Newton's Laws of Motion

Hello! Have you ever pushed a toy car and watched it zoom across the floor? Or wondered why a ball you throw eventually stops rolling? What about when you jump up and always come back down? That’s me at work! I am the secret rule that explains all the pushes, pulls, and wiggles in the world. I make things go, and I make them stop.

For a long, long time, I was a mystery. Then, a very curious man named Isaac Newton started paying close attention. He watched apples fall and planets dance in the sky. He figured me out! On July 5th, 1687, he wrote all about me in a famous book. He told everyone my three secrets. First, things love to keep doing what they’re already doing. If your teddy bear is sitting still, it stays still. If a ball is rolling, it wants to keep rolling! That's my first rule.

My second rule is that to make something move, you need to give it a push or a pull! A tiny push makes a toy move a little, but a BIG push makes it go fast! My third rule is the most fun: for every push, there is a push back. When you stomp your feet, you push the ground, and the ground pushes you! These rules help you play on the swings, kick a soccer ball, and even help astronauts fly in rockets. I am Newton's Laws of Motion, and I help you understand how our wonderful world moves!