This article originally appeared on The Eurekas:
https://theeurekas.co.uk/submissions/runner-up-flying-with-newtons-laws/
Congratulations to our 2023 runner-up, Khadijah from Sharples High School. Khadijah created a brilliant video to demonstrate Newton’s Laws of Motion. Take a look at her entry below:
Behind my passion for engineering, there is a lot of physics to reveal…
Since my sister loves dolls, I created a zipline to send her doll down into a wooden-carved house, from her bedroom window! Attempting using a designed transportation device (which I observed the mass created too much of a resistant force) a range of materials, was also used to find the most effective.
I used plywood to create the product, which transferred different energy stores to the wood eg. cutting the wood- kinetic energy to thermal energy.
The contact between the source and the zipline is connected using satin to generate enough flow before stopping, from a moderate velocity- due to the difference in height.
This also proves Newton’s 3 laws of motion:
- An object will not change its motion unless a force acts on it. The external force applied can be considered to be gravity, which causes the doll to start moving.
- A force to be equal to mass x acceleration. Acceleration is produced when a force acts as a mass. The greater the mass, the greater the force required.
- When two objects interact, equal magnitude of forces are applied in opposite directions. As the doll accelerates, an equal force of air resistance opposes.
