Newton's 1st Law of Motion Labs - Honors
:an object in motion will stay in motion and an object at rest will stay at rest unless acted on by an
unbalanced force.
Inertia: (laziness) objects want to keep doing whatever they are doing
Materials: Toy Dinosaur, Toy Car, 5 Washers, Penny, Index Card, Cup, Textbook, Marble
Car and Driver Lab:


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Put the toy dinosaur on the toy car
Roll the car with the dinosaur on it into the textbook
Make a prediction about what will happen to each object (book, car, dinosaur)
What actually happened to the car?
What actually happened to the dinosaur?
What actually happened to the book?
Draw a Diagram (include labels) of what happened with a short 1 sentence explanation.
In the above lab speculate what might happen if the dinosaur was replaced with a penny and 3 textbooks were used.
(use complete sentences)
Penny, Cup and Index Card Lab:



1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Place the index card over the open part of the cup
Place the penny in the center of the index card
Flick the index card
Make a prediction about what will happen to the penny.
What happened to the card?
What happened to the penny?
Draw a diagram (include labels) of what happened with a short 1 sentence explanation.
In the above lab, hypothesize what would happen if the penny was replaced with a marble. (use complete
sentences)
Wacky Washers Lab:




1.
2.
3.
4.
Stack 4 washers, one on top of the other so that you form a tower of washers
Place the stack of washers on top of your textbook, table or the floor so that you have a smooth, slick surface.
A: Aim one washer at the bottom of the stack of four washers and give it a good hard flick with your finger or
hand
B: Flick a stack of two washers into a stack of four washers
What happened to washers in “A”
What happened to washers in “B”
Draw a diagram (include labels) of what happened with a short 1 sentence explanation
Predict what would happen if the washers were replaced with textbooks. (use complete sentences)
Marble/Cup Lab:



1.
2.
3.
4.
Place a marble underneath the cup on the table
Move the cup in a circular motion so that the marble is spinning around the inside rim of the cup
Pick the cup straight up (with the marble still spinning around the inside rim)
Predict were you think the marble will go if you lift up the cup when the marble is at Point A
Where did the marble actually go?
Draw a diagram (include labels) of what happened with a short 1 sentence explanation
Imagine moving the cup back and forth instead of in a circular motion in the above lab. Describe what might
happen.
A