Newton's Laws of Motion
Explain everyday phenomena that we see in the world around us.
Engineers use Newton's laws to navigate space travel, simulate vehicle collisions to improve safety measures and design simple devices like scissors!
A body at rest will stay at rest, and a body in motion will stay in motion, until acted upon by an outside force.
Force is equal to mass times acceleration. For an object with a constant mass (m), this law states that the force (F) is the product of an object’s mass and its acceleration (a): F = ma
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This law is also known as the law of action and reaction.
Engineers apply Newton’s laws of motion in a wide range of designs involving stationary and moving objects, including structures such as bridges, vehicles such as rockets and aircrafts, and other commonly-used objects like seat belts, door knobs and medicine delivery systems.
Engineers must fully understand the workings of the natural physical laws so they can design objects that perform as expected and are safe to use.
Newton's Laws of Motion Curricula
Check out the curricula below to give students a push into making sense of everyday phenomena associated with Newton’s laws of motion!
LessonNewton Gets Me MovingStudents explore motion, rockets and rocket motion while assisting Spacewoman Tess, Spaceman Rohan and Maya in their explorations. First they learn…
ActivityVideoNewton Rocket CarThrough the use of small wooden cars, this activity demonstrates Newton's third law of motion—which states that every action has an equal and…
ActivityVideoRocket PowerBy making and testing simple balloon rockets, students acquire a basic understanding of Newton's third law of motion as it applies to rockets. Using…
LessonVideoUsing Thrust, Weight & Control: Rocket Me into SpaceOne exciting challenge for engineers is the idea of exploration. Through the continuing storyline of the Rockets unit, this lesson looks more closely…
ActivityVideoPop RocketsStudents design and build paper rockets around film canisters, which serve as engines. An antacid tablet and water are put into each canister…
LessonBlast Off: Generating Rocket Thrust with PropellantsRockets need a lot of thrust to get into space. Students learn how rocket thrust is generated with propellant. The two types of propellants are…
