Question

List the three laws of Newton in your words. Give an example of each.

Answer 1

1. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

2. Force = mass times acceleration

3. An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted on by another force.

3. One example is a rock rolling down a hill. You could use a stick or your foot to stop it, but otherwise it would keep rolling

2. An example for law No.2 is pushing a shopping cart. If you push an empty shopping cart, it will go faster than a full shopping cart because the full shopping cart has more mass.

1. One example is a cup on a table. The cup exerts a force down on the table due to gravity, the table exerts an equal and opposite force on the cup to stop it falling through the table

Answer 2

1. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

 For Newton's first law, common examples might include straining against the seat belt in a car after a hard brake, flying over the handlebars on a bike after hitting a curb or rock, and the blood rushing from your head to your feet when riding in a descending elevator which suddenly stops.

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2. Force = mass x acceleration

  For Newton's Second Law, common examples might include stepping on the gas to increase the force used to move a car forward, and using more force to throw a fast pitch compared to a slow pitch.

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3. An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted on by another force.

  For Newton's Third Law, common examples might include the propulsion of a fish through water or a bird through the air, a tug-of-war game, and the launch of a space shuttle into space using rockets.