MS-PS2-1 lessons
Apply Newton's third law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.
The Next Generation Science Standards code MS-PS2-1 asks students to: “Apply Newton's third law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.” These Fieldbook lessons teach it hands-on, with everyday materials, a printable teacher guide and a student sheet.
Forces and Motion: Crash, Push and Stop Grade 8
- Why does a heavier cart hit harder? 50–60 min
Teams load a toy car with coins, roll it down the same ramp into a paper cup and measure how far the cup slides. They graph mass against slide distance and explain, with momentum, why a loaded truck is harder to stop than a small car.
- Can you design a crumple zone? Two periods of 45–60 min (or one 75–90 min block)
Teams design, build and test a crumple zone that lets a raw egg in a zip bag survive a cart crash into a wall, working to a budget and a size limit. They measure how far each design crushed and use class data to explain why a longer stop means a smaller force.
NGSS is used as written in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, so the code MS-PS2-1 matches there. Other states word and number their own versions: see curriculum alignment for your state's codes.
More NGSS standards for middle school
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