Ever since we learned about force and Newton's laws, I have become increasingly conscious of my body's movements during car rides. So I decided to write this particular entry about riding in the car. Here is a picture of my dad's Toyota Rav4, where I spend 30 minutes of my life everyday sitting in the front seat.
Today, as I came home from Youth Symphony rehearsal, I paid close attention to my body movements so that I could document them right here. As we left the parking lot of the UH music department, moving at constant velocity, my body was perfectly at ease, not being forced forward or backward. However, as we approached the stop light at the Dole intersection, I found my body was forced slightly forward as we slowed to a stop. When the light turned green, I found my self being forced back into the seat as my dad accelerated forward. Later, as we waited at the on ramp to the freeway, my dad accelerated more than before, and I was pushed even more forcefully back into the seat. As we exited the freeway, the car in front of us stopped abruptly, so I lunged forward in my seat, slamming into my seatbelt. Finally, we made it safely home.
The reason for all of this is physics! Newton's first law states that an object remains at rest, or maintains constant velocity, unless a net force acts upon it. This explains why my body resisted changes in motion. When my dad stepped on the gas and accelerated, my body was forced back into the seat because it wanted to remain at rest. When my dad suddenly stepped on the brakes and we came to a stop, my body lunged forward because it wanted to remain in motion. This is why buckling up is the law: Physics could kill you if you don't.
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