Bottle Roll

TOPIC: Principles of Flight: Newton's First Law of Motion
LEVEL: Intermediate

"Bottle Roll"

CONCEPT:: Newton's First Law of Motion: objects at rest remain at rest and objects in motion remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.
STUDENT OBJECTIVE:: The student will discover that friction is an outside force that acts upon motion to make things slow down.
OVERVIEW:: The student will use a jar and paper clip to discover that friction acts upon motion to slow it down.
TEACHER TEXT:

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes

LESSON TIME: 10 minutes

TEACHER PREP:

Gather materials

MATERIALS NEEDED:

STEPS TO FOLLOW:: 1. Tape a paper clip to the outside of a jar.; 2. Roll the jar along an uncarpeted floor.; 3. What do hear? (The clicking sound of the clip will get slower and slower until the bottle stops.) What do you see? (The bottle slows down and finally stops.)

WHY?: Friction is the force that occurs when two things rub together. In this case the friction between the jar and the floor slows the jar. The air around the jar also slows the jar down and is called air resistance. Air resistance helps make planes decelerate.

ASSESSMENT: Can the student communicate what they observed?: 4......Student is able to communicate that the jar slows down due to friction between the jar and the floor and friction between the jar and the air around it.; 3......Student is able to communicate that the jar slows down due to friction between the floor and the jar.; 2......Student is able to communicate that the jar slows down to a stop.; 1......Student is able to communicate that the jar is rolling.