Newton's Laws of Motion worksheet featuring a classic illustration of Isaac Newton under an apple tree.
A cartoon illustration of Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree, reading a book, with apples falling around him, accompanying a worksheet on Newton's Laws of Motion.
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Step-by-step solution for: Newtons Laws of Motion worksheet
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Newtons Laws of Motion worksheet
Let’s go through each scenario one by one and match it to Newton’s 1st, 2nd, or 3rd law of motion.
We’ll use this quick reminder:
- Newton’s 1st Law (Inertia): Objects stay at rest or keep moving unless a force acts on them.
- Newton’s 2nd Law (F = ma): Force equals mass times acceleration. More force → more acceleration. More mass → less acceleration for same force.
- Newton’s 3rd Law (Action-Reaction): For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.
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Now let’s analyze each bullet point:
1. A coin put on top of a paper on the table will stay in place when the paper is pulled.
→ The coin stays still because of inertia — it resists change in motion. That’s 1st law.
2. A farmer could not move his cart full of vegetables with only one horse, so he added another horse in order to move the cart.
→ Adding more horses means more force → moves the cart. This shows force affects motion → 2nd law.
3. A truck with less mass will have a bigger acceleration than a truck with more mass.
→ Same force? Less mass → more acceleration. Classic F=ma → 2nd law.
4. Daddy hit the golf ball with more force than little Johnny. Daddy’s ball went the farthest.
→ More force → more acceleration/distance → 2nd law.
5. When a basketball player shoots a jump shot, the ball follows an arcing path because of gravity and friction.
→ Gravity and friction are forces changing the ball’s motion — but this is about external forces altering motion from straight line → actually, this is 1st law (object in motion changes due to outside forces). Wait — some might argue 2nd law since forces cause acceleration. But the key idea here is that without those forces, it would go straight — so it’s illustrating how forces change motion → 1st law is best fit (inertia overcome by forces).
Actually, let’s reconsider: The arc is caused by gravity pulling down — which is a force causing acceleration downward → that’s 2nd law. Hmm. But many textbooks classify “path changed by gravity/friction” under 1st law as example of unbalanced forces changing motion. Let me check standard examples.
Standard teaching: If object changes direction/speed due to force → that’s 1st law showing need for force to change motion. So I’ll stick with 1st law.
Wait — better approach: Think what the question is testing.
Actually, let’s look at #6 next.
6. The harder you pedal your bicycle, the faster your bicycle will go.
→ More force → more speed/acceleration → 2nd law.
7. A book resting on the table exerts a downward force on the table while the table exerts an upward force on the book.
→ Action-reaction pair → 3rd law.
8. The large snowball was much harder to move than the smaller one.
→ More mass → harder to accelerate → 2nd law.
9. A ball that rolls on a flat surface will continue to roll until friction brings the ball to a stop.
→ Keeps rolling until force (friction) stops it → 1st law.
10. If you push a small table and a big table with the same amount of force, the small table will move faster.
→ Same force, different masses → different accelerations → 2nd law.
11. When a car slams on brakes the passengers body is thrown forward until stopped by the seat belt.
→ Body keeps moving forward due to inertia → 1st law.
12. Walker hits the ball with more force than Max, so Walker’s ball went farther into the outfield.
→ More force → more distance/acceleration → 2nd law.
13. It takes a track runner several yards after the finish line to come to a stop.
→ Runner keeps moving due to inertia → needs force to stop → 1st law.
14. When an air-filled balloon is set free, the air inside it rushes out and the balloon moves forward.
→ Air pushes back on balloon → balloon moves forward → action-reaction → 3rd law.
15. When walking on a sandy beach, while we exert force forward with each step, we push the sand backward.
→ You push sand back, sand pushes you forward → action-reaction → 3rd law.
16. The bowling pins fell down when they were hit by the bowling ball.
→ Ball applies force → pins move → this is about force causing motion → 2nd law? Or is it 3rd? Actually, the pin falling is result of force applied — so 2nd law. But wait — also involves action-reaction? No, the main point is force causes acceleration/motion → 2nd law.
