Motion: Newton's Laws

Move it! This unit explores Newton’s Laws of Motion. Students have fun exploring the concepts of forces and changes in motion, action and reaction, angular momentum, and pendulums. A variety of hands-on investigations and related activities help learners make sense of motion.

Whether designing objects that move or stay put, understanding Newton's Laws of Motion helps engineers of all disciplines quantify the "invisible" forces acting on all objects. For example, engineers take advantage of their understanding of rotational inertia and angular momentum to maximize the thrilling spin experience on amusement park rides. Besides being used in clocks, engineers use pendulums in equipment to detect earthquakes, design buildings to resist shaking due to earthquakes, and help robots balance.