A car skids on a wet highway. According to Newton's first law, why does the

car eventually slow down?

Question

Josephine Hodge

Physics

9 December, 10:48

A car skids on a wet highway. According to Newton's first law, why does the

car eventually slow down?

+2

Answers (1)

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Leland Proctor · Answer 1

Newton's first law says that without external forces, your velocity doesn't change. Remember that velocity is both how fast you're going but also what direction you're going.

Normally, a car turns because the tires on the ground have traction so they have friction which allows them to change direction and turn. But on an icy highway, tires can't get much friction so it's really hard to turn.

Because the ice stops friction, a car can't get enough force to change direction and follow the curve, meaning it will try and stay going in the same direction, which is dangerous.

A car skids on a wet highway. According to Newton's first law, why does thecar eventually slow down?

A car skids on a wet highway. According to Newton's first law, why does the

car eventually slow down?