Newton’s First Law of Motion
“Jenna!” Liam screamed, chasing after his little sister, who was running up the stairs giggling. “Jenna! I know you took my baseball. I placed it on the kitchen countertop ten minutes ago!”
Jenna grinned mischievously, “No Liam! It disappeared. I’m telling you the truth.”
Liam raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think toys just disappear like that, Jen.”
Jenna shrugged, “It disappeared.” She pulled out her puppy eyes, and Liam grumbled, knowing he couldn’t do anything. Oh well. At least his friends were coming over!
Everyone gathered in Liam’s backyard, with some snacks and juice. Zoey had told them she was going to teach them about something cool she had learned recently, so the group was pretty excited.
"Three words. Newton's. First. Law.” Zoey grinned, “It is all about motion and rest.”
Maya nodded. "So, we're talking about things staying put or going on epic journeys. Let's make it fun!"
The group decided to explore the law with an ambitious experiment involving a skateboard, a smooth stretch of pavement, and a determined rubber duck named Quackers.
Liam set the stage. "Our goal is to see how Quackers behaves on the skateboard. According to Newton, if the skateboard is still, Quackers should stay put. But if we give it a nudge, Quackers should start rolling."
As Zoey prepared Quackers for the grand experiment, Orion, the ever-curious robot, chirped, "Newton's law is like the town's traffic—it tells us when to stop, go, or cruise smoothly."
With Quackers in position, Zoey gave the skateboard a gentle push. To their delight, Quackers waddled forward, showcasing the law of motion in action.
But the adventure didn't stop there. Liam, unable to resist a challenge, proposed a race. "Let's see if Quackers can outrun us down the sidewalk! Newton would love a good race, right?"
And so, with laughter echoing through the streets of Eureka Shores, the group raced alongside Quackers. The rubber duck, with a determination that outmatched his size, rolled gracefully.
As they reached the finish line, breathless but exhilarated, Maya summarized, "Quackers is fast because we pushed him. I think that’s what the law is about.”
“Precisely,” Zoey picked up Quackers and placed him safely in her pocket. “An object stays still or keeps moving unless a force acts on it. It's like magic, but with physics!"
A lightbulb went off in Liam’s head. The law was quite simple when he thought about it. Anything stayed still and in its place, unless a force was exerted on it. Which proved his point about his baseball! It should have just stayed in its spot, that is, unless someone pushed it, pulled it, or picked it up. Now, all he had to do was find where Jenna had hidden his baseball.