Name: ______________________________________________ Date: ________________ Block: ______ Newton’s Laws of Motion Stations
Directions: Complete each station by reading all of the directions.
If you finish a station early, work on the worksheets attached.
Station #1: Penny on a Card
Directions:
1. Put a playing card on top of a plastic cup.
2. Put a coin on top of the card.
3. With a sharp flick, hit the card out from under the coin! Or pull it quickly towards you.
4. The coin should drop in the cup.
Questions:
1. What is the force called that tries to resist movement? __________________________
2. Explain how this experiment displays this force.
3. How does the coin show Newton’s First Law of Motion?
4. What would happen if you pull the card slowly? Will this show Newton’s 1st Law of
Motion?
Station #2: Wacky Washers
Directions:
1. Stack 4 washers and place them on a smooth surface
2. Aim 1 washer at the bottom of the stack give it a good hard flick with your finger
3. Now try to flick a stack of 2 washers into the stack of 4
4. Flick a stack of 4 washers into the stack of 4
Questions:
1. What happens after each step?
2. Write Newton’s 1st law from your notes or the book.
3. Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s 1st Law.
Station #3: Mouth to Mouth
Directions:
1. Take two bottles and place a dollar bill between the mouths of the
bottles.
2. Now try to take the dollar out from between the bottles without
the top bottle falling.
Questions:
1. Give details on how you need to go about accomplishing the experiment. What happens
each time you try?
2. Explain how this relates to Newton’s 1st Law.
3. How does this activity relate to the “pull the tablecloth” trick used by magicians?
Station #4: Newton’s Race
Directions:
1. Set up a ramp using meter sticks and several books. Place one end of the ramp on the
books and line up the other end with a piece of masking tape on the floor.
2. Place the vehicle at the top of your meter stick and roll it down the ramp. Use a meter
stick to measure how far the vehicle rolls. Repeat this step for Trials 2 & 3.
3. Add five washers to the vehicle and repeat the process from Step 2. Record your
measurements in the chart. Be sure all the washers remain on the vehicle! Repeat this
step for Trials 2& 3.
4. Add ten washers to the vehicle and repeat the process from Step 2. Record your
measurements in the chart. Be sure all the washers remain on the vehicle! Repeat this
step for Trials 2 & 3.
Data/Questions:
# of Washers
Distance (cm)
Trial 1
Distance (cm)
Trial 2
Distance (cm)
Trial 3
Average
Distance
0
5
10
1. How does increasing mass (adding more washers) affect the force of objects in motion
(the distance the vehicle rolls)? Explain your answer using data from the chart.
2. What would happen if you added fifteen washers to the car? Predict how far the car
would roll.
3. Explain the results of your experiment in terms of Newton’s 2nd Law.
4. What is Newton’s Second Law of Motion?
Station #5: Balloon Rally
Directions:
1. Attach a balloon to the end of a flexible straw with
tape. Choose the end that is furthest away from the
bend.
2. Push a straight pin through the straw about halfway
between the balloon and the bend in the straw. Fasten
the pin in the eraser of a pencil.
3. Blow up the balloon and bend your straw to a 90° angle
before allowing the air to escape.
4. Blow up the balloon and bend your straw to a 45° angle
before allowing the air to escape.
5. Blow up the balloon, but leave your straw straight
(180° angle). Release the air in the balloon.
6. Remove the pin and hold on to the straw as you blow up the balloon. Release the straw.
Questions:
1. Explain your observations in terms of Newton’s 3rd Law.
2. What is Newton’s Third Law of Motion?
3. What happens after each test?
Station #6: Balloon Rocket
Directions:
1. Blow up a balloon.
2. Hold the opening downward and release the balloon.
3. Repeat this several times, and observe what happens.
Questions:
1. Describe what happened using Newton’s Third Law of Motion.
Station #7: Crashing Cars
Directions:
1. Go to the website: http://fearofphysics.com/index1.html
2. Click on “collisions.”
3. Click on your selections and then click on “GO” to determine the
following:
a. When a big red truck traveling at 30 m/s collides with a big red truck traveling at
30 m/s, what happens to the trucks after the collision?
b. Click “Back”. When an SUV traveling at 30 m/s collides with a big red truck
traveling at 10 m/s, what happens to each vehicle after the collision?
c. Click “Back”. When a big red truck traveling at 0 m/s collides with a motorcycle
traveling at 10 m/s, what happens to each vehicle?
d. How does this show Newton’s Second Law of Motion?
Station #8: Crossword Puzzle - Attached
**If you finish early at a station, you should work on Newton’s Laws Worksheet**
Newton’s Laws Review Worksheet Part
Each of the items below is best represented by one of Newton’s Laws of Motion.
Write a 1, 2 or 3 for each of the following to indicate whether its Newton’s 1st Law,
Newton’s 2nd Law, or Newton’s 3rd Law.
1. ________ A climber pulls down on a rope causing his body to lift upward and rise up
along the rope.
2. ________ Force = Mass x Acceleration
3. ________ Two bumper cars collide into each other and each car jolts backwards
4. ________ When you give your friend a lift on your bike you have to pedal harder and
faster to keep the same speed (and acceleration) as you had before when you were on
your bike alone.
5. ________ For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
6. ________ A smaller cannon ball leaves a cannon much faster than a larger, heavier
cannon ball fired from the same cannon.
7. ________ When you are standing in a subway train, and the train suddenly stops, your
body continues to go forward.
8. ________ An object at rest/motion will stay at rest/ motion unless acted on by an
outside, unbalanced force.
9. ________ It is much easier to carry your backpack when it is empty rather than when
it’s full of textbooks
10.
________ A boy is going down a slide. As he reaches the bottom, friction causes him
to slow down and stop.
11.
________ As the wheels of a drag racing car smoke and spin backwards, they
eventually begin to grip the race track and push backwards on the road. In turn, the
road reacts by pushing the wheels forward.
12.
________ When you throw a bowling ball out of a canoe, the bowling ball moves
forward and the canoe moves backward.
13.
________ A little girl who has been pulling a sled behind her in the snow is crying
because when she stopped to tie her shoe, the sled kept moving and hit her in the back
of the leg.
14.
________ A grocery cart is sitting motionless in the parking lot at Wal-mart. You
decide to jump in and your friend pushes you around.
15.
________ A basketball sits in the ball cage in the gym. It remains motionless.