Experiment
Inertia
Explore things' ability to either stand still or keep moving!
Curriculum objectives - Science:
- explore observable quantities such as speed and temperature and relate them to energy
- conversation about what energy is, and explore different energy chains
You need:
- A glass of water
- One egg
- A cardboard plate with a slight edge
- A dorull
Explore further:
- Try a boiled egg, does it still work?
- Don't use the toilet paper roll, the experiment still works?
- How easily can you hit the board and still make the egg fall into the glass?
- Does this work if you replace the egg with a much heavier or lighter object?
What is going on?
Inertia is the resistance of an object to a change in motion, including a change in direction. An object will remain stationary or continue to move at the same speed and in a straight line unless acted upon by an external force.
For example, a rubber ball will not start bouncing around unless someone picks it up and throws it. Basically, if an object isn't moving, it won't start moving unless something else acts on it. The same idea can be applied to motion: an object in motion will remain in motion unless some outside, opposing force acts on it. The law of inertia is also called Sir Isaac Newton's first law of motion.
The first law of motion states that:
"A body remains at rest or continues in rectilinear motion with constant velocity if no force acts on the body or if the sum of the forces acting on it is equal to zero."
