Teacher InstructionsGrades 6–12

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Students will complete a hands-on activity based on a

scenario from the Scorpion television show to explore

Newton’s Laws of Motion.

Forty-five minutes, plus time to view the Scorpion

episode

Scorpion trailer, copies of “The Case of the Falling

Satellite” activity sheet, calculators, large pans or

trays, flour, marbles, rulers, scales

1. Find out how many students have ever heard of

Isaac Newton. Call on volunteers to share what

they know about him with the class.

2. Explain that Isaac Newton was a British physicist and

mathematician born more than 370 years ago. He is

famous for explaining gravity and the movement of

planets. He also created three laws that we still use

today to describe the motion of objects.

3. Pose this “Essential Question” for students to

consider as they watch the Scorpion trailer:

How might laws that explain how objects move

be important to solve the problem faced by the

Scorpion team?

1. Explain that in the upcoming season premiere,

the Scorpion team must face a problem in

which a Russian K12 satellite has been struck

by debris, knocking it out of orbit and sending

it toward Earth. Similar to the problem posed

on the student worksheet, the Scorpion

team must brainstorm multiple solutions and

overcome setbacks in order to solve the issue

before the satellite crashes to Earth. Tell the

class that they are now going to put their

teamwork and science skills to the test to

investigate a similar problem.

2. Divide the class into groups and hand out the

“Case of the Falling Satellite” activity sheet to

each group. Read the introduction together as

a class. It sets up the scenario the groups will

be tackling.

3. Groups should use their own prior knowledge to

brainstorm ideas to solve the problem and share

them with the class. Encourage other groups to

provide helpful feedback about why they think the

ideas would or would not work.

4. Have the groups complete the Plan A portion of

the activity. Remind them that they may need to

convert numbers so they are working with like

units. (Note: For simplicity’s sake, the provided

equations don’t take into account the effect of air

resistance on flying objects.) Circulate between

groups as they work, helping any group who

becomes stuck.

5. Explain that when objects follow a trajectory,

Newton’s First Law is at work. It states that

objects in motion stay in motion unless acted

upon by another force. The reason the satellite

doesn’t just sail forward through the air at a

constant speed is because another force is

pulling it toward Earth—gravity. This causes its

path to curve toward the ground until…crash!

6. As a class, read the Plan B section of the activity

sheet. Students will be faced with a worst-case

scenario: They can’t stop the satellite, so they

need to minimize its destructive power. Hand out

materials and instruct the class to complete the

experiment to show why a satellite crashing into

land would cause major damage.

7. Review the groups’ answers to the conclusion

questions as a class to assess their understanding

of Newton’s Second Law. Discuss some of the

variables, such as mass and velocity, that affect how

large of an impact a falling satellite would make.

Explain that the greater the distance an object falls,

the more time it has to accelerate and gain speed.

The greater the speed, the larger the impact.

Have students research and build a simple catapult,

and then design an experiment to test how speed and

angle affect trajectory and the distance objects can fly.

• MS-PS2-2: Plan an investigation to provide

evidence that the change in an object’s motion

depends on the sum of the forces on the object

and the mass of the object.

• HS-PS2-1: Analyze data to support the claim that

Newton’s Second Law of motion describes the

mathematical relationship among the net force on a

macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.

Next Generation Science Standards:

Main Lesson: Part 1

Lesson Plan

Main Lesson: Part 2

Goal:

Time:

Materials:

Before You Begin: Extension Challenge:

Student Worksheet Page 1

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First Law: Objects will remain at rest or in motion until outside forces act on them.

Second Law: Force (F) equals an object’s mass (m) times its acceleration (a), or F = ma.

Third Law: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Newton’s Laws of Motion

Names of Group Members

Plan A: Attack the Problem Plan B: Secure a Safer Crash SiteYou can’t connect with the satellite’s computer to redirect it away from populated areas. Your next option: Shoot down the satellite with a missile. To successfully intercept the satellite, you’ll need more information about its trajectory—the curved path of a flying object.

What to do: Use the following trajectory equations to calculate how long it will take the satellite to crash and the distance it will travel before landing.

Satellite’s velocity, or speed, (v) = 26,000 kilometers/hour

Satellite’s height above Earth (h) = 36,000 kilometers

Acceleration due to gravity (a) = 9.8 meters/second2

Time until crash (t) = √2h/a =

Landing distance = vt =

Oh no! Something went wrong, causing the missile to miss its target. Time to do some damage control. If you can’t stop the satellite at least you can get it to crash into the ocean instead of on land. Let’s see why this would be a better option.

Predict: Will an object dropped from a greater or lower height strike the ground with more force?

Attention, Team Scorpion! A satellite has been knocked out of orbit and is speeding toward Earth. It carries radioactive material on board that could explode on impact, threatening the lives of millions. Your knowledge about Newton’s Laws of Motion is needed to stop this disaster from happening!

Student Worksheet Page 2

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Materials Scorpion trailer, copies of “The Case of the Falling Satellite” activity sheet, calculators, large pans or trays, flour, marbles, rulers, scales

What to Do1. Fill a pan with a few inches of flour and gently shake to create a

level surface.

2. Drop a marble from a height of 15 centimeters (6 inches) into the pan. Carefully remove the ball and measure the width of its impact crater. Smooth out the flour and repeat this step for a second trial. Find the average crater width from your two attempts and record your results in the table below.

3. Repeat step 2 from a height of 30 cm (12 in.) and 60 cm (24 in.).

4. Weigh the marble and record its mass (m). m = _____________.

5. Use Newton’s Second Law to determine the force (F) acting on the marble as it falls. (Hint: Since the marble is falling, its acceleration (a) is due to gravity.) F = _____________. Use this amount to help you calculate the marble’s energy of impact for each drop height. Record your results in the table below.

Analyze Your Results:1. Which height produced the largest crater?

Why do you think that is?

2. Is there a relationship between crater width and impact energy? If so, what is it?

3. Based on your data, explain why it would make sense for an object, such as a satellite, falling from such a great height to land in the ocean versus on land.

Drop Height (cm) Trial 1: Crater Width (cm)

Trial 2: Crater Width (cm)

Average Crater Width (cm)

Energy of ImpactE = Fh

15

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Don’t miss out on the

science action!Tune in to CBS for the

season premiere of Scorpion on Monday,

September 21 at 9/8c.