Newton's Laws Investigation (6th - 8th)

When forces act on objects, they can change an object’s motion by causing it to start moving, stop moving, speed up, slow down, or change direction. The relationship between force and motion is explained by Newton’s Laws of Motion. In this investigation, you will examine how balanced and unbalanced forces affect motion, observe how mass and force influence acceleration, and use evidence from investigations to explain how Newton’s Laws describe the movement of objects.

Texas TEKS (New Standards):

·      6.7C – Demonstrate and explain Newton’s Third Law of Motion

·      7.7D – Investigate and explain Newton’s First Law of Motion

·      8.7A – Calculate and analyze how force and mass affect acceleration according to Newton’s Second Law of Motion

·      8.7B – Investigate and describe the relationships among all three of Newton’s Laws of Motion

NGSS (Middle School Physical Science):

·      MS-PS2-1 – Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution involving the motion of two interacting objects

·      MS-PS2-2 – Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that changes in an object’s motion depend on the forces acting on it and the mass of the object

·      MS-PS2-4 – Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects

·      PS2.A – Forces and Motion

Teacher Key in Included