Science with a Beat
A hip-hop science tour is helping kids dance to a different beat — science. To get more middle school students interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects FMA Live — named after Sir Isaac Newton’s second law, Force Equals Mass Times Acceleration — combines science and fun.
Newton is famous for discovering gravity. But he is known in science circles for his three laws about motion related to gravity. The first law is the law of inertia, where an object in motion — like an apple falling on someone’s head — stays in motion until an equal or opposing force — like someone’s head — stops it.
His second law and the law for which FMA Live is named states that force equals mass times acceleration. In other words, the amount of force something has depends on how big it is and how fast it is traveling. That is the primary reason why dropping a feather off the top of the Empire State Building greatly preferred to dropping a penny — especially if you are walking on the sidewalk below.
Newton’s third law says for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. When you push on something, it pushes back with equal force. This the primary reason we can’t stick our hands through walls.
The group FMA was started in 2004 by engineering company Honeywell and NASA. It travels the country, delivering an upbeat message about science. This Florida stop is part of the current 20-week tour. Are they stopping by a city near you?
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