A skateboard that will not stop on a perfect floor3 panels. Push: one push sets the skateboard rolling. Smooth: on a floor with no friction, nothing pushes back, so it keeps the same speed in a straight line. Rough: on real pavement, friction is the unbalanced force that slows it down.
A coin on a card on top of a cup3 panels. Set: a coin rests on a card that covers a cup. Flick: the card is flicked away sideways, too fast to take the coin along. Drop: the coin, still at rest and with nothing under it, is pulled straight down into the cup by gravity.
A ball rolling on grass thinks it is getting tired3 panels. Roll: the ball rolls across the grass and slows. Excuse: it tells the other balls that it is tired. Truth: friction from the grass is an unbalanced force acting on it, and without that force it would keep rolling.
A ball rolling on grass thinks it is getting tired3 panels. Roll: the ball rolls across the grass and slows. Excuse: it tells the other balls that it is tired. Truth: friction from the grass is an unbalanced force acting on it, and without that force it would keep rolling.
A coin on a card on top of a cup3 panels. Set: a coin rests on a card that covers a cup. Flick: the card is flicked away sideways, too fast to take the coin along. Drop: the coin, still at rest and with nothing under it, is pulled straight down into the cup by gravity.
A hockey puck on fresh ice goes on and on3 panels. Tap: a stick taps the puck. Glide: the ice gives very little friction, so the puck loses speed slowly and slides a long way in a straight line. Stop: the boards supply the unbalanced force that finally stops it.
A skateboard that will not stop on a perfect floor3 panels. Push: one push sets the skateboard rolling. Smooth: on a floor with no friction, nothing pushes back, so it keeps the same speed in a straight line. Rough: on real pavement, friction is the unbalanced force that slows it down.
A soccer ball that waits all day for a kick3 panels. At rest: the ball sits on the grass, and nothing changes. Still at rest: clouds pass, a snail goes by, and the ball has not moved. Kick: a foot gives it an unbalanced force at last, and off it goes.
A space probe that coasts with its engine off3 panels. Burn: the engine fires and the probe speeds up. Off: far from anything, with no unbalanced force on it, the probe needs no engine to keep going. Coast: it holds one speed along a straight line.
Inertia, a character who hates a change of plan3 panels. Resting: Inertia is asleep on the couch and means to stay asleep. Moving: once walking, Inertia means to keep walking, same speed, same direction. Rule: only an unbalanced force changes what Inertia is doing.
The magician, the tablecloth and the plates3 panels. Set: plates sit at rest on a tablecloth. Pull: the cloth is whipped away so fast that it hardly drags on them. Still: the plates stay where they were, because an object at rest remains at rest.
Oranges that keep going straight when the car turns3 panels. Straight: a bag of oranges rides in the trunk. Turn: the car turns left. Roll: the oranges keep going in a straight line until the side of the trunk pushes them into the turn.
Standing passengers on a bus that brakes3 panels. Moving: the bus and its standing passengers roll along at the same speed. Brakes: the brakes act on the bus, not on the passengers. Lurch: their bodies keep moving forward until the handrails pull them back.
Second law: force and mass 10
A beach ball and a bowling ball get the same kick3 panels. Beach ball: one kick and it sails away, because its mass is small. Bowling ball: the same kick barely moves it. Foot: it now knows that acceleration depends on mass, and it is hopping.
A pitcher throws a baseball, then tries a watermelon3 panels. Baseball: the arm's force gives a small mass a big acceleration. Watermelon: the same arm, the same force, a much bigger mass. Splat: it leaves the hand slowly and lands at the pitcher's feet.
A rocket that gets lighter as it climbs3 panels. Liftoff: the engines push a rocket full of fuel, and it gains speed slowly. Burning: fuel is used up and the rocket's mass drops. Faster: the same push on less mass gives more acceleration.
A tugboat nudges a very large ship3 panels. Push: a small tugboat pushes with all the force it has. Ship: the ship's mass is enormous, so its acceleration is tiny. Patience: the push goes on, and the ship's speed changes little by little.
A wagon that is harder to start as friends climb in4 panels. Empty: one pull and the wagon speeds up fast. One rider: the same pull, more mass, less acceleration. Three riders: the same pull hardly speeds it up. Fix: more mass needs more force for the same acceleration.
An ant and an elephant push the same peanut3 panels. Ant: it pushes with a small force and the peanut speeds up a little. Elephant: it pushes with a large force and the peanut shoots away. Lesson: for the same mass, a bigger force gives a bigger acceleration.
Force equals mass times acceleration, as a recipe card3 panels. Force: the push or pull. Mass: how much matter is being pushed. Acceleration: how quickly the velocity changes, and the card reads force equals mass times acceleration.
One pusher, then two, on the same sled3 panels. One: one friend pushes a sled, and it speeds up slowly. Two: a second friend pushes as hard, and the force doubles. Result: the mass is the same, so the acceleration doubles as well.
The same small push on a full cart and an empty cart3 panels. Same push: one hand gives the same push to a loaded cart and an empty one. Empty: the cart with less mass speeds up quickly. Loaded: the heavy cart barely gains speed, because for equal forces more mass means less acceleration.
Three pushes on a scooter: from behind, in front, the side3 panels. Behind: a push from behind speeds the scooter up. In front: a push from the front slows it down. Side: a push from the side turns it, because the change in motion is in the direction of the force.
Third law: action and reaction 10
A balloon let go flies around the room3 panels. Full: a blown-up balloon is pinched shut. Release: the balloon pushes air out of its neck. Flight: the escaping air pushes the balloon the opposite way, and it zigzags across the room over everyone's heads.
