Fun With Physics

By Mekhala Chakravarty
Home maker, Bangalore

Foreword by Venkat
The best way to engage and feel engaged with something new is in having the means to connect it with what we already know. And stories are a great means to achieve the same. How should these stories be? Does one need to be highly creative? Mekhala’s example brings a model answer with a story so simple and relatable for students that it makes the subject so much more fun! Only a person who is simple in thought and living can come up with such simple models for describing complex things. Mekhala has a wide range of interests across various subjects including Vedic Astrology.

Relish the rib-tickling story to remember Newton’s laws of motion and a method to make learning enjoyable!

Fun With Physics

Usually we tend to get bored studying our subjects, remembering the formulas, writing exams, scoring marks as we find it a burden. But we eagerly wait for games and stories as they are fun filled and we don’t have to stress our brain. Now what if we combine the boring formulas with stories which will make our subject fun filled and enjoyable? Is it possible? Well, lets see.

We all know Sir Isaac Newton as the discoverer of Gravitational force. Had he not discovered it, may be our school life would have had a chapter less in physics, right? But he discovered it and we have to study…no choice…

And how did he discover this gravitational force? By watching an apple fall to the ground while sitting under a tree. We are all aware of this story of his.

Now there’s another story which many are not aware of.

Because of his discovery of gravity  Sir Newton had become very  enthusiastic  and  very fond of visiting fields and spending time there . And suddenly one day he came up with  Laws of motion.

How?

Well here is the story

As usual our Newton went to the field to sit under his apple tree. But alas! His eyes fell on a cow that was just standing under his tree, doing nothing. He wanted to chase away the cow. He tried shooing it, but it didn’t budge. Thus was born the first law of motion which he called as law of Inertia

A body tends to remain at a state of rest or motion until an external force acts on it

To budge the cow now Newton used the force of his hands to push it away from that place. Feeling somebody pushing it, the cow mooed  “Ma”

Thus was born the second law of motion

The force exerted on a body is the product of its Mass and Acceleration

F= Ma

Since the cow was s heavier than Newton, he could not push it much.  But he wanted to shoo her away. So now he used his feet and kicked the cow to make it go away.  But feeling the kick the cow retaliated. She kicked Newton back. Thus was born the third law of motion

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

Easy way to remember the boring laws of motion, right?

When everything seems so boring, stories always lighten and brighten up the situation. Happy learning!!!

By Mekhala Chakravarty
Home maker, Bangalore

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