Feb 12, 2007
Newton’s Laws Explained With Lego
Everyone who studies any science at school will have come across Newton’s Laws of Motion. His three physical laws explain the relationships between the forces acting on a body and the motion of that body and were first published in 1687 in his magnum opus – Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica.
Newton’s laws underpin so-called classical mechanics, as opposed to quantum mechanics or relativity theory. I’ve summarised them below, but you’ll get a much clearer understanding of bodies in motion if you watch the video.
- Objects stay still or move with constant velocity unless a force pulls on them or gives them a shove
- Pulling or shoving an object changes its velocity (accelerates it) at a rate proportional to the force of the pull or shove
- If you shove or pull an object it will pull or shove back with an equal and opposite force
And remember, gravity isn’t just a good idea, it’s the law!
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September 26th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Naomi, someone would be able to answer your question if it were written a little more clearly. As it stands, I cannot make head nor tail of what you’re trying to say.
September 26th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
what are yhu guys tlkn bout??/!!!!!! js playn i was thinkn to what will happn if we dont have gravity would they think of something else wat or where would we be now without it i think we might of created something or would we?????????????? lolx
August 20th, 2008 at 7:55 am
@Dennis It’s odd that you say gravity is a law and that it cannot be changed…well isn’t there a certain 20th Century physicist who would beg to differ and suggested that gravity is little more than a distortion of the spacetime continuum due to the presence of mass? Maybe I misunderstood what you were alluding to, and yes, the data still looks the same at the levels we observe in our everyday lives.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
The operating fields of gravity is to direct an object to a equal zero point of effect, or a notable (none) effect. Gravity is a Law, and cannot be changed, but its established fields of operation can be manipulated.
Just image gravity as the subject and under this subject are three categories. Each of these categories are a sub-operating field, and together they produce the end-result, which are expressed by Newton, and your video.
May 1st, 2008 at 2:53 pm
I’d love to find some more Lego animations explaining scientific principles, anyone care to mock up a Lego train with a flashlight and a miniature Einstein figure to do relativity?
db
March 11th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Awesome – definitely blogroll-worthy. : )
December 17th, 2007 at 11:28 am
Coming soon Einstein’s Theory of Relativity in Meccano! (I wish)
db
November 27th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Oh, by the way, Newton postulated the existence of gravity not because an apple fell on his head, but because he observed a comet and realised it was somehow being swung around behind the sun.
February 25th, 2007 at 9:38 am
Hey everyone! This is Zach M., the creator of the video.
I’m glad you liked the movie, and I am aware of a few errors in my science. But nonetheless, I’m still glad you enjoyed it!