Buckle Up!

Students have already learned how speed, velocity, and mass determine momentum from Newton’s first and second laws. Students will now take those principles and determine Newton’s third law. They will do so by observing what occurs when two objects act upon one another, gathering that for every action there is a reaction. Then, students will find ways to reduce the momentum to an object (the action) when a collision occurs (the reaction).

Grade(s) Subject Time Frame Duration Course Modality
9th Science 250 Minutes 4 - 5 Class Periods Physical Science

Face-To-Face

Standards

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science | Physical Science

Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions (PS2)
PS.PS2.3 Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision.*
Clarification Statement: An example of evaluation could include determining the success of the device at protecting an object from damage. Examples of devices could include football helmets, parachutes, and car restraint systems, such as seatbelts and airbags. Refinement of the device may include modifying one or more parts or all of the device to improve performance of the device. Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to qualitative evaluations and/or algebraic manipulations.
Science and Engineering Practice Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting Concepts

Designing Solutions:

  • Apply scientific ideas to solve a design
    problem, taking into account possible
    unanticipated effects.
  • If a system interacts with objects outside itself, the total momentum of the system can change; however, any such change is balanced by change in the momentum of objects outside the system.
  • Criteria and constraints also include satisfying any requirements set by society, such as taking issues of risk mitigation into account; and they should be quantified to the extent possible and stated in such a way that one can tell if a given design meets them.

Cause and Effect:

  • Systems can be designed to cause a desired effect.

 

Essential Questions

5E Snapshot:

1. Engage

Students discover Newton’s third law and use the principles of Newton’s law to engineer the best design for reducing momentum on an object involved in a collision.

2. Explore

Students review Newton’s third law, which is shown through real-world activities. Each learner chooses an image that depicts Newton's third law and adds a hashtag to accompany the image. Then, each learner chooses a peer’s image and explains how it represents Newton’s third law.

3. Explain

Students annotate an article that connects Newton’s three laws to safety measures used in collisions.

4. Extend

Students construct a model that helps reduce the momentum on an object or objects in a collision.

5. Evaluate

Students submit a Safety First Engineering Presentation and share their findings.

Materials List