From Thingamabobs to Gismos & Gadgets

Newton's Second Law: Acceleration

Acceleration (change in motion) is directly proportional to a change in force. Acceleration means how quickly an object can change its speed (velocity). Speeding up can change acceleration, slowing down, or changing direction.

If a bowling ball and a soccer ball were both dropped at the same time from the roof of a tall building, which would hit the ground with a greater force? Common sense tells us that the bowling ball would. We know that gravity accelerates all objects at the same rate, so both balls would hit the ground at the same time. Therefore the difference in forces would be caused by the different masses of the balls.

Use this site to help you answer the questions about Newton's second law. Be sure to fill out your answers in your lab notebook.

Now do these experiments to learn more about acceleration. Be sure to record your observations in your lab notebook.

Anders' Paper Football Acceleration Challenge

Take a Walk

Weight Motion Experiment

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D. Fischer
Modified: June 16, 2010