Identifying Newton's Laws of Motion

Master Newton's Laws of Motion! Identify and apply concepts of inertia, force, and reaction with this science worksheet.

Which Law? We're told that Sir Isaac Newton discovered some things about motion when an apple dropped on his head. Whatever "force" was behind his discoveries, we have benefited from them. You should be familiar with Newton's Laws of Motion.Newton's First Law of Motion states that an object at rest, stays at rest. And an object in motion stays in motion traveling in a straight line unless an unbalanced force acts on it. This law is often called the law of inertia. Inertia is defined as the tendency for an object to resist a change in it's motion.Newton's Second Law of Motion states that the greater the mass of an object, the more force required to make the object accelerate. This law has a formula which describes this relationship between force, mass and acceleration. The formula is force = mass x acceleration.Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action or force, there is an equal and opposite reaction or force.Read each example below. Identify the law which applies. A frog leaps up from a lily pad. Gravity pulls the frog down and the frog lands on another lily pad instead of continuing in a straight line. 1st law 2nd law 3rd law As the fuel in a rocket ignites, the force of the gas expansion and explosion pushes the gas out of the nozzle on the back of the rocket. This pushes the rocket forward. 1st law 2nd law 3rd law You are standing up in a subway train. The train suddenly stops but your body continues to move forward. 1st law 2nd law 3rd law A pitches baseball goes faster than a baseball that is gently tossed. 1st law 2nd law 3rd law A swimmer pushes water back with her arms and her body moves forward. 1st law 2nd law 3rd law An ice skater pushes harder with his leg muscles and begins to move faster. 1st law 2nd law 3rd law Five year old Jamal and his father are throwing rocks across a pond. The father's rocks go farther and faster than Jamal's rocks. 1st law 2nd law 3rd law When you paddle a canoe, the canoe is propelled forward. 1st law 2nd law 3rd law A little girl is pulling her sled behind her across the snow. She stops to adjust her hat. The sled keeps moving and hits the girl on the back of the legs. 1st law 2nd law 3rd law You are riding your bike. The harder you push on the pedals, the faster the bike moves. 1st law 2nd law 3rd law