2. Introduction Short Description: Age range: 12-13 years old
Students will find out about newton’s third law and the principle of action and reaction.
A hand on experience with easy set up experiments will help understand the principle
Students will have the chance to explore newton’s third law by setting up an experiment by themselves in a science center (museum)
Students study mechanics by observing simulations and videos
Age range: years old
Context: School, museum
Time required: approx. 3-5 lessons
Connection with the curriculum: mechanics, movement, forces

3. Set up a stimulating experiment:
Eliciting Curiosity – pre visit phase 1
Set up a stimulating experiment:
A student on a skateboard will be asked to move a desk
Students find out neither it will be impossible to move the desk nor not to move themselves.
Discuss why does this happen?

4. Questions Eliciting Activities – pre visit phase 1
Define questions from current knowledge
Because of the obvious movement of the student it turns out there MUST BE a force on the student.
This force is of equal magnitude and opposite direction
This can be shown by using 2 skateboards and 2 (same mass) students.
Material

5. Questions Eliciting Activities – pre visit phase 1
Define questions from current knowledge
What examples for newton’s third law occure in everyday life?
How do students intuitionally experience mechanics (e.g. walking, jumping, …)
Material

6. Pre Visit –Phase 2: Active Investigation –
PROPOSE PRELIMINARY EXPLANATION OR HYPOTHESES
How can we set up an easy experiment to prove newton’s third law?
Students should get some input and ideas by making research for experiments on the web or realize their own ideas.
Students will be guided to develop an experiment that causes action which will provoke reaction

7. a possible setup could be: “the balloon-race”
Pre Visit –Phase 2: Active Investigation –
the rocket – balloon - race
a possible setup could be: “the balloon-race”
Material
Source:

8. Pre Visit –Phase 2: misconceptions
Identification of possible misconceptions associated to forces. Some could be:
A common misconception is that the forward movement is due to the air inside the balloon is pushing on the outside air. However, this experiment would work even in the vacuum of space! This is why rockets work even outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
Another misconception is the idea that force and counteracting force will sum up to zero. This is explained in the material to general information on newton’s third law.

9. Pre Visit –Phase 2: Observation:
Simulation of force and counterforce: “the lunar lander”
Try to place the lander on the surface
analyze influence of force on movement and acceleration
measure forces and strength
Animation
directions
Source:
activity

10. Pre Visit –Phase 2: simulation “forces”
Explore force and counterforce on the example of aplied force and friction force
Learn about vector analysis
Understand relation between movement and friction force
Animation
activity
Source:

11. Visit a science center: "Haus der Natur"
Visit - Phase 3 Creation – GATHER EVIDENCE FROM OBSERVATION
Visit a science center: "Haus der Natur"
Observe experiments showing Newton's third law
Observe the bottle rocket rushing through the tube
Discuss Newton's laws and the experimental design with people from the science center
movie

12. Build your own "water rocket" (assembly set)
Visit - Teaching Phase 4 Discussion – consider and observe explanations
Build your own "water rocket" (assembly set)
Class-project: Building up a water rocket
Observe the bottle rocket taking off
Discuss Newton's third law and the experimental design
E.g.:

13. Visit - Teaching Phase 4 Discussion – Explanation based on evidence
Generalize the principle of rocket movement from a water rocket to a space rocket:
Class-project: Get information about rockets through web research
Explain and discuss the principle of thrust and propellant to be used in rockets
Discuss how controlling during flight works
material
Source:

14. Analyzing – post visit Teaching phase 5: communicate observations and explanations
Get more information about rockets
Research for rocket videos on the web
observe lift off in real time
Get an idea of the energy consumption of a launching rocket
How does Newton's Third Law affect everyday life?
working out examples for action and reaction principle
walking, jumping from a base, …
Collect ideas and in group work and work out presentations of findings
movie

15. Collect ideas and in group work and work out presentations of findings
Analyzing – post visit Teaching phase 5: communicate observations and explanations
Collect ideas and in group work and work out presentations of findings
Wings of an aircraft
He-core and mother core
Two rollerskaters draging to each other
weapons