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

cause
mechanism
effect

Answer 1

Newton’s First Law
- Word: Inertia
- Phrase: An object stays at rest or in uniform motion unless a net force acts on it.
- Sentence: If no unbalanced force acts on an object, it will keep its current motion (stay still or keep moving at the same speed and direction).

Newton’s Second Law
- Word: F = ma (Force / Acceleration)
- Phrase: Acceleration is proportional to net force and inversely proportional to mass.
- Sentence: The acceleration of an object equals the net force on it divided by its mass (a = F/m): more net force or less mass → more acceleration.

Newton’s Third Law
- Word: Action–reaction
- Phrase: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
- Sentence: When object A exerts a force on object B, B exerts an equal-magnitude force on A in the opposite direction.

Make a connection (example)
- The context (setting) of the activity or experience:
Riding in a car when the driver brakes suddenly.
- Cause:
The driver applies the brakes, producing a large backward net force on the car.
- Mechanism:
- First law: the passenger’s body tends to keep moving forward (inertia).
- Second law: the seatbelt and friction provide a backward net force on the passenger; that force produces a deceleration a = F/m (larger force or smaller passenger mass → faster deceleration).
- Third law: the seatbelt pulls the passenger backward while the passenger pulls forward on the belt with equal and opposite force; similarly, the seat pushes on the passenger and the passenger pushes back on the seat.
- Effect:
The passenger lurches forward briefly, then is slowed and stopped by the seatbelt/seat; without sufficient restraining force the passenger would continue moving forward and could be injured.

(Quick note on the swing-carousel images: First law — riders tend to move straight but are kept in circular motion by chain tension; Second law — the chain tension provides the centripetal force needed for the acceleration v^2/r = F/m; Third law — the chains pull on the rider and the rider pulls back on the chains with equal and opposite forces.)