Imagine you have a purse, and you want to make sure everyone knows it’s yours. You shout, “That’s my purse!” with confidence. Now, let’s use that same energy to learn something cool about science!
Have you ever seen an apple on a stick? Let’s do a fun experiment with them to understand a science idea called Newton’s First Law of Motion. Here’s what happens:
When you hit the stick with a hammer, the apple seems to move up the stick. But why does this happen? It’s all about how things like to stay the way they are unless something makes them change. This is called Newton’s First Law of Motion.
Newton’s First Law of Motion says that if something is not moving, it wants to stay still. If something is moving, it wants to keep moving in the same direction. This happens unless something else, like a force, makes it change.
In our experiment, the apple is heavier than the stick. This means the apple really wants to stay still. When you hit the stick with a hammer, the stick moves down, but the apple stays almost in the same place. This makes it look like the apple is climbing up the stick!
When you slam the stick on the ground, the apple, which is now moving, wants to keep moving. Because it’s heavier, it keeps going down after the stick hits the ground. This is called inertia, which is a way to measure how much something doesn’t want to change its motion.
Inertia is a big part of why things move the way they do. It’s why you feel pushed back in your seat when a car starts moving quickly, or why you lurch forward when it stops suddenly. Understanding inertia helps us learn more about how the world works!
So next time you see something moving or staying still, remember Newton’s First Law of Motion and think about the forces at play. Science is all around us, and it’s exciting to explore!
Gather a stick and an apple to recreate the experiment from the article. Hit the stick with a hammer and observe how the apple moves. Discuss with your classmates why the apple appears to move up the stick, using Newton’s First Law of Motion to explain your observations.
Find a toy car and a small block. Place the block on top of the car and push the car forward. Observe what happens when the car stops suddenly. Discuss how this demonstrates inertia and Newton’s First Law of Motion.
Look around your classroom or home for examples of objects at rest and in motion. Create a list of these examples and explain how each one demonstrates Newton’s First Law of Motion. Share your findings with the class.
In groups, create a short skit where you act out different scenarios involving forces and motion. Use props to show how objects stay at rest or in motion until acted upon by a force. Present your skit to the class and explain the science behind it.
Create a poster that illustrates Newton’s First Law of Motion. Use drawings or magazine cutouts to show examples of inertia in everyday life. Include captions that explain how each example relates to the law. Display your artwork in the classroom.
Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
“That’s my purse! Don’t be afraid to shout it. That’s my purse! Try it again. That’s my purse! I don’t know you. When I hit down with the hammer, the apple wants to move up the stick. What is going on here? This is Newton’s first law of motion in action: an object at rest wants to stay at rest, and an object in motion wants to stay in motion unless acted upon by an external force. The apple has more mass than the stick, so the apple wants to stay at rest more than the stick. When I apply a force with this hammer, the apple actually stays pretty much at rest, and the stick moves downward through the apple, which makes the apple climb the stick. Now, if I slam the stick on the ground again, because the apple has more mass than the stick, when the apple is in motion, it wants to stay in motion, so it moves down after impact. We call this inertia; it’s basically a measure of how much an object doesn’t want to change its motion.”
Newton – A unit of force in the metric system, named after Sir Isaac Newton, who explained how objects move. – The force needed to lift a small apple is about one newton.
Law – A statement that describes a consistent natural phenomenon, often based on repeated experiments or observations. – Newton’s first law of motion states that an object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by a force.
Motion – The change in position of an object over time. – The motion of the planets around the sun is an example of gravitational forces at work.
Apple – A fruit that famously helped Isaac Newton develop his theory of gravity when it fell from a tree. – The story goes that an apple falling from a tree inspired Newton to think about gravity.
Stick – A long, thin piece of wood or other material, often used in experiments to demonstrate principles like balance and leverage. – In our science class, we used a stick to show how levers work.
Force – A push or pull on an object that can cause it to change its motion. – When you kick a soccer ball, you apply a force that makes it move.
Inertia – The tendency of an object to resist changes in its state of motion. – Because of inertia, a rolling ball will keep moving until a force stops it.
Experiment – A scientific test conducted to discover or demonstrate something. – We conducted an experiment to see how different surfaces affect the speed of a rolling ball.
Science – The study of the natural world through observation and experiment. – Science helps us understand how things like electricity and magnetism work.
Change – To make or become different, often observed in experiments when conditions are altered. – We observed a change in the water’s temperature when we added heat during the experiment.
