PARTNER'S NAME

EXPERIMENT 3.1

Equipment:

• Wagon, skate board, or roller skate
• Small electric fan
• Long extension cord
• Duct tape

Use a small electric fan with a very long extension cord for a propeller. Put the propeller on anything that can move easily - a wagon, skate board, or a roller skate. Use duct tape to attach it firmly. Turn the fan on and the wagon, skate board, or roller skate will go backwards. This is because the blades of the fan push the air forwards. From Newton's third law, when the fan pushes the air forward, the air pushes back on the fan, causing it to go backwards.

EXPERIMENT 3.2

Equipment:
• Wagon, skate board, or roller skate
• Bowling ball
• A brave student (or teacher) with good balance

This experiment is similar to the first, except we will be using people instead of fans! Have a person with good balance stand on the wagon or skate board, or have them put on roller skates. This person will then take the bowling ball and throw it to another person. Try to throw the ball forward, not up. What happens to the person as they throw the bowling ball? Explain why this happens using Newton's third law.