DO NOW How may these laws of nature affect your driving? Inertia~ The faster an object moves the more it tends to travel in a straight path Friction~ resistance between two surfaces Momentum~ the impact of an object upon another object depends on weight and speed Gravity~ the downward pull of all objects toward the Earth Center of Gravity~ The point around which all of an objects weight it centered

INERTIA The faster an object is going the more it will go straight Think about a bowling ball. If you don’t put speed behind it what does it do? What does it do if you do put power behind it? What will happen if you take a turn too fast? Where will inertia send your car? Where do you want your car to go? What must you do to control your car?

Friction The gripping action between your tires and the road In driving terms, what do we call this?

Momentum Imagine you are sitting at a red light at the bottom of a hill. In your rearview mirror you see a tractor trailer. Why may you be concerned?

Gravity Look at the picture. What should the red car do? What should the blue car do? Why?

Center of Gravity The taller an object is the less stable it is Which is the best way to make a tall tower?

What may happen if you load a car?

Braking Distance Perception time/distance: the time it takes to recognize a problem Reaction time/distance: the time it takes to react to the problem Braking time/distance: The time it takes the car to stop

Question Can you determine how far you will travel while moving your foot from the gas to the brake? (keep in mind the average driver takes ¾ of a second to move from the gas to the brake)

YES!!! Take the speed limit of the road you are on and the first digit of the speed you are actually traveling at. Add those two numbers together. This is how many feet you will travel while braking.

Practice Posted limit is 55 and you are traveling 65. Posted limit is 35 and you are traveling 35 Posted limit is 25 and you are traveling is a low speed…you won’t travel far going 25, right?

Look behind you!