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Can’t Stop On A Dime!
| Many amongst us enjoy watching automobile races. The thrill of seeing gleaming machines speed amidst the roar of excited crowds is wonderful. However, there is a flip side to these dream-machines that is: they are not accident proof. They spin out of control as if guided by some ‘hidden forces.’ They don’t stop on a dime! Alas! Life in the fast lane can be dangerous and sometimes fatal.
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Source: http://www.physicsclassroom.com |
“Why is this so? What are these hidden forces?” I thought and learned that:
”Nature and nature’s laws lay hid in night
God said, 'Let Newton be!' and all was light."
- Alexander Pope
Abstract
This experiment explores the hypothesis that stopping distance of a toy car in its ‘natural motion’ varies when it travels on different surfaces and incline plane.
Relationship among Newton’s Three Laws of Motion provides the theoretical foundation to:
- Explore the connection between force and motion.
- Quantitatively describe how forces affect motion.
- Address the nature of force.
Coefficient of Static Friction and Coefficient of Kinetic Friction are calculated showing the interaction amongst forces acting on toy car moving on different surfaces – wood, sandpaper grades 100 and 150, aluminum wrap, butter paper and bubble wrap. Experimental data and results support the hypothesis.
Findings show how Newton’s Laws of Motion govern 99% or more of our everyday experiences – how Moon orbits the Earth; planets orbit the Sun; how a hockey puck slides over ice; how a person rides a bicycle; how a rocket launches a satellite into space; how automobiles run on different surfaces; how does a skater skate on ice and roller coasters and bumper cars function in amusement parks!
Newton’s Laws of Motion chime with life’s everyday experiences as they apply to macroscopic systems – things we can feel and see.
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