Unit 1b: football car accident
essential question in what ways can an object’s motion be changed?
indicator(s) 5.1.1 the student will use analytical techniques appropriate to
the study of physics.
5.1.3 the student will analyze and explain how newton’s laws
describe changes in an object’s motion.
a police officer is called to the scene of a car accident. in his accident report he
sketches the scene and describes it. according to his description the car went off of the
road and hit a tree right after a bend. the driver claimed that a second car ran them off
the road by hitting them from behind. using his observations and his knowledge of
physics, the police officer determined that the driver was not telling the truth.
explain how the police officer determined that the car was not run off the road by a
second car that came from behind. in your reponse, be sure to include:
 labels of the forces that would have acted on the car if it were hit from behind.
 labels of the forces that must have acted on the car to have in follow the path
indicated with the arrow on the sketch of the scene.
 how forces affected the motion of the car.

be sure to consider the completeness of your response, supporting details, and accurate
use of terms.