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Write a hypothesis for Part I of the lab, which is about the effect on an object being carried by a car, when the car experiences a sudden impact. Use the format of "if . . . then . . . because . . . ” and be sure to answer the lesson question "How can Newton's laws be experimentally verified?” specific to Newton’s first law.

User Tamak
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Final answer:

A hypothesis based on Newton's first law might state that an object in a moving car will continue in motion when the car stops due to inertia, hence experimentally verifying the law by observing the object's behavior.

Step-by-step explanation:

Experimental Verification of Newton's First Law

A well-constructed hypothesis for the effect on an object being carried by a car when the car experiences a sudden impact, in the context of Newton's first law, could be articulated as follows:

"If an object is placed in a car that is moving at a constant velocity and the car suddenly stops due to an impact, then the object will continue moving forward at the same speed and in the same direction as the car was moving before the impact, because according to Newton's first law, an object in motion remains in motion with the same velocity unless acted upon by an unbalanced external force."

This hypothesis directly addresses the lesson question on how Newton's laws can be experimentally verified, specifically Newton’s first law, by hypothesizing the continued motion of the object due to inertia in the event of a sudden stop of the car. By observing the motion of the object, which is expected to move with the same velocity when the car stops suddenly, one can experimentally verify the law that relates to inertia and the need for an external force to change the motion of an object.

User Dries
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This relates to Newton's first law of motion around inertia. An object travelling in a car will tend to continue travelling in a straight line if the car changes direction. I would propose a hypothesis of something like:

IF object and car travelling at 10m/s
AND car decelerates (brakes hard)
THEN object will continue in same direction and at same initial velocity

I.e. we are attempting to verify the law of inertia by using it's predictive powers.


User Lashauna
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