Newtons 3 Laws - Identification Worksheet | Science 10th Grade - Free Printable

Here is the solution to the Newton’s 3 Laws Identification Worksheet, with each scenario matched to the correct Newton’s Law and explained clearly.

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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 (F = ma)
*Explanation:* The tennis ball has less mass than the bowling ball. According to F = ma, for the same applied force, an object with less mass will accelerate more easily — making it “easier to roll.” This shows how mass affects acceleration under force.

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2. A car slides out of control on ice.

✔ Newton’s First Law (Law of Inertia)
*Explanation:* On ice, friction is very low. Once moving, the car tends to keep moving in a straight line at constant speed unless acted upon by an external force (like friction or steering). The lack of friction means no force is there to change its motion — so it slides out of control.

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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 (F = ma)
*Explanation:* A harder push means more force (F). Since mass (m) is constant, increasing force results in greater acceleration (a), which means the box speeds up faster — directly illustrating F = ma.

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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 (Action-Reaction)
*Explanation:* When Ashely pushes the water backward (action), the water pushes the kayak forward with equal force (reaction). This is why the kayak moves forward — every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

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5. A 35,000-pound truck needs a larger engine than a 2,000-pound car.

✔ Newton’s Second Law (F = ma)
*Explanation:* The truck has much more mass. To achieve the same acceleration as the lighter car, it requires a much larger force — which is why it needs a bigger engine to produce that force.

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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 (Law of Inertia)
*Explanation:* The ball keeps moving due to inertia after being kicked, but eventually stops because of external forces — mainly friction from the ground and air resistance. Without these forces, it would keep moving forever.

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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 (Action-Reaction)
*Explanation:* When the ball hits the ground, it exerts a downward force on the ground (action). The ground exerts an equal and opposite upward force on the ball (reaction), causing it to bounce back up.

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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 (Action-Reaction)
*Explanation:* The rocket expels exhaust gases downward (action), and the gases push the rocket upward with equal force (reaction). Pointing it upward ensures this reaction force propels it skyward.

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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 (F = ma)
*Explanation:* A harder swing applies more force to the ball. With the ball’s mass constant, more force means greater acceleration — so the ball leaves the racquet at a higher speed.

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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 (Law of Inertia)
*Explanation:* Kyle’s body tends to keep moving forward at the same speed and direction as the car before the crash (inertia). The seat belt applies a force to stop his forward motion, preventing injury — showing how objects resist changes in motion without external forces.

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## ✔ Final Summary:

| Question | Newton’s Law |
|----------|----------------------|
| 1 | Second Law |
| 2 | First Law |
| 3 | Second Law |
| 4 | Third Law |
| 5 | Second Law |
| 6 | First Law |
| 7 | Third Law |
| 8 | Third Law |
| 9 | Second Law |
| 10 | First Law |

This worksheet helps students connect real-world observations to Newton’s three fundamental laws of motion: Inertia, F=ma, and Action-Reaction.

Let me know if you’d like a printable version or visual diagrams for each!