Question

Reading Station
Newton’s Laws at a Carnival
Carnivals, county fairs, and amusements parks are filled with fun mini-games and rides for
people to enjoy. Though science might not be people’s first thought, Newton’s Laws of Motion allow
for everyone to experience all the thrills these places have to offer.
Imagine making multiple attempts to win a prize at one of the
mini-games. It can be at the ring toss, any of the variations of the
water race, speed throwing at the basketball hoops, or knocking
down the clowns at a clown rack game. Eventually, they all require
a strategy of aim, speed, and force. For example, the clown is at
rest (not moving) and wants to remain at rest unless acted upon by
an outside force as supported by Newton’s First Law of Motion.
The outside force could be the impact from the ball. However, this unbalanced force needs to be
greater than the clown’s inertia (the state to remain constant either at rest or in motion) for it to cause
a change in the motion of the clown. So, how can you increase the force from the ball? You may think
increasing the speed or acceleration at which the ball is thrown will result in a greater force. This idea
is supported by the relationship amongst force, acceleration, and an object’s mass as described in
Newton’s Second Law of Motion.
Another place to experience Newton’s Laws is with the various rides. Whether on the Ferris
Wheel, the bumper cars, the swing carousel, or pendulum-style rides like the pirate ship, any time you
are sitting on a seat, you are
experiencing Newton’s Third
Law of Motion. This law states
that for every action, there is an
equal and opposite reaction. So,
as your weight (a force) is acting
upon the surface of the seat, the
seat is applying an equal but opposite force back to you, which explains why you can sit still since the
forces are balanced. How else can you use the images of the swing carousel to identify and describe
Newton’s other laws of motion?
Instructions: After you read the passage, fill in the boxes below with a word, a phrase, and a
sentence that represents the meaning for each law of motion.
Newton’s First Law Newton’s Second Law Newton’s Third Law
Word
Phrase
Sentence
Make a connection: Describe another activity, event, or experience that you have had and describe
the cause-and-effect relationship of Newton’s Laws of Motion within that experience.
The context (setting) of the activity or experience

Answer 1

Newton’s First Law
- Word: Inertia
- Phrase: An object stays at rest or continues at constant velocity unless acted on by a net external force.
- Sentence: A ball sitting on a table won’t move until someone pushes it, and a rolling ball keeps moving at the same speed until friction or a collision slows it.

Newton’s Second Law
- Word: F = ma (Force = mass × acceleration)
- Phrase: An object’s acceleration depends on the net force applied and its mass.
- Sentence: If you throw a light ball and a heavy ball with the same force, the lighter ball accelerates more and travels faster because acceleration = force ÷ mass.

Newton’s Third Law
- Word: Action–reaction
- Phrase: For every action force there is an equal and opposite reaction force.
- Sentence: When you sit on a swing seat your weight pushes down on the seat and the seat pushes up on you with equal magnitude, so you stay seated.

Using the swing-carousel images to illustrate the laws (brief)
- First law: A rider would move in a straight line tangent to the circle if the chains didn’t pull them inward; the chains provide the external force that keeps circular motion.
- Second law: The inward (centripetal) acceleration needed to keep a rider moving in a circle depends on the net inward force from the chains and the rider’s mass (a = Fnet/m).
- Third law: The chains pull the seat inward; the seat pulls the chains outward with equal and opposite force.

Make a connection
- Context (setting): Jumping on a backyard trampoline with friends.
- Cause-and-effect description:
- First law: You remain at rest on the trampoline until you push off with your legs (an external force) to start moving upward.
- Second law: The stronger the downward push you make on the trampoline relative to your mass, the greater your upward acceleration and the higher you jump (F = ma).
- Third law: When you push the trampoline mat downward, the mat pushes you upward with an equal and opposite force, launching you into the air; air resistance and gravity then act to slow and return you to the mat.