This easy Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of motion experiment is one kids love. Also, look at my post 4 Weeks Free Physical Science Unit Study & Best Hands-on Ideas for more activities.
Sir Isaac Newton was famous for his work with gravity and motion.
He was born on December 25, 1642 in England and he spent his day looking at things closely and asking questions why they happened that way.
He’s the reason we understand so much about how things move.
Newton’s First Law of Motion is sometimes called the Law of Inertia.
The law is “An object at rest will stay at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion, unless acted upon by an external force.”
It may sound easy to understand, but we’re doing an experiment to visualize it.
However, you can explain to your children that an object will stay still unless it is pushed or pulled.
That is an external force.
BOOKS FOR KIDS ABOUT SIR ISAAC NEWTON
Before we do this easy experiment, look at these fun books I’ve rounded up to add to your day of learning.
7 Books For Kids Who Love Learning About Sir Isaac Newton
He was one of the most important scientists of his times. Your children will love adding some of these books to their reading day.
Famed for his supposed encounter with a falling apple that inspired his theory of gravity, Isaac Newton (1642–1727) grew from a quiet and curious boy into one of the most influential scientists of all time. Newton's Rainbow tells the story of young Isaac―always reading, questioning, observing, and inventing―and how he eventually made his way to Cambridge University, where he studied the work of earlier scientists and began building on their accomplishments. This colorful picture book biography celebrates Newton's discoveries that illuminated the mysteries of gravity, motion, and even rainbows, discoveries that gave mankind a new understanding of the natural world, discoveries that changed science forever.
A biography of Isaac Newton.
A biography of the seventeenth-century English scientist who formulated the theory of gravity.
Born in England in 1643, Isaac Newton grew up in the age when Renaissance thinkers were challenging accepted ideas throughout Europe. Fascinated by all earthly science, Newton developed laws of motion and universal gravitation which also furthered our understanding of the movement of celestial bodies. This vibrant biography profiles the famed physicist as an acclaimed mathematician, astronomer, alchemist, philosopher, and inventor as well. Readers will discover the genius who inspired Alexander Pope to write.
Sir Isaac Newton is one of history's most renowned scientists. He independently developed the mathematical technique known as Calculus, wrote a treatise on the properties of light and color that is still consulted by scientists, and worked out the mathematical details of the law of gravity. What is less well known is the depth of his Christian faith, and the amount of writing, speaking, and research he devoted to defenses of the tenets of Biblical belief. This book makes Newton come alive for readers.
A surprising true story of Isaac Newton’s boyhood suggests an intellectual development owing as much to magic as science. Before Isaac Newton became the father of physics, an accomplished mathematician, or a leader of the scientific revolution, he was a boy living in an apothecary’s house, observing and experimenting, recording his observations of the world in a tiny notebook. As a young genius living in a time before science as we know it existed, Isaac studied the few books he could get his hands on, built handmade machines, and experimented with alchemy—a process of chemical reactions that seemed, at the time, to be magical. Mary Losure’s riveting narrative nonfiction account of Isaac’s early life traces his development as a thinker from his childhood, in friendly prose that will capture the attention of today’s budding scientists—as if by magic. Back matter includes an afterword, an author’s note, source notes, a bibliography, and an index.
Isaac Newton and Physics for Kids paints a rich portrait of this brilliant and complex man, including 21 hands-on projects that explore the scientific concepts Newton developed and the times in which he lived. Readers will build a simple waterwheel, create a 17thcentury plague mask, track the phases of the moon, and test Newton’s Three Laws of Motion using coins, a skateboard, and a
model boat they construct themselves. The text includes a time line, online resources, and reading list for further study. And through it all, readers will learn how the son of a Woolsthorpe sheep farmer grew to become the most influential physicist in history.
Next, look more hands-on activities about Sir Isaac Newton.
MORE ACTIVITIES TO PAIR WITH SIR ISAAC NEWTON’S FIRST LAW OF MOTION
- How To Make A Newton’s Cradle With Popsicle Sticks | 5 Sir Isaac Newton Facts.
- Gravity experiments for kids.
- Then grab some minibooks About Sir Isaac Newton and His Apple on my Apple Unit Study and Lapbook page.
- Newton’s egg
- 5 Facts About Inertia And Easy Coin Drop Inertia Experiment
- Egg Drop Experiment (Newton’s First Law of Motion)
- 20 Lessons on Forces and Newton’s Laws Your Students Will Thank You For
- Newton’s Laws of Motion Project
Finally, look at how to do this easy Sir Isaac Newton’s First Law Of Motion experiment.
NEWTON’S FIRST LAW EXPERIMENT
First, look at this easy list of supplies.
- Sweet potato
- Knife *Adult help required
- Mallet
- Flat surface Adult supervision and help are required
On a flat surface, insert the knife tip into the sweet potato. (make sure to point the blade away from your body)
Lift the knife and sweet potato off the flat surface.
Using the mallet tap the handle of the knife.
Watch as the knife moves through the sweet potato.
Why does this happen? Newton’s First Law of Motion!
This states that objects at rest stay at rest.
An object in motion stays in motion until an object acts upon it. A force (knife) is acting and the object (sweet potato) is at rest.
Substitution for the sweet potato:
● Russet potato, apple, beet or parsnip
