"Skateboards Away!"

Click for 199K QT movie.
Click for 59K QT movie.

SCIENCE CONCEPT:

Newton's Third Law of Motion: for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

STUDENT OBJECTIVE:

The student will experiment with Newton's Third Law of Motion.

OVERVIEW:

The student will experiment with Newton's Third Law of Motion.

TEACHER TEXT:

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes

LESSON TIME: 15 minutes

TEACHER PREP:

Gather materials.

WORDS TO KNOW:

• skateboard
• throw
• forward
• backward
• roll

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• skateboard
• plastic jug of sand or water
• a friend to help

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

1. Stand on the skateboard holding the jug of sand in your hands.
2. Throw the jug as hard as you can to your friend who is standing at least 10 feet away.
3. Observe what happens. (You roll backward.)

WHY?:

Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. In this case, throwing the weight forward is the action. The opposite reaction rolls you backward.

ASSESSMENT: Can the student communicate what they observed?

4....The student is able to communicate that rolling backward is the opposite reaction to the "action" of throwing the weight.

3....The student is able to communicate that rolling backward was caused by throwing the weight.

2....The student is able to communicate that he/she rolled backward.

1....The student is able to communicate that he/she moved.

CURRICULUM LINK IDEAS: