Here is the completed
Newton's 3 Laws Identification Worksheet, with each scenario identified and explained:
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1. Sally rolls two balls, a heavy bowling ball and a light tennis ball. She notices that it is much easier to roll the tennis ball.
Newton’s Second Law
This demonstrates Newton’s Second Law (F = ma), which states that acceleration is inversely proportional to mass when force is constant. The tennis ball has less mass, so it accelerates more easily than the heavier bowling ball for the same applied force.
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2. A car slides out of control on ice.
Newton’s First Law
This illustrates Newton’s First Law (law of inertia): an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an external force. On ice, friction is minimal, so the car continues moving in its original direction due to inertia.
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3. John notices that if he gives a box a harder push, it moves faster across the ground.
Newton’s Second Law
This shows Newton’s Second Law: the greater the force applied, the greater the acceleration (assuming constant mass). A harder push increases the net force, causing the box to accelerate more quickly.
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4. Ashely notices that when she is paddling her kayak, she needs to push the water backwards to make her kayak go forwards which confuses her.
Newton’s Third Law
This is Newton’s Third Law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When Ashely pushes the water backward, the water pushes her kayak forward with an equal force.
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5. A 35,000-pound truck needs a larger engine than a 2,000-pound car.
Newton’s Second Law
This reflects Newton’s Second Law—greater mass requires more force to achieve the same acceleration. The truck has much more mass, so it needs a more powerful engine (more force) to move effectively.
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6. When Jasmine kicks a soccer ball, she notices that it travels along the ground but then stops.
Newton’s First Law
The ball initially moves due to the kick, but eventually stops because of opposing forces like friction and air resistance. This shows that objects in motion tend to stay in motion unless acted upon by unbalanced forces (friction).
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7. Dwayne throws a ball down toward the ground. After it hits the ground, it bounces back up to him.
Newton’s Third Law
When the ball hits the ground, it exerts a downward force; the ground exerts an equal and opposite upward force, causing the ball to bounce back. This is a classic example of action-reaction pairs.
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8. To make a rocket go into the air, NASA engineers point it directly upwards prior to launch.
Newton’s Third Law
The rocket expels gas downward at high speed, and the reaction force pushes the rocket upward. This is Newton’s Third Law in action—thrust is generated by the expulsion of exhaust gases.
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9. Trisha notices that when playing tennis, the harder she swings her racquet, the faster the ball travels.
Newton’s Second Law
A harder swing applies a greater force to the ball, resulting in greater acceleration (and thus higher speed). This aligns with F = ma—increased force leads to increased acceleration.
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10. Kyle is driving a car that suddenly collides with the car in front. As the cars collided, Kyle kept moving forward but his seat belt kept him safe. It is lucky that Kyle was wearing his seat belt!
Newton’s First Law
Kyle’s body continued moving forward due to inertia when the car stopped suddenly. The seat belt provided a force to stop him, preventing injury. This illustrates how objects resist changes in motion unless acted upon by a force.
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✔ Summary of Newton’s Laws Used:
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First Law (Inertia): #2, #6, #10
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Second Law (F = ma): #1, #3, #5, #9
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Third Law (Action-Reaction): #4, #7, #8
Each situation connects clearly to one of Newton’s three laws of motion, demonstrating real-world applications.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of newton laws of motion worksheet middle school.