A rocket and its exhaust push each other apart3 panels. Action: the engine pushes hot exhaust gas out of the back. Reaction: the gas pushes the rocket forward with an equal force in the opposite direction. Liftoff: the rocket goes up because the gas goes down.
A roller skater pushes a wall and rolls backward3 panels. Push: a kid on roller skates pushes against a wall. Push back: the wall pushes on the kid just as hard, the other way. Roll: the wall stays put and the skater rolls backward.
A rower: the oar pushes water back, the boat goes forward3 panels. Oar in: the blade dips into the water. Action: the oar pushes water toward the back. Reaction: the water pushes on the oar the other way, and the boat moves forward.
A swimmer and the wall at the end of the pool3 panels. Turn: a swimmer's feet reach the wall. Action: the feet push on the wall. Reaction: the wall pushes back on the feet with equal force, and the swimmer shoots off into the next lap.
A wing pushes air down and the air pushes the wing up3 panels. Flow: air streams past a wing. Action: the wing deflects the air downward. Reaction: the air pushes the wing upward, and that push is lift.
Action and Reaction, twins who never push the same thing3 panels. Action: one twin is a force on the first object. Reaction: the other twin is a force on the second object, equal in size and opposite in direction. Rule: they always come as a pair, and they always act on different objects.
One step from a rowboat to the dock3 panels. Step: a kid steps from a small rowboat toward the dock. Action: the foot pushes the boat backward. Reaction: the boat pushes the kid forward and slides away itself, so the step ends with one wet shoe.
Two ice skaters push off and both glide away3 panels. Push: two ice skaters press their hands together and push. Equal: each feels the same force, in opposite directions. Unequal: the lighter skater glides away faster, because the same force gives less mass more acceleration.
Walking: a shoe pushes the ground back3 panels. Action: a shoe pushes backward against the ground. Reaction: the ground pushes forward on the shoe, and the walker moves. Ice: on a slippery patch the shoe cannot push on the ground, so nothing pushes back, and the walker goes nowhere.
Balanced and unbalanced forces 9
A book on a table: two forces and no motion3 panels. Down: Earth's gravity pulls the book down. Up: the table pushes up on the book just as hard. Balanced: the two cancel, there is no net force, and the book stays at rest.
A cart pushed at one steady speed3 panels. Push: a hand pushes a cart forward. Friction: friction pushes back just as hard. Steady: the forces are balanced, so the cart neither speeds up nor slows down and keeps one constant speed.
A door pushed from both sides at once3 panels. One side: someone pushes the door to open it. Other side: someone pushes equally hard the other way. Stuck: balanced forces, a door that will not move, and two people who each think it is locked.
A kite that hangs still until the wind changes3 panels. Steady: in a steady wind the pull of the string, the push of the air and the kite's weight cancel, and the kite hangs still. Gust: the wind changes and the forces are unbalanced. Motion: the kite speeds off until the forces balance again.
A lamp hanging from the ceiling, and then a cat3 panels. Down: gravity pulls the lamp toward the floor. Up: the cord pulls it up with equal force, and it hangs still. Cat: a paw adds a sideways push, the forces are unbalanced, and the lamp starts to swing.
A sled on flat snow: friction is the unbalanced force3 panels. Sliding: a sled glides across flat snow at the bottom of the hill. Friction: the only force along the ground now is friction, pointing backward. Slowing: that force is unbalanced, so the sled loses speed and stops.
Arm wrestling: balanced until it is not3 panels. Balanced: two hands push with equal force and stay upright. Unbalanced: one arm pushes harder. Result: both hands speed up in the direction of the bigger force.
Net force: add the pushes and take away the ones against3 panels. With: two kids push a box to the right. Against: one kid pushes it to the left. Net: what is left after canceling is the net force, and the box speeds up to the right.
Two dogs pull one rope toy and nobody moves3 panels. Balanced: two dogs pull the rope with equal force in opposite directions, and it does not move. Unbalanced: one dog pulls harder. Motion: the rope and the other dog start moving toward the stronger pull.
How it works
These comic strip ideas on the laws of motion come in four groups: one for each of Newton's three laws and one for balanced and unbalanced forces. Choose Funny for force and motion comics that end on a joke.
Read the full guide
The three laws, as these strips show them
First: an object at rest stays at rest, and a moving one keeps the same speed in a straight line, unless an unbalanced force acts on it. Second: acceleration depends on the force applied and on the object's mass. Third: when one object pushes on a second, the second pushes back equally hard in the opposite direction.
Balanced or unbalanced
Forces that cancel are balanced, and the motion does not change: a book stays on its table, and a cart keeps one steady speed. A force left over is unbalanced, and the object speeds up, slows down or turns.
Draw every force as an arrow, longer for a bigger force. Equal arrows in opposite directions show balance at a glance.
In a third law strip, give the two arrows different colors. They act on two different objects.
Questions and answers
How do you make a comic strip about the laws of motion?
Pick one law and one everyday object, such as a cart or a skateboard. Show it before the force, during it and after it, and draw each force as an arrow.
What are some funny force and motion comic ideas?
A soccer ball that waits all day for a kick. A ball on the grass that says it is tired when friction is slowing it. A kid who steps from a rowboat toward the dock and ends up with one wet shoe.
What is a good third law example for a comic?
A rocket: the engine pushes hot gas out of the back, and the gas pushes the rocket forward just as hard. A balloon let go does the same thing across a room.
What is inertia?
The tendency of an object to resist a change in its motion. On Earth it is easy to miss, because friction and air resistance slow moving things down.