Question

Write a hypothesis for Part I of the lab, which is about the effect on an object being carried by a car, when the car experiences a sudden impact. Use the format of "if . . . then . . . because . . .” and be sure to answer the lesson question "How can Newton's laws be experimentally verified?” specific to Newton’s first law.

Answer 1

If an object is being carried by a car and the car experiences a sudden impact, then the object will continue to move forward due to its inertia, because Newton's first law states that an object at rest or in motion will stay in a state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force. This hypothesis can experimentally verify Newton's first law by observing whether the object maintains its forward motion or comes to a stop when the car experiences the impact.