But let’s think: When ball hits pin, pin exerts equal force back on ball — but the scenario says “pins fell down when hit” — focusing on effect of force on pins → 2nd law.
However, some might say it’s 3rd law because interaction between ball and pin. But the description emphasizes the *result* (pins fall), not the mutual forces. So I think 2nd law is correct.
Wait — actually, no. Let’s compare to #7: Book on table — explicitly mentions both forces → clearly 3rd. Here, it doesn’t mention reaction — just that pins fall when hit → so it’s showing force causes motion → 2nd law.
17. A rider on a running horse is thrown forward when the horse stops suddenly.
→ Rider continues moving forward due to inertia → 1st law.
18. The boy had to apply extra force to move the big bag.
→ Big bag has more mass → needs more force to accelerate → 2nd law.
19. A 50 pound rock is much harder to move than a 5 pound rock.
→ More mass → harder to accelerate → 2nd law.
20. The biker was moving at 25 miles per hour until he hit a rock that threw him over the handlebars.
→ Biker kept moving until force (rock) acted → 1st law.
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Now let’s list all answers in order:
1. Coin on paper → 1
2. Farmer adds horse → 2
3. Truck mass vs acceleration → 2
4. Daddy vs Johnny golf → 2
5. Basketball arc → 1 (forces change motion)
6. Pedal harder → 2
7. Book on table → 3
8. Snowball size → 2
9. Ball rolls until friction → 1
10. Small vs big table → 2
11. Car brakes → passenger thrown → 1
12. Walker vs Max → 2
13. Runner after finish → 1
14. Balloon releases air → 3
15. Walking on sand → 3
16. Bowling pins fall → 2
17. Rider thrown forward → 1
18. Boy moves big bag → 2
19. 50lb vs 5lb rock → 2
20. Biker hits rock → 1
Double-checking tricky ones:
#5: Basketball arc — gravity and friction act → change motion → 1st law says object changes motion only if force acts → yes, 1st law.
#16: Bowling pins — force from ball causes them to move → 2nd law (F=ma). Not 3rd because not emphasizing reaction force.
All others seem solid.
Final Answer:
1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3, 3, 2, 1, 2, 2, 1
We’ll use this quick reminder:
- Newton’s 1st Law (Inertia): Objects stay at rest or keep moving unless a force acts on them.
- Newton’s 2nd Law (F = ma): Force equals mass times acceleration. More force → more acceleration. More mass → less acceleration for same force.
- Newton’s 3rd Law (Action-Reaction): For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.
---
Now let’s analyze each bullet point:
1. A coin put on top of a paper on the table will stay in place when the paper is pulled.
→ The coin stays still because of inertia — it resists change in motion. That’s 1st law.
2. A farmer could not move his cart full of vegetables with only one horse, so he added another horse in order to move the cart.
→ Adding more horses means more force → moves the cart. This shows force affects motion → 2nd law.
3. A truck with less mass will have a bigger acceleration than a truck with more mass.
→ Same force? Less mass → more acceleration. Classic F=ma → 2nd law.
4. Daddy hit the golf ball with more force than little Johnny. Daddy’s ball went the farthest.
→ More force → more acceleration/distance → 2nd law.
5. When a basketball player shoots a jump shot, the ball follows an arcing path because of gravity and friction.
→ Gravity and friction are forces changing the ball’s motion — but this is about external forces altering motion from straight line → actually, this is 1st law (object in motion changes due to outside forces). Wait — some might argue 2nd law since forces cause acceleration. But the key idea here is that without those forces, it would go straight — so it’s illustrating how forces change motion → 1st law is best fit (inertia overcome by forces).
Actually, let’s reconsider: The arc is caused by gravity pulling down — which is a force causing acceleration downward → that’s 2nd law. Hmm. But many textbooks classify “path changed by gravity/friction” under 1st law as example of unbalanced forces changing motion. Let me check standard examples.
Standard teaching: If object changes direction/speed due to force → that’s 1st law showing need for force to change motion. So I’ll stick with 1st law.
