VOCABULARY
This is something you can directly see, hear, or measure at a scene.
Observation
If you see a wet floor and a tipped-over water bottle, the wet floor is most likely this type of information.
Observation
An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted on by an outside force. This is Newton’s ___ Law.
First Law
In the toy car lab, what variable changed during the trials?
Mass / number of coins added
Name one piece of physical evidence investigators might collect at a hit-and-run scene.
Skid marks / broken glass / tire tracks / vehicle parts / backpack / damaged bike
A conclusion you make based on evidence and reasoning.
Inference
If you say, “Someone spilled their drink,” you are making this.
An inference
Which Newton’s Law helps explain why a moving vehicle keeps going until a force stops it?
Newton’s First Law
In the toy car lab, what did students measure after each trial?
The distance the cup moved
A witness statement is an example of what kind of evidence?
Testimonial / witness evidence
(accept “information from someone who saw part of the event”)
This is what made something happen.
Cause
Why is evidence important in an investigation?
It helps support a theory/claim and explain what happened.
This law explains how force, mass, and acceleration are connected.
Newton’s Second Law
If the cup moved farther when more coins were added, what does that suggest?
Greater mass increased the impact / heavier cars can create stronger collisions
If investigators find long skid marks at a crash scene, what might that suggest?
The driver stopped suddenly / braked hard / may have been speeding
This is a push or pull acting on an object.
Force
A backpack is on the floor, a chair is knocked over, and papers are scattered. Name one possible cause.
Someone tripped / someone rushed out / someone knocked the chair over
(accept any reasonable cause)
If a heavier vehicle causes a stronger impact in a collision, which Newton’s Law best helps explain that?
Newton’s Second Law
In the mini-lab, what was the independent variable?
The amount of mass added / the number of coins on the car.
Why might a heavier vehicle be important in solving a hit-and-run case?
A heavier vehicle may create a stronger impact and more damage
The rate at which an object’s speed changes.
Acceleration
What is the difference between an observation and an inference?
Observation = what you directly notice or can prove from the scene
Inference = what you think happened based on the evidence
A person in a car lurches forward when the car suddenly stops. Which Newton’s Law explains this, and why?
Newton’s First Law, because the person’s body was in motion and continued moving forward due to inertia.
Why was it important to keep the ramp, cup, and starting point the same during the lab?
To make it a fair test / so mass was the only thing changing
How can scientists use force, motion, and evidence to help explain a crash?
They can study how the collision happened, what caused the motion, how mass affected impact, and use evidence to build a theory of what happened.