Students observe Newton's laws

Byram - By observing how Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of motion apply in their daily lives, eighth grade science students in Irene Misurelli’s at the Byram Intermediate School are coming to an awareness that each scientific discovery is built on prior knowledge. As Newton himself put it: “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants,” If they started the second marking period in awe of the trickster who can whip a table cloth out from under a full dinner service, they now know it is merely Newton’s First Law of Motion in action. They also questioned: “How does the force of friction interact with motion?” and “How is it that objects with different masses will fall to the earth at the same time?” Newton’s Third Law was demonstrated by using empty film canisters and allowing a chemical reaction within one of the canisters to supply the equal and opposite force which caused both canisters to hit opposite sides of the classroom.