Newton's Laws

To help myself remember Newton's Laws I found a way to compare it to one of my favorite activities, being on the potter's wheel, or also known as throwing clay.

1)  An object at rest stays at rest while an object in motions stay in motion unless acted on by an outside force (law of inertia).

When the wheel is turned off the clay will just sit there.  When you press the pedal the wheel will begin to spin.

2)  F=Ma (Force= Mass x acceleration)

When you prepare your wheel, you typically ball up the clay, center it to the disk, and throw it downward so it will stick and not leave the possibility of being thrown off once the wheel begins to spin! 

3)  For every action there is an equal, but opposite reaction.

If you've seen the movie Ghost, you probably remember this infamous scene.  As you pull the clay upward, if you're not steady enough it will make the entire piece uneven/unsteady.  Also, as you pull upward and make it too thin, it will collapse on itself.