Newton's First Law
"Objects at rest or in motion with constant velocity will remain in that state unless acted upon by an outside force."
Sure, students can easily memorize this statement and yet, studies still show that the misconception that a force is required to keep an object in motion persists, even among many high school and university physics students.
The key to transforming Newton's 1st Law from rote memorization to internalized concept is a visual demonstration or activity where the outside force of friction is minimized as much as possible. Here are three solutions that do exactly that. Each can be used individually or in concert as part of a comprehensive solution.
PASCO Solutions
Hover Puck
A simple but attention grabbing demonstration, the Hover Puck glides across a lecture table or through a classroom free of friction. Adding a motion detector can easily move its use from the qualitative to the quantitative.
Hovercraft
Whether a large lecture hall calls for a larger scale demonstration, or if a more dramatic application is called for, the PASCO Hovercraft provides both.
Frames of Reference solution
Stepping beyond a short demonstration, the PASCO Dynamic Tracks and Carts can provide a comprehensive investigation of Newton's 1st Law and inertial frames of reference.
