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Newton's Laws – Laboratory
Purpose: This laboratory will demonstrate
Newton’s Laws of Motion. Materials:
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Clay |
Ruler |
Baseball |
Tennis Ball |
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Pool Ball |
Ping Pong Ball |
Balance |
Tape |
Procedure:
- Go to a location in the room next to a wall.
- Place a piece of tape 1 meter above the floor. (This will be the
point you release the balls from during the laboratory).
- Take the mass of each of the balls using a balance and place
these masses in the observation table provided.
- Roll up the clay into a ball and place the ball of clay on the
floor under the piece of tape. Place a piece of tape to mark the top
of the clay. The set-up should be similar to the diagram below:
- Drop each of the balls from the 1–meter mark
so that they land on the clay. Using the taped mark just above the
clay, measure how much each ball dents the clay. Place that amount
in the observation table provided.
- During this laboratory, think about how you are
observing Newton’s Three Laws of Motion.
Observation Table:
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Type of Ball |
Mass of Ball (gm) |
Depth of dent in clay due
to the force of the ball (cm) |
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Ping Pong Ball |
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Tennis Ball |
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Baseball |
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Pool Ball |
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Conclusion Questions:
- Describe one way you observed Newton’s First Law of Motion during
this laboratory.
- Newton’s Second Law of Motion explains the relationship between
mass, force and acceleration. In this experiment acceleration due to
gravity was the same for each ball. What was the relationship
between FORCE and MASS when acceleration was held constant?
- Describe one way you observed Newton’s Third Law of Motion during
this laboratory.
Thinking Ahead:
Think about the amusement park ride that is often called “Bumper
Cars”. How do you experience each of Newton’s Three Laws of Motion
during this ride? |
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