The Laws of Motion
Grade Level:
7th Grade Physical Science
Web
Designers:
Shannon Abraham and Steve Crump
Tennessee
Education Standard for Physical Science:
It is the expectation that students will experience the content of Physical Science through inquiry learning. Using available technology, students will investigate forces and motion. Physical Science will provide the knowledge, prerequisite skills, and habits of mind needed for problem solving and ethical decision making about matters of scientific and technological concern, as well as, provide a basic foundation for advanced studies in chemistry and physics and personal career choices.
Standard
Number:
1.0 Force and MotionStandard:
The student will explore the concepts of
force and motion.Learning
Expectations:The student will:
1.1 Investigate the relationship between speed, velocity, and acceleration.
1.2 Analyze and apply Newton’s three laws of motion.
Software
Needed:Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Duration
of Learning Web:
2 Class PeriodsScaffolding
Activities:Students will complete scaffolding activities designed to provided competency in the use of the computer applications prior to starting this learning web. For examples of these programs click on links below.
Statement
of the Problem:
Understanding the motion of objects was a major problem for people before the time of Sir Issac Newton. People knew that objects moved but no one had yet determined nature's rules for how this happened. Who was Sir Issac Newton, when did he do his historic work in physical science, and what laws of motion did he discover? How can we use his laws to describe the motion of an object?
Directions
to Solve the Problem:1. Using the websites listed below gather facts about Sir Issac Newton and write a short biography of the man in Microsoft Word. The biography should be between one-half and one page in length. Include the following information: when was he born, when did he die, where did he live, where did he go to school, what did he study, and what were his laws of motion? Describe each of the three laws.
2. Go to the link shown here to find data, Problem, describing the motion of a car. Use Microsoft Excel's graphing capabilities to create a graph that shows the relationship between the car's position and the time elapsed. Review the data at this web page, The Physics Classroom, to understand how to determine whether the car is accelerating or traveling at a constant velocity.
Links: