| In an animated series, the characters and objects | | | | facing forward. Does the ping pong ball fall? |
| are capable of moving at high speeds and | | | | Now suddenly stop moving! The ping pong ball |
| stopping abruptly in their tracks. In real life this is | | | | pops out of the cup in a direction that is tangential |
| not possible, because everything on earth follows | | | | to its circular path. Why does the ball not stay in |
| certain laws of motion. Free homeschooling can | | | | the cup? |
| teach you how to use objects of daily use to | | | | Answer: This is because, according to the first law |
| learn the laws of motion. Today we will learn why | | | | of motion, the ball continues in its state of motion |
| a ping pong ball behaves the way it does, and I | | | | in a straight line even after the cup stops. After a |
| will also teach you how to build a cool | | | | while, it falls to the ground due to the downward |
| accelerometer. | | | | force of gravity. |
| Animation is fun, but we also need to know | | | | Why then did the ball not pop out when you were |
| objects behave in reality. I am personally no | | | | moving the cup in circles? The ball always wanted |
| longer confused about why certain objects in | | | | to move in a straight line, but it was obstructed |
| motion behave in a particular way. Therefore I | | | | by the side of the cup and made to change its |
| want you to know it too. As I create the | | | | direction (The same reason why your body hits |
| curriculum for free homeschooling and other | | | | the side of your car during sharp turns). |
| programs, I always make it a point to include | | | | Another thing you must have noticed about |
| some cool activities that will teach you about how | | | | motion is that when you are travelling in a car, |
| moving objects behave. | | | | you tend to move forwards and backwards |
| Lessons from a Ping Pong ball | | | | whenever the car frequently changes its speed. In |
| Place a ping pong ball on a ping pong table. You will | | | | other words, you can say that your car is |
| notice that it remains stationary. Now hit it gently | | | | accelerating. |
| with a ping pong bat. It will move. Once it hits the | | | | If your car was moving with a constant speed in |
| net, it will stop. | | | | the same direction, you would be able to stand on |
| Why does the ball behave in this way? Let me | | | | its roof and not fall off. The very reason you |
| use the Laws of Motion framed by an Italian | | | | need a seatbelt your car is to prevent you from |
| scientist, Isaac Newton, to explain why this | | | | getting hurt when the car undergoes huge |
| happens. The first law of motion tells us that any | | | | acceleration. |
| object that is at rest or in motion, will continue in | | | | So, acceleration is the rate at which the speed |
| that state till an external force acts on it. The | | | | (velocity, to be precise) of an object changes in a |
| stationary ping pong ball will continue to remain in | | | | particular direction. Acceleration is another daily life |
| the state of rest unless some external force such | | | | topic that can be taught during free |
| as a breeze or a bat hits it. Once it gets rolling, it | | | | homeschooling sessions. |
| will have the tendency to continue in the state of | | | | Homemade Accelerometer: Your accelerometer is |
| motion unless an external force such as friction | | | | an inverted soda bottle filled with water (no |
| with the table or the net stops it. | | | | bubbles), with a wine cork floating halfway in the |
| This is a very simple free homeschooling idea that | | | | bottle. The wine cork is attached to the inside of |
| uses a humble ping pong ball to give you the | | | | the bottle cap by a string (hot-glued at both |
| foundation for learning Physics. | | | | ends). Construct it yourself! |
| Let's do another experiment with a ping pong ball... | | | | When you travel in your car the next time, hold |
| Glue the bottom of a transparent plastic cup to | | | | this homemade accelerometer in your hand and |
| the end of a dowel of about an arm's length. You | | | | watch the wind cork move to and fro, showing |
| should be able to hold a ping pong ball in it just like | | | | you that your car is accelerating. |
| you hold a marble in a spoon. Now insert the ping | | | | Check out the free "Homeschool Parent's Guide |
| pong ball in the cup and hold the free end. Start | | | | to Teaching Science", for great science |
| moving in a circle with the mouth of the cup | | | | experiments and activities, click the link below. |