Science Experiment: Newton's Second Law of Motion

Sir Isaac Newton was an English scientist. He was born in 1642 and died in 1727. This was around the time of the early colonization of North America, during the founding of some of the original 13 colonies, the French and Indiana wars, and the Salem witch trials. He lived just before the American Revolution.

Newton is best known for three very important principles of physics called classical mechanics. These principles describe how things move and are referred to today by his name - Newton's Laws of Motion. There are three of them, Newtons First, Second and Third Law of Motion.

Newton's Second Law of Motion says that acceleration (gaining speed) happens when a force acts on a mass (object). Riding your bicycle is a good example of this law of motion at work. Your bicycle is the mass. Your leg muscles pushing pushing on the pedals of your bicycle is the force. When you push on the pedals, your bicycle accelerates. You are increasing the speed of the bicycle by applying force to the pedals.

Newton's Second Law also says that the greater the mass of the object being accelerated, the greater the amount of force needed to accelerate the object. Say you have two identical bicycles that each have a basket. One bicycle has an empty basket. One bicycle has a basket full of bricks. If you try to ride each bicycle and you push on the pedals with the exact same strength, you will be able to accelerate the bike with the empty basket MORE than the bike with the basket full of bricks. The bricks add mass to the second bicycle. With bricks in the basket, you would have to apply more force to the pedals to make the bicycle with bricks in the basket move.

Experiments to Investigate Newton's Second Law of Motion:

• Perkins School for the Blind: Newton's Second Law of Motion
• Sciencing: Second Law of Motion Experiments
• 4-H: Newton's Speedway: Acceleration, Mass, and Force

Websites, Activities & Printables:

• Scholastic StudyJams: Newton's Second law of Motion
• NASA Classroom Connections: Newton's Second Law of Motion
• NASA: Newton's Second Law of Motion
• Printable: NASA STEMonstrations Newton's Second Law
• Khan Academy: What Is Newton's Second Law?
• IndyPL Kids' Blog: Newton's First Law of Motion
• IndyPL Kids' Blog: Newton's Third Law of Motion

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Books:

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• e-Books and audiobooks about Sir Isaac Newton from Axis 360 Kids
• e-Books and audiobooks about Sir Isaac Newton from Overdrive Kids

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