Are you looking for an easy way to teach your kids about inertia and the laws of motion? Do you need to find a science lesson that doesn’t need a ton of supplies? Keep reading to see how you can create a simple inertia science experiment right at home!
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Possible lesson topics for this experiment includes Newton’s Laws of Motion and inertia.
This is a really cool science lesson and kids activity for kids as young as four, and it even covers topics they’ll be touching on in middle school! The best part is that parents won’t need a ton of prep time to get this started. Here’s everything you need to know to do this inertia science experiment:
Simple Lesson On The Laws Of Motion
Supplies for Inertia Science Experiment
- Pennies (5 or more)
- Water
- Index card
- Cup or glass
Instructions For Elementary Science Experiment On Chemical Reactions
Step One: Create a stack of five pennies. Hold one penny that you are going to use to represent your “outside force.”
Step Two: Let your kiddo know that you will be flicking the penny they are holding toward the stack of pennies. Talk about what they hypothesize will happen to the stack once the penny hits it. They might think that they entire stack is going to tumble over!
Step Three: Use a steady hand to give a good flick toward the stack of pennies! Your penny will transfer all of the energy from your flick to the penny at the very bottom of the stack. This will make ONLY the bottom penny shoot forward! The remainding pennies in the stack will stay where they were. This proves that an object at rest stays at rest, because the other pennies were not acted on by an outside force.
Step Four: Check for understanding with your students. Talk about inertia and how the pennies reacted to force.
Inertia Science Experiment, Part Two:
If you want to kick this experiment up a notch, or give a second example of inertia, here’s an extension! This is such a fun demonstration that kids never want it to end. You’ll be flicking pennies all day long!
Step One: Place an index card on top of a glass of water. Stack five pennies in the center of the index card, directly above the opening of the glass.
Tip: Glass is best because you can see then entire experiment.
Step Two: Flick the index card! The index card should go flying, while your stack of pennies falls directly into the glass below it. INERTIA!
Step Three: Check for understanding. Explain that your flick transfers force to the index card, but not the pennies. The pennies were at rest so they remained at rest, and dropped down into the glass!
STEM Lesson: The First Law Of Motion
These are perfect visual demonstrations of inertia, which is the topic of Newton’s First Law Of Motion. Inertia can be defined as an object’s resistance to a change in motion. Physics can seem abstract, so hands on activities like this are perfect for visual learners.
An object in motion stays in motion and an object at rest stays at rest until it is acted on by another force. This is the main lesson you want your kiddo to take away from this experiment!
Elementary School Science Lessons
There is so much that you can do with supplies that you can find right in your pocket. This might seem super simple, but it is the perfect visual representation for your kid to understand this scientific concept!
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