Newton's Third Law and Collisions

Free to teach as-is — the teacher guide, student handout, and slides are included.

Free — we'll email you an access link. Google Docs format.

Objective

I can use Newton's Third Law to design a way to solve a problem involving two objects hitting each other.

Part 1 of 3

Warm-up video

Unknown Channel · 5:00

We don't generate video — this one is by Unknown Channel on YouTube. The practice questions and exit ticket below were drafted by AI for this objective, and every question is editable in the teacher guide.

Part 2 of 3

Practice

11 questions

1

State Newton's Third Law in your own words.

2

Explain what the "equal" and "opposite" parts of Newton's Third Law refer to when describing forces.

Part 3 of 3

Exit ticket

Quick comprehension check

Two toy cars collide head-on. Car A exerts a force of 3 N on Car B. According to Newton's Third Law, what is the magnitude and direction of the force exerted by Car B on Car A? How could you change the mass of Car A to make it move less during the collision? A bicycle collides with a stationary box. The bicycle exerts a force of 10 N on the box. According to Newton's Third Law, what is the magnitude and direction of the force exerted by the box on the bicycle? How could you change the mass of the box to make it move more during the collision? A ball is dropped and hits the floor. The ball exerts a force of 5 N on the floor. According to Newton's Third Law, what is the magnitude and direction of the force exerted by the floor on the ball? How could you change the mass of the ball to make it move less after the collision?

Sample answer included in the free materials

Get the materials

Teacher guide, student handout, and slides — free, in Google Docs format

  • Teacher Guide

    Complete lesson plan with answer keys and alternate activities

  • Student Handout

    Printable worksheet

  • Slides

    Ready to present

We'll ask for your email to send your access link — nothing else.

Teaching a group at a different level?

Where are your students right now? We'll rebuild this lesson to match — including the teacher guide, student handout, and slides, saved to your Google Drive.

Adapt This Lesson