IDENTIFICATION
INSTRUCTOR: Rick Clovis & David Adams
UNIT TOPIC: Science & Technology
LESSON TITLE: Red Neck Laws of Motion
CLASS:
DATE BEST TAUGHT
OBJECTIVES
1. Demonstrate Laws of Motion using hydro rockets and other visual aids
TEACHING MATERIALS AND RESOURCES
2 liter pop bottles or water bottles, fin construction material, duck tape, rocket launcher, plastic bags, pea
gravel, heavy scissors, small scales, 5 gal. bucket, basket ball, tennis ball, aluminum cans, water,
air compressor, large measuring cup marked in ounces, funnel, large & small nail, 4 ft. of string,
laws of motion pre-post test, payload rocket
TEACHING PROCEDURE
Preparation
Key Points
Copies of the Laws of Motion, Regular & Red Neck
Encourage the students to learn the laws of motion before program if
possible
Locate a suitable safe space to build & launch rockets
Make sure water and electricity for air compressor is available
Methods
Presentation
Key Points
Laws of MotionLaw 1- An object not moving will not move unless
something (a force) moves it. An object in motion will
keep moving unless something (a force) stops it.
Demonstrate by dropping a basketball from shoulder
level and discuss what starts it to fall
(gravity) and what
stops its movement (earth). Ask who has heard of Sir Isaac
Newton and discuss his laws and the initial thought process
that started him thinking about motion. Discuss what
would have happened if the basketball had been in the
weightlessness of outer space.
Hydro Rocket Demonstration for Law1- Launch a rocket at
a 45 degree angle with 32 oz. of water and 70 psi. Discuss
why it does not leave until the mechanism is released
(balanced force). After the launch discuss why the rocket’s
trajectory was shaped in an arc. (as the rocket slowed down
it had less force to resist gravity and fell back towards the
gravitational force)
Law 2- The acceleration of an object is directly related to
the force exerted on that object and oppositely related to
the mass of that object.
Methods and Media
Demonstrate by dropping a tennis ball and basketball
from shoulder height and discuss why they bounced about
the same ht. Then drop the tennis ball with the basketball
on top of it, discuss what happened and why. Now reverse
the balls and drop the basketball with the tennis ball on top.
Discuss why the reaction was so different from when the
basketball was on top.
Hydro Rocket Demonstration- Launch 2 rockets, one
with 32 ounces of water and one without water, both at the
same pressure. Discuss why one goes farther than the
other.
Law 3- For Every action there is always an equal and
opposite reaction.
Demonstrate with pop cans. Use a nail to make 3 holes in
the side of a pop can near the bottom, Force the nail into
the can then push the nail to the right while it is in the can.
Do this to 2 cans, in one can use a small finish nail, in the
other can use a large nail. Use 2-18 inch strings. Tie one
string to each cans pop tab. Holding the end of one string
in each hand, lower the cans into a 5 gal. bucket of water.
Once the cans have filled with water, raise them above the
surface of the water simultaneously. The cans should start
spinning as the water runs out. Discuss why they spin at
different speeds and for different lengths of times.
Hydro Rocket Demonstration- Launch 2 rockets, one full
of water, the other with 32 oz. of water, use 70 lbs. psi on
both. Ask the youth to predict which will fly the best. They
have already seen a rocket fly with 32 oz. of water, so bait
them into predicting that the rocket full of water will fly
the farthest, since it has more weight to push the rocket.
Discuss why one flies so well and the other the other so
poorly.
Application
Key Points
Launch a payload rocket, have the students predict what will happen
as they try to deliver the payload to a target based on what
they have learned and how the previous rockets have
performed.
Methods and Media
Assessment & Evaluation
Key Points
Lesson Closure: Wrap up with discussion on Laws of Motion
Methods and Media
Give pre-post test
Measure(s)
REFERENCES & SOURCES (include at least two)