Isaac, Inertia, and the NFL

Begin the lesson by asking for five to six volunteers to come to the front of the class. Line the students up single file, so they look like a row of dominoes. Then whisper to the first student that he will stop walking before I say "STOP" so the other students will bump into him but do this in a matter so the other volunteers do not overhear the plan. Music could also be used for this portion of the demonstration. Tell the first student to begin walking and hopefully, he or she will stop and the remaining students will not. Ask the class to explain their observations and allow time for student discussion.

Tell the class that they have just witnessed Newton's First Law of Motion. Allow time for students to share personal experiences or examples and then ask, "Who thinks that football players use Newton's First Law of Motion to win a game?" 

At this point, students will need to make their foldable in order to take notes as they watch the video clip.

Watch video clip:

 Science of NFL Football: Newton's First Law of Motion Video Clip

Instructions for Foldable:

Provide the students with a sheet of plain white paper and instruct them to fold it like a "hotdog." Then fold the paper into thirds so when it opens it will have six sections.

Front of Foldable

First Square:

Title: Newton's First Law of Motion

Name:

Date

Period:

Second Square:

Define Newton’s First Law of Motion

(create an illustration)

Third Square:

1. Define Unbalanced Force

2. Define Mass

3. Define Inertia

4. Define Weight

Inside the Foldable (6 sections)

Students will open the foldable and number each section 1- 6 then answer the following for each of the activities:

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:

Name the Activity:   ____________

1. Sketch the setup.

2. Briefly explain what happened.

3. How does this activity relate to Newton's First Law of Motion?

Student Activities or Whole Group Demos:

#1 Flick a Note Card:

Description:  A coin sits on a note card that is placed on a cup. The card is flicked horizontally and the coin drops vertically into the cup.

Materials:  1 cup, 1 note card, and 1 coin.

#2 Catch a Coin off Elbow:

Description:  A small stack of pennies sits on a person’s elbow. The person quickly rotates the elbow down and snatches the coins in their palm.

Materials:  5-15 pennies.

#3 Whack a Domino:

Description:  Six dominos are stacked vertically and the bottom domino is continually whacked out from underneath the pile with a ruler. The ruler should be placed flat on the desk or table. Then the students will use their palm and four fingers in a sweeping motion to hit the bottom domino.

Materials:  6 dominos and a ruler.

#4 Marbles, Mass, and Ramps:

Description:  Students roll a small marble down a ramp toward a plastic cup and measure the distance the cup moves. Then they use a larger marble and roll it down the ramp and measure the distance the cup moves. (The cup should be placed at the end of the ramp so the marble can roll into the cup and knock it backward.)

Materials:  foam tubing for the ramp, small marble, large marble, ruler, and cup. (Cut pipe insulation in half to make a ramp or use a pool noodle.)

#5 Spinn an Egg:

Description: Place two eggs in a box top. Instruct students to gently spin each egg one at a time and record their observations.

Materials: Raw egg, boiled egg, a box for spinning the eggs.

#6 Spinning Marble:

Description: Place a large marble inside a spool of masking tape. Students will spin the marble within the spool in a circular motion on a flat surface then take the spool away. Students will make an observation of the movement of the marble.

Materials: A spool of tape and a large marble.

Back of Foldable:

1.  List ways in which inertia might help an NFL player in the course of a game.

2.  List ways in which inertia might pose a problem to an NFL player in the course of a game.

3.  List instances in your life where inertia has been a problem.

4.  List instances in your life where inertia has helped you accomplish tasks.