Tug of war game with skate-boards

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1. Newton's Second Law
2. Newton's Third Law

Introduction

By taking part in a tug-of-war game with skate-boards, students are given a chance to experience the action-reaction pair of force. Discussion on the strategy of winning would help to bring out concepts relating to Newton's Laws of Motion.

Fig. 1 Tug-of-war game with skate-boards.

1. Two students standing on skate-boards hold the two ends of a long rope (Fig. 1).
2. They should try to pull at each other. The student who is pulled across the red line in front of him/her loses the game.
3. Other students are reminded to observe the motion carefully.
4. After the race, students should discuss among themselves the winning strategy based on Newton's Laws of Motion.

1. How do the players move when one of them pull the rope? Explain the motion.
2. What is the function of the skate-boards?
3. Is it clever to pull the rope with a large force? Will the player win if he/she adapts such a strategy?
4. What happen when one player is much heavier than the other? Suggest a winning strategy based on this observation and explain why.