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This lesson introduces Newton’s First and Second Laws of Motion through hands-on experimentation with a 3D-printed model, allowing students to explore inertia, acceleration, and friction. Students will roll metal balls or marbles down an inclined plane, then observe the motion on a smooth flat plane and a high-friction plane. Through these activities, students experience how different surfaces impact motion, making abstract laws more concrete.
3D-printed model with an inclined plane, smooth flat plane, and high-friction flat plane
Metal balls or marbles
Stopwatch and ruler for measurement if you want to quantify it
Briefly discuss: "What causes objects to start moving or stop moving?" Introduce Newton’s First Law (Inertia) and Second Law (F=ma). Explain that today’s experiment will show how surfaces and friction affect motion.
Introduce Newton’s First Law (Inertia) and Second Law (F=ma).
Explain that today’s experiment will show how surfaces and friction affect motion.
Demonstrate the 3D-printed setup with its three sections.
Inclined Plane: The sphere rolls down and accelerates, illustrating Newton’s Second Law.
Smooth Flat Plane: The sphere continues to roll, showing inertia.
High Friction Plane: The sphere gradually slows and stops, demonstrating the effect of friction.
Divide students into groups. Each group rolls a metal ball down the inclined plane, observing its speed on each surface.
Using a stopwatch, students time how long the sphere moves on each section and measure the distance it covers.
Review each group’s findings.
Discuss how friction impacts the sphere’s motion on different surfaces and how this relates to Newton’s Laws.
Conclude with a summary of how Newton’s Laws help us predict the behavior of moving objects.
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