AIM OF THE EXPERIMENT: To confirm that an object stays still because of inertia.
MATERIALS: a small cart with an open body, a tennis ball.
MATERIALS: a small cart with an open body, a tennis ball.
Изображение
Put the tennis ball in the middle of the cart's body.
Jerk the cart sharply.
RESULTS: When the cart moved forward, the ball struck the back wall of the body.
WHY? Inertia is the keeping of a previous state (motion or rest) until some force acts. An object at rest stays in that state until a force makes it move. The tennis ball is not fixed to the cart. Because of inertia the ball stayed still even though the cart moved forward — in fact the cart slid out from under the ball.
METHOD:
Jerk the cart sharply.
RESULTS: When the cart moved forward, the ball struck the back wall of the body.
WHY? Inertia is the keeping of a previous state (motion or rest) until some force acts. An object at rest stays in that state until a force makes it move. The tennis ball is not fixed to the cart. Because of inertia the ball stayed still even though the cart moved forward — in fact the cart slid out from under the ball.
METHOD: