Which examples demonstrate Newton’s first law of motion in action? (select all correct answers)

Question

Question 10 options:

A baseball sitting on a baseball tee without moving.

A ping pong ball has less mass than a baseball, so a player needs to use less force when playing ping pong.

A thrown football is stopped when caught by a wide receiver.

A soccer ball resting on the ground moves when kicked

Answer 1

Newton’s first law of motion states that an object at rest will stay at rest and an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by a net external force. Based on this principle, the correct examples that demonstrate Newton's first law of motion are:

1. A baseball sitting on a baseball tee without moving. - This illustrates an object at rest remaining at rest, showing that no net external force is acting on it.

2. A thrown football is stopped when caught by a wide receiver. - Here, the football in motion is brought to rest by the force of the receiver’s hands, demonstrating the effect of an external force on an object in motion.

3. A soccer ball resting on the ground moves when kicked. - This example shows an object at rest moving due to the external force (the kick) applied to it.

The option about the ping pong ball and baseball does not directly illustrate Newton's first law and is more related to the concept of force and mass rather than an object remaining at rest or in motion.

Therefore, the correct answers are:

• A baseball sitting on a baseball tee without moving.
• A thrown football is stopped when caught by a wide receiver.
• A soccer ball resting on the ground moves when kicked.