======Potato Inertia======


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**Alternative titles:** Knife and Potato Inertia Demo, Apple Inertia
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Take a raw potato and place it securely on a stable surface.  
  - Insert the tip of a knife (or sturdy skewer) a short distance into the potato.  
  - Hold the potato steady or have it supported so it does not roll.  
  - Using a hammer or another hard object, give the handle end of the knife a sharp strike.  
  - Observe how the knife drives deeper into the potato. It may appear that the potato moves upward, but in reality, the potato’s inertia resists motion and the knife moves instead.



====Links==== 
Will It Drop? Potato Physics With a Knife! - TAMU Physics & Astronomy: 
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📄 Inertia Demo (3/4 down the page) - Weebly: [[https://apphysicsisps.weebly.com/ap1-unit-2-labs.html]]\\



====Variations====
  * Try the experiment with an apple.  
  * Vary the strength of the strike to see how inertia affects the depth of penetration.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Exercise caution when using knives, hammers, or sharp tools—adult supervision required.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Why does the potato appear to move upward when the knife is struck?  
  * How does inertia explain why the potato resists sudden changes in motion?  
  * What would happen if you pushed the knife slowly instead of striking it?  
  * Can you think of other real-life situations where inertia explains the motion of objects (e.g., tightening a hammer head, passengers lurching forward in a car)?