The links on the table below lead to portable document files that can be viewed and printed on any computer with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
The documents and all material contained therein are (c) Dean Baird. All rights reserved. They may be used by teachers and students for classroom instruction. Beyond that, no part of these documents may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
| GUIDES | |
| 1 | Newton's
Second Law Examples Definitions of quantities, description of equations, and worked-out example problems. |
| 2 | Newton's
Second Law Careful development of Newton's second law as an extension of Newton's first law. |
| 3 | Sources
of Forces Reminder that you need to be able to identify the objects that interact when a force occurs, without confusing the name of the object with the name of the force. |
| JOBS | |
| 1 | Newton's
Second Law Springboard - Answers Classroom discussion guide for developing the concepts in the second law. Begins where the first law leaves off. Addresses units and provides simple practice problems. |
| 2 | A
Day at the Races - Answers Step-by-step development of Newton's second law culminating with a look at the heavy/light freefall question. |
| 3 | Weight of the Worlds - Answers Take masses and weights to other worlds and determine what changes and by how much. |
| 4 | Feel
the Forces Springboard - Answers A classroom discussion and lab activity that introduces friction, tension, normal, weight, and drag through simple experiences. |
| 5 | Newton
III Force Pairs - Answers Identify the objects involved in several interactions. |
| LABS | |
| 1 | Carts
and Tracks Lab Prep Introduction to the PASCO carts and tracks (IDS). |
| 2 |
Going Through the Motions - Follow-up
Presentation (QuickTime) A lab activity for learning about acceleration and the Pasco Visual Accelerometer. (Years ago we did this lab with a line/bubble level in place of the Visual Accelerometer.) |
| 3 |
Putting
the Force Before the Cart
- Follow-up Presentation (QuickTime) Careful conceptual hands-on development of Newton's second law. |
| 4 |
The
Weight A simple lab to determine the relationship between mass and weight. The Weight High Tech - DataStudio File The computer/sensor version of the activity described above. |
| 5 |
Meet
the Force
Sensor Lab Prep Introduction to the PASport force sensor. |
| 6 |
Force
Mirror - Newton's Third Law TechLab Springboard Classroom discussion guide using Newton's first and second laws to develop Newton's third law. Does NOT end up with the awful and incorrect "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." |
| DEMOS | |
| 1 | The
Newtonian Shot Fire two dartgun darts downward, one weighted and one unweighted. Which hits first and why? |
| 2 | Blowout Blow a marker pen through a tube. It can reach high speed. But it also serves as a mechanism for a rich discussion of Newton's first, second, and third law of motion. |
| OTHER | |
| 1 2 |
Force
and Interaction Begins With an M (QuickTime) Part of the "Physics Begins with an M" series. This is a QuickTime export from Keynote that has been Zipped. Force and Interaction Begins With an M Keynote A nifty Keynote presentation of the M's. (Keynote is Apple's presentation software; PowerPoint is Microsoft's presentation software.) Trust me, neither Keynote nor PowerPoint are The Great Saviors of education. I recommend using them sparingly if at all. Better to teach! |
| 3 | Mechanical Universe: Newton's
Laws (form 1) (form
2) Question set to accompany the high school adaptation of the Mechanical Universe video. Two forms to accommodate side-by-side student seating. |
| 4 | Newton's Laws Crossword - Grid - Clues Crossword puzzles are highly personalized and may not always translate well from my classroom to yours. |
| 5 | Practice
Test Questions - Answers Sample test questions covering force and interaction. |
| 1 | OLD: Putting the Force Before the Cart (Low-tech) |
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