Law & Order: Newton Unit
Force Frenzy
Action Reaction Showdown
Puzzle Earth Mysteries
Move It or Lose It
Real World Science Showdown
100
A book stays at rest on a table until someone pushes it. Name the law.
Newton’s First Law (Inertia)
100
If force increases and mass stays the same, what happens to acceleration?
Acceleration increases
100
When you jump, what force pushes you upward?
The ground pushing up on you
100
Who proposed continental drift?
Alfred Wegener
100
What theory replaced continental drift?
Plate tectonics
100
A student slides a book across a desk. It slows down and stops.
👉 What force caused this change in motion?
Friction
200
A soccer ball accelerates more when kicked harder. Name the law AND the relationship shown.
Answer:
Newton’s Second Law; force and acceleration are directly related
200
If mass doubles and force stays the same, what happens to acceleration?
Acceleration decreases
200
Identify the reaction force when a rocket launches.
Gases push the rocket upward
200
Why are identical fossils found on different continents?
Continents were once connected
200
What causes tectonic plates to move?
Convection currents in the mantle
200
Two students push the same cart. One uses more force, and the cart accelerates faster.
👉 Which law explains this AND why?
Newton’s Second Law; greater force causes greater acceleration
300
A swimmer pushes water backward and moves forward. Name the law and identify the action–reaction pair.
Newton’s Third Law; action = swimmer pushes water, reaction = water pushes swimmer forward
300
An object has balanced forces. What is its motion?
It stays at rest OR moves at constant velocity
300
Why don’t action–reaction forces cancel each other?
They act on different objects
300
What evidence shows climates were different in the past?
Climate evidence (ex: glaciers in warm regions)
300
What is seafloor spreading?
New crust forms at mid-ocean ridges and spreads outward
300
A skateboarder is moving forward. When they hit a rock, they fall forward.
👉 Which law explains this motion and why?
Newton’s First Law; inertia causes the body to keep moving forward
400
A heavier object needs more force to accelerate at the same rate. Name the law and the changing variable.
Newton’s Second Law; mass is increasing
400
Clue: A 10 kg object accelerates at 2 m/s². What is the force?
20 N
400
A person pushes a wall and doesn’t move. Are forces still acting? Explain.
Yes; the wall pushes back with equal force (balanced forces)
400
Which evidence BEST supports continents were once joined, and why?
Fossil evidence because identical fossils on separate continents show connection
400
How is plate tectonics different from Wegener’s idea?
Plate tectonics explains HOW plates move; Wegener only said they move
400
Scientists find identical fossils on two continents that are now far apart.
👉 What conclusion can be made AND which theory explains it?
Continents were once connected; continental drift
500
A truck and car collide. Both feel equal force, but the car accelerates more. Which laws explain this?
Newton’s Third Law (equal forces) and Second Law (mass affects acceleration)
500
Two objects experience the same force. One accelerates faster. What must be true about its mass?
It has less mass
500
A small object and large object push each other. Why do they move differently?
Same force (3rd Law), but smaller mass → greater acceleration (2nd Law)
500
What evidence shows continents fit together like puzzle pieces?
Shape of continents
500
Why was Wegener’s theory rejected at first, and what later evidence supported it?
[Diagram: magnetic stripes + ridge]
Rejected due to no mechanism; later supported by seafloor spreading, magnetic stripes, and mantle convection
500
A small car and a large truck collide. The car is damaged more and moves backward faster.
👉 Explain using TWO Newton’s Laws why this happens.
Newton’s Third Law: both experience equal force
Newton’s Second Law: smaller mass → greater acceleration