Newton's 3rd Law and the Braille System: Assessment
In this assessment, you will apply your knowledge of Newton's 3rd Law of Motion to the Braille system. Newton's 3rd Law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. You will use the information provided about how people use their sense of touch to read Braille and how their skin and nerves detect forces to answer the following questions.
Group 1
Answer the following questions about how Newton's 3rd Law of Motion applies to reading Braille.
Source 1.1
People who are blind can use other senses, such as touch and hearing, to accomplish their daily goals. People with limited or no vision may use their fingers to read by feeling patterns of raised dots in books, on restaurant menus, or on signs. These raised dots are part of a reading and writing system called Braille. Braille allows people who are visually impaired to read by pressing their fingers onto sequences of raised dots that represent letters, forming words and sentences.
Question 1a
When a person presses their finger onto the raised dots of a Braille letter, what does Newton's 3rd Law say about the forces involved?
Question 1b
Explain how the action and reaction forces help a person feel the shape of the Braille dots with their skin.
Group 2
Use your knowledge of Newton's 3rd Law and the information about skin sensors to answer the following question.
Source 2.1
The specialized pressure and touch sensors in nerve cells detect contact forces acting on them. These sensors are very sensitive to any deformation they experience in their structure. Touch sensors that are attached to hairs deform as the hair comes in contact with something else and moves. This can be something as gentle as the push from moving air in a light breeze.
Question 2a
Describe what happens in your skin when you press your finger on a Braille dot, using Newton's 3rd Law in your explanation.
Group 3
Think about how the brain and nerves work together to help someone read Braille using touch.
Question 3a
Why is it important that the skin's sensors can detect the equal and opposite force from the Braille dots?
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