Introduction :

Newton is the SI unit of force. Though we use this unit from Std 8 on wards and spends years after year with this, a feel of how strong a newton is, is not developed. This experiment is designed to develop a feeling of 1 N force.
A weighing machine where the object is placed on the platform and the mass in displayed on a dial or on a digital display. If 100g mass is put on the platform, it presses the platform by a force of 0.98 N, that is about 1 N. The idea is to press the platform with a force which gives 100g reading. This force will be 1N.

What you need :

Spring action based Weighing Machine

Keywords :

Mass, Acceleration, Newton, Inertia 

What to do :

  1. Take a Weighing Wachine where the object is placed on the platform and the mass in displayed on a dial or on a digital display.
  2. See the  reading, if it has any zero error, remove it
  3. Ask a student to press the pan of the weighing machine by a force which he/she thinks is 1 N. To dramatize, ask the student not to see the reading and push the platform. Some other student should read the reading and tell how many newtons of force the first student has applied. My experience with hundreds of students (and also teachers)  is that they apply between 6-9 newtons and think that to be 1 N.
  4. Finally let the student see the reading and adjust the push till the dial reading shows 100 g.
  5. Repeat for other magnitudes such as 5 N, 10 N etc.

Acknowledgment :

First seen in a show by Mr Tarnekar of Jabalpur held at IITK

Hazard :

None

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