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 use a can and water to discover that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

TEACHER TEXT:

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes

LESSON TIME: 15 minutes

TEACHER PREP:

Gather materials.

WORDS TO KNOW:

• action
• reaction
• opposite
• direction

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• can
• string
• nail
• water
• sink

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

1. Use the nail to punch a hole in the side of the can near the bottom.
2. Attach string to the can so that it can be suspended.
3. Suspend the can over the sink.
4. Pour water into the can.
5. Observe what happens. (The water rushes out of the hole. The can moves back in the opposite direction.)

WHY?:

Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. In this case, the water rushing out of the can is the action. The can moves back in an opposite reaction.

ASSESSMENT: Can the student communicate what they observed?

4....The student is able to communicate that the can moves backward in an opposite reaction to the "action" of water rushing forward out of the can.

3....The student is able to communicate that the can moved backward because of the water.

2....The student is able to communicate that the can moved backward.

1....The student is able to communicate that the can moved.

CURRICULUM LINK IDEAS: