First Law of Motion: Objects in motion tend to stay in motion unless acted upon by an external force. Force is a push or a pull, like pulling a wagon or pushing a car. Gravity is a force that attracts things to one another. Gravity accelerates all things equally. Which means all things speed up the same amount as they fall.
Materials: ball
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What happens when you kick a soccer ball? The ‘kick’ is your external force. The ball will continue in a straight line as long as it can, until air drag, rolling resistance, and gravity cause it to stop.
Find out more about this key principle in Unit 1 and Unit 2.
Download Student Worksheet & Exercises
Exercises
- What is inertia?
- What is Newton’s First Law?
- Will a lighter or heavier race car with the same engine win a short-distance race (like the quarter-mile)?
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