Inertia
What are some examples of inertia?
Goal:
Goal:
Remember when the cardboard was removed between the coin and the cup? What happened to the coin?
The coin stayed at rest and dropped into the cup due to the force of gravity.
There are ways that you experience inertia in everyday life. When you are riding in a car that stops quickly, inertia will cause the passengers to continue moving forward. Seat belts help keep us from continuing that forward movement.
You can also feel the effects of inertia while you are riding on a roller coaster. When the roller coaster jerks side to side, you will continue in that direction until the sides of the coaster car or the seat belt stop your movement in that direction.
We should also note that if an object has more mass, there is a greater tendency to resist changes in the motion of the object. This means that it would take less force to stop a baby than an adult.
When you are riding in a car or on a roller coaster, what role does a seat belt play?