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Chapter 12: Force and Newton's Laws

What Is a State Vector?
NASA's Web site shows how vectors are used to track spacecraft. Link to the "J-Track," a Java-based spacecraft and weather tracker. Find a spacecraft or weather pattern and track it over sevearl days. Make a map that shows how it moves over Earth.

Letter to naturalSCIENCE About Bumblebees
It has been said by many that a bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly based on the laws of physics. But since a bumblebee CAN fly, it must be possible. On this Web site, you'll find a brief explanation as to why this original statement is not fully true. Read the description and design a poster to explain it to the rest of the class.

Unit 3: Forces and Motion

Describing Motion with Words
This page gives a nice review and detailed explanation of velocity, speed, distance, displacement, and acceleration. Visit this site and write a journal entry about how you use these terms in your everyday life.

Multimedia Physics Studios: 1-Dimensional Kinematics
Visit this site for some nice graphs and GIF animations demonstrating speed, velocity, and acceleration. Use flip cards to create your own animation of one of these concepts.

Lesson 1: Newton’s First Law of Motion
Work through this four-part lesson on Newton’s First Law of Motion. How is mass different from inertia.

Summary of Friction
Visit this summary of friction. Use the interactive JAVA window to run friction simulations. Predict your results on each trial.

Vector Jockey
Download Vector Jockey, a shareware video game showing how velocity and acceleration work in space. Try to steer the craft through space. It's harder than you think!

Work/Energy Home Page
Visit this site to gather background on Work and Energy. Develop a showcase display highlighting the major points of these concepts..

Energy Research
The Office of Energy Research, a division of the U.S. Department of Energy, conducts Energy Research in various subjects from biological and environmental issues to nuclear physics. Use this site to put together a monthly newsletter about current energy research.

Newton’s Laws in Action
On this site, you'll find a nice video to demonstrate Newton’s Laws and later learn a little about momentum. Develop your own demonstrations of Newton's laws and momentum. Demonstrate these to your class.

Movies Illustrating Motion in Two and Three Dimensions
Here you'll find various QuickTime videos showing projectile motion and circular vector forces. It also has links to Java Applets demonstrating the same concepts. Write a journal entry that explains five different videos.