it.
- Balance the second bottle over the first bottle with the dollar bill in between the mouths of the bottles.
- While carefully keeping the mouths of the bottles aligned, flip them over and carefully set them down so that the bottle with the liquid is on top.
- Now, grab the end of the dollar bill and quickly pull it out!
- What happens? The two bottles are stationary and the liquid from the top bottle falls into the bottom bottle.
Reflect: How did this demonstration show you Newton’s First Law? What were some similarities between this demonstration and the first one you watched? Differences?
These were just two ways to demonstrate Newton’s First Law at work. What other ways can you think of to demonstrate Newton’s First Law? Brainstorm some ideas and try them out! We’d love to hear about them!
References:
- http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/40-cool-science-experiments-web
- <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uOSBC0SXVR4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
- <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5k2hhEFNxdM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
- http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-1/Newton-s-First-Law