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 a car carrying an unsecured object experiences a sudden impact (rapid deceleration), then the object will continue moving forward relative to the car (sliding or projecting off the surface) rather than instantly stopping with the car, because the object’s inertia causes it to remain in its original state of motion until a net external force (friction, collision with another surface) acts on it (Newton’s first law).

How this verifies Newton’s first law: by measuring the object’s motion before and after the impact (e.g., with a high-speed camera or motion sensor) you can show that the object maintains its velocity immediately after the car’s sudden deceleration and only changes speed when external forces (friction or contact with another surface) act. Repeating trials with different friction levels or with the object secured vs. unsecured will demonstrate that it is the presence or absence of net external forces—not any mysterious tendency of the object to “follow” the car—that determines whether the object changes motion, confirming Newton’s first law experimentally.