Although these questions may seem simple, they form the basis of Newton's second law of motion. The Fan Cart Physics Gizmo can be used to illustrate all three of Newton's laws.
Fans
Blocks
M
Gizmo Warm-up
The Fan Cart Physics Gizmo shows a common teaching
tool called a fan cart. Place fan A on the cart and turn it
on by clicking the On/Off button below.
1. Look at the blue lines coming from the fan. In which
direction is the air pushed?
M
M
MN Show velocty and acceleration
Fas
B
Onion
Seconds
0.0
Direction
+
2. Press Play ( ) and observe the cart. In which
direction does the cart move?
AV Shows
By blowing to the left, the fans exert a force on the cart that pushes it to the right. This
illustrates Newton's third law: A force in one direction results in an equal force in the
opposite direction
Se