Physics Inertia Lab
In this lab, we were given the task of successfully pulling out a tablecloth beneath a plate, bowl, and spoon. First I set up our tablecloth and made sure it had no wrinkles in it and laid completely flat. I then positioned the plate and bowl closer to the edge of the table. This trick allows for less error. The final step was to quickly pull the cloth down and out from beneath the items, which I did successfully in the video above.
In this experiment we witnessed Newton’s first Law of Motion. The first law explains that objects in motion stay in motion and objects at rest stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside, unbalanced force. The force of the friction between the plate and cloth while it was being pulled was not enough to pull the plate, bowl, and spoon out of their rest state. This lab falls under the Critical Thinking category because you must understand the law of Inertia in order to make the experiment work. Knowing the special tips and tricks on how to be successful was helpful as well.