Wait — better approach: Think what the question is testing.
Actually, let’s look at #6 next.
6. The harder you pedal your bicycle, the faster your bicycle will go.
→ More force → more speed/acceleration → 2nd law.
7. A book resting on the table exerts a downward force on the table while the table exerts an upward force on the book.
→ Action-reaction pair → 3rd law.
8. The large snowball was much harder to move than the smaller one.
→ More mass → harder to accelerate → 2nd law.
9. A ball that rolls on a flat surface will continue to roll until friction brings the ball to a stop.
→ Keeps rolling until force (friction) stops it → 1st law.
10. If you push a small table and a big table with the same amount of force, the small table will move faster.
→ Same force, different masses → different accelerations → 2nd law.
11. When a car slams on brakes the passengers body is thrown forward until stopped by the seat belt.
→ Body keeps moving forward due to inertia → 1st law.
12. Walker hits the ball with more force than Max, so Walker’s ball went farther into the outfield.
→ More force → more distance/acceleration → 2nd law.
13. It takes a track runner several yards after the finish line to come to a stop.
→ Runner keeps moving due to inertia → needs force to stop → 1st law.
14. When an air-filled balloon is set free, the air inside it rushes out and the balloon moves forward.
→ Air pushes back on balloon → balloon moves forward → action-reaction → 3rd law.
15. When walking on a sandy beach, while we exert force forward with each step, we push the sand backward.
→ You push sand back, sand pushes you forward → action-reaction → 3rd law.
16. The bowling pins fell down when they were hit by the bowling ball.
→ Ball applies force → pins move → this is about force causing motion → 2nd law? Or is it 3rd? Actually, the pin falling is result of force applied — so 2nd law. But wait — also involves action-reaction? No, the main point is force causes acceleration/motion → 2nd law.
But let’s think: When ball hits pin, pin exerts equal force back on ball — but the scenario says “pins fell down when hit” — focusing on effect of force on pins → 2nd law.
However, some might say it’s 3rd law because interaction between ball and pin. But the description emphasizes the *result* (pins fall), not the mutual forces. So I think 2nd law is correct.
Wait — actually, no. Let’s compare to #7: Book on table — explicitly mentions both forces → clearly 3rd. Here, it doesn’t mention reaction — just that pins fall when hit → so it’s showing force causes motion → 2nd law.
17. A rider on a running horse is thrown forward when the horse stops suddenly.
→ Rider continues moving forward due to inertia → 1st law.
18. The boy had to apply extra force to move the big bag.
→ Big bag has more mass → needs more force to accelerate → 2nd law.
19. A 50 pound rock is much harder to move than a 5 pound rock.
→ More mass → harder to accelerate → 2nd law.
20. The biker was moving at 25 miles per hour until he hit a rock that threw him over the handlebars.
→ Biker kept moving until force (rock) acted → 1st law.
---
Now let’s list all answers in order:
1. Coin on paper → 1
2. Farmer adds horse → 2
3. Truck mass vs acceleration → 2
4. Daddy vs Johnny golf → 2
5. Basketball arc → 1 (forces change motion)
6. Pedal harder → 2
7. Book on table → 3
8. Snowball size → 2
9. Ball rolls until friction → 1
10. Small vs big table → 2
11. Car brakes → passenger thrown → 1
12. Walker vs Max → 2
13. Runner after finish → 1
14. Balloon releases air → 3
15. Walking on sand → 3
16. Bowling pins fall → 2
17. Rider thrown forward → 1
18. Boy moves big bag → 2
19. 50lb vs 5lb rock → 2
20. Biker hits rock → 1
Double-checking tricky ones:
#5: Basketball arc — gravity and friction act → change motion → 1st law says object changes motion only if force acts → yes, 1st law.
#16: Bowling pins — force from ball causes them to move → 2nd law (F=ma). Not 3rd because not emphasizing reaction force.
All others seem solid.
Final Answer:
1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3, 3, 2, 1, 2, 2, 1
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of newton laws worksheet high school.
