Physics 1
Newton's 1st Law Notes
Overview

BHS -> Staff -> Mr. Stanbrough -> Physics -> Mechanics -> Newton's Laws -> this page

Newton's First Law Table of Contents:

For a detailed list of expectations, see Terms and Objectives.

Isaac Newton - portrait by Seeman (1726)

• Concepts (PowerPoint summary) (download the PowerPoint)
  • A historical perspective
    • Aristotle's views on motion
    • Copernicus' conundrum
    • Galileo's views on motion
  • Newton's First Law
    • How Many Ways Can You State Newton's 1st Law?
    • Riding in a Car - Applying of Newton's First Law
    • Thinking about forces...
      • What's a force - really?
      • The Net Force
        • Balanced and Unbalanced forces
        • Practice quiz on net force
    • Accelerating Reference Frames and Fictitious Forces
    • Equilibrium
      • Equilibrium practice quiz
• Practice quiz on Newton's First Law
• Concept Summary (PowerPoint presentation)
• Labs and Activities
  • Dynamics Introductory Activity
  • Forces & Equilibrium - in one and two dimensions
  • Fettuccini Physics by Peggy E. Schweiger
• Demonstrations
  • Newton's First Law on an Air Track - objects in motion stay in motion, objects at rest stay at rest
  • Wooden Hammer Demo - demonstrates both parts of the 1st Law
  • Paper and Chalk Demo - Chalk? What's that?
  • Clay and Coat Hanger Demo - objects at rest stay at rest
  • Coins and Hoop Demo - objects at rest stay at rest
  • Newton's First Law in a Car - Inertia and Fictitious Forces - Seat Belts
  • Measuring Mass - The Inertial Balance
  • Ballistic Car - Projected ball is caught by the car - ball keeps it horizontal velocity
  • The Famous Tablecloth Demo - why not?
  • Whirling Bucket Demo - why doesn't the water fall out?
  • Hanging Wrench Demo - shows difference between mass and weight
  • Block and Cups - difference between mass and weight
• Next-Time Questions
  • Path of a Ball After Rolling Through a Spiral Tube
  • Path of a Pendulum Bob After Being Cut By a Razor
• Supplements
  • Newton's First Law video (15 min) - Professor Julius Sumner Miller
  • Inline Inertia (15 min) - ESPN SportsFigures
  • Best of Conceptual Physics Alive - (laserdisk) Ch 16-21
  • Falling Bombs Video - shows that the bombs keep the velocity of the airplane as they fall
  • Conservation of Angular Momentum Film Loop - shows a "weightless" astronaut in the Skylab - demonstrates both parts of the First Law
  • Laser disk??
  • Interactive Physics Simulations
    • Car Accelerating from Rest
    • Car Hits a Wall
    • Turning Car
    • Throwing a ball in a moving car - needs to be constructed
    • Dropping a ball from the mast of a moving ship - needs to be constructed
• Links
  • CP Surf - Newton's First Law - an excellent set of annotated links keyed to the sections of your text
  • The Physics Classroom - Newton's First Law - Wow!
  • Newton's First Law - from Zona Land. Very well done.

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