Newton's Laws of Motion

REF STUDY GUIDE: Big Ideas Use to answer form questions

1.Newton's First Law (Inertia): An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion keeps moving at constant speed in a straight line, unless an outside force acts on it — this is why you lurch forward when a car brakes suddenly.

2.Newton's Second Law (F = ma): The acceleration of an object depends on the net force applied and the object's mass — doubling the force doubles the acceleration, but doubling the mass cuts acceleration in half.

3.Action-Reaction Force Pairs: Every force has an equal and opposite partner acting on a different object — when you push a wall, the wall pushes back on you with the same force (Newton's Third Law).

4.Propulsion and Newton's Third Law: Rockets, jets, and even swimming all work by pushing matter in one direction so the reaction force pushes the object the opposite way — the exhaust goes down, the rocket goes up.

DRAW KEY TERMS Google each → Images tab → sketch what you see

Inertia

Resistance to changes in motion

Acceleration

Change in speed or direction

force

A push or pull on an object

motion

Movement; change in position over time

WRITE FOCUS QUESTION Your initial thinking

Picture yourself standing on a small rowboat at the edge of a dock. You bend your knees and leap toward land — but the instant your feet push off, the boat shoots backward beneath you, and you barely make the jump.

Why do you move backward when you jump off a boat?

I think...

WRITE AFTER HOOK FORM Reflect before continuing

I learned that...

Station 1 — Inertia & Force (N1L & N2L)

I observed that...

This shows that...

The key concept is...

Station 2 — Action-Reaction Pairs (N3L Introduction)

The data shows...

This connects to...

The main idea is...

This connects to what we learned because...

I can apply this by...

DRAW CONCEPT MODEL Show your understanding visually

Draw a model that shows the main concept. Include labels and arrows to explain relationships.

Labels included

Relationships shown

Key terms used

CHECK TEST YOUR THINKING Rate each: FALSE ← 1-2-3-4-5 → TRUE

1. An object at rest will stay at rest forever unless a force acts on it, even in outer space.

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2. A moving object will eventually stop on its own, even if no forces act on it.

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3. You need a constant force to keep an object moving at a constant speed.

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4. Inertia is a force that keeps objects from moving.

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5. Heavier objects have more inertia, which means they are harder to start or stop moving.

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Pick any TWO statements — especially any you rated 2, 3, or 4. Justify your rating with evidence:

Statement #___ — I rated it ___ because:

THINK SCIENTIST CIRCLE DEBRIEF Reflect after your Scientist Circle discussion

AHA! Moment

The one I changed my thinking most about is...

Remaining Question

I still wonder...

WRITE FOCUS QUESTION REVISIT Final written response

Why do you move backward when you jump off a boat?