FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Sir Isaac Newton's theory of force equals mass times acceleration is not something that most school-age children are quick to remember. But when you put it between the bass and snare of today's popular hip-hop music and present it to them with today's latest hip-hop dance steps, it's something that is easily retained.
That was the setting Oct. 29, at Fort Bragg's Irwin Intermediate School, as FMA Live held three of its award-winning shows for the Irwin students in the school's gym. The show focuses on Newton's three laws of motion, which state: objects in motion (or at rest) stay that way unless acted on by an outside force; force equals mass times acceleration, or F=ma; and for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction.
The cast consisted of three performers, J.J. Hopson, Katie Adler and Eric Olson, who rapped, sang and danced their way into the hearts of the students in attendance.
"FMA Live is a one of a kind show," explained Olson, after the event. "Hip-hop is a tour. NASA and Honeywell created this program in 2004 with just that in mind. They really wanted to show these kids that science, and especially Newton's laws can be entertaining as well as educational."
Olson pointed out that one of the first songs a child learns is the ABC song and they are able to retain it because it is in musical form.
"So, as far as putting the science to hip-hop music, the reason that's done is because it's catchy," he said. "As they're leaving the gym, they're sing F=m x a and whether they know it or not, they've retained Newton's second law of motion and that's what they're trying to get across to the kids."
The students seemed to get the message.
"I could easily remember this because it was fun and they had a lot of good music, so it stuck in my head," said Analysa Casanova-Smith, 11, a sixth-grader at the school. "When we went back to the class, everyone was singing the song about movement."
The show coming to Irwin was the brain child of fifth grade science teacher, Kelli Charles.
"Pencils, paper and worksheets and reading from a book aren't necessarily going to cut it nowadays, especially with all the technology and Xbox and video games, etc.," she said.
"I think we do need to step it up and they need to be taught in that kinds of stance because that seems to be the way that they do remember things."
For more information on the tour, log on to www.fmalive.com.
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