Inertia

Inertia WebQuest

Part I: Discovering Inertia

Read the explanation and watch the [|motorcycle animation] :

1. What is the law of inertia? 2. Why did the motorcyclist get thrown off of his motorcycle? Was there an external force pushing him forward?

3. A truck is traveling to the right and is carrying a ladder on its roof. When the truck slams on its breaks, the ladder will: a. stay on the truck b. slide backwards off the back of the truck c. slide forwards off the front of the truck

Watch the [|Truck and Ladder animation] :

4. Was your predicion correct? Use physics terms to explain what happened to the ladder.

5. An airplane is flying eastward at 200 m/s when it drops a package out of the bottom. The package will land: a. behind the airplane b. directly beneath the airplane c. in front of the airplane

Watch the [|Airplane Animation] : 6. Was your predicion correct? Use physics terms to explain what happened to the package.