01.03 The Laws of Motion Worksheet

Instructions: For this assignment, describe Newton’s laws of motion while skateboarding. Next, study the graph of distance traveled to determine if the skateboarder is on a dry, wet, or muddy road condition. Describe how these conditions affect the motion of the skateboard. Then, complete the table by calculating the acceleration of the skateboard on each road condition.

The simulation shows skateboarding animation:
Condition, Speed, Result
Dry, 10 mph, The skater makes it over the ramp without any problems.
Wet, 10 mph, The skater makes it over the ramp and continues past the ramp.
Muddy, 10 mph, The skater makes it to the ramp but only makes it to the top of the ramp.

Part 1: Newton’s Laws
Observe the virtual skateboarder coming down the hill and over the ramp. Describe how each of Newton’s laws of motion can be observed in this action. You can choose the dry, wet, or muddy condition, or some combination of these.

• Newton’s First Law of Motion

• Newton’s Second Law of Motion

• Newton’s Third Law of Motion

Part 2: Analyze
The graph below shows the distance traveled by the skateboarder on each of the different road conditions. Using the graph, determine which of the roads was dry, wet, or muddy. Explain your answer using complete sentences.

Graph shows:
Road A = 8 meters distance
Road B = 2 meters distance
Road C = 12 meters distance

• Road A

• Road B

• Road C

Part 3: Calculations
Using the given data table, calculate the acceleration of the skateboarder. You can use either form of the equation below.
- acceleration = net force/mass
- force = acceleration x mass

Road A Road B Road C
Acceleration (m/s2)
Mass of person and skateboard (kg) 62 62 62
Force (N) 480 240 600

What would you expect to happen to the acceleration if all friction were removed from the ramp, making the net force even higher than 600 N?