The Newton Olympics – 4 Days
Goal: To summarize Newton’s Laws of Motion
Materials: scratch papers, tape, metric tape
measure/any measuring material, basket/clean garbage bin/plastic cups, any small object,
thread/string/yarn, marble/any rolling object, trolley/luggage bag
Procedure: You will move from station to station. You will have 10 minutes at each
station and you have 4 days to complete the lab. Answer each question before moving on
to the next station. Document as you play and attach at least two photos in the answer
sheet.
STATION 1 – Shooting Hoops
Get a basket/clean garbage bin/plastic cups or if you don’t have any of these,
make a paper basket just like what you are doing when you are in preschool.
Move away at least 2m from your improvised basket then grab a paper, crumple it
then shoot! Count how many papers you were to shoot within 10 minutes.
No slam dunking allowed! After the game, answer the following questions:
1. How many papers were you able to shoot? Write down the formula for
Newton’s 2nd Law: _____________________
2. How was it applied in your game?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
3. Every time you shoot the basketball, what does the basketball become?
(Hint: this science term is defined as “an object that is launched into the
air continues in motion by its own inertia until a force acts on it.”)
____________________________________________________________
Paste photo here Paste photo here
STATION 2 – Standing Long Jump
Place a piece of tape on the floor to act as the starting line.
Stand behind the line; make your best long jump. Measure the distance using the
tape measure or any measuring material you have.
You jump twice and count the better of the 2 jumps as your score.
Answer the questions when everyone has completed their jumps:
1. What law of motion allowed you to move through the air? -
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. What is the name of the tendency for your body “to stay in motion”
through the air?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
3. What force brought you back down?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
4. How would getting a running start improve your distance?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Paste photo here Paste photo here
STATION 3 – Spin Me Around!
Grab any small object and a thread/string/yarn. Make sure the object and string
are securely tied.
Pick up the end of the string and swing the object in a circle around your head.
(Be careful not to hit anything or ANYONE!)
Carefully observe what happens as you let go of the string. Answer the following
questions:
1. What happened when you let go of the string? Explain in terms of the laws
of motion.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. An object whirling in an orbit is kept in a circle by a force. What Olympic
event is based upon this force?
____________________________________________________________
3. What is providing the force that allows it to remain moving in a circle?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
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STATION 4 – Take Aim!
Place 1 cup on its side on the floor.
Sit on the floor about 2 meters away from the cup.
Place the marble/any rolling object under the 2nd cup on the floor.
Practice spinning the marble/any rolling object and releasing it so that it travels
into the cup lying on its side. Answer the following questions:
1. What specific Law of Motion is being demonstrated?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. Define the law.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
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STATION 5 – The Sling Shots
Get a rubber band and use it as a sling shot.
Get the cups/crumpled papers that you used in the previous stations. Place it on
the table at least a meter away from you.
Aim the cups/crumpled papers can and try to knock it over. Answer the
following questions:
1. What law of motion applies to the sling shot? Explain. -
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. What law of motion applies to your target? Explain.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
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STATION 6 – The Home Tour
Get any trolley/luggage bag that you have at home. Put something inside it to add
some weight on the luggage.
Pull it around the house, answer the following questions:
1) What specific Law/s of Motion is being demonstrated?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
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_________________________________________________________
2) What is the Action and the Reaction in the activity?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
3) Explain what would happen if there were no frictional forces at all in
this activity.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
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