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Science
Quarter 1 – Module 1
Law of Inertia and Law of Acceleration
Science– Grade 8
Supplementary Learning Material
Quarter 1 – Module 1: Law of Inertia and Law of Acceleration
First Edition, 2020

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Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

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Editors: Mr. George Emanuel F. Martin
Ms. Josephine L. Bonsol
Reviewers: Dr. Maria Pilar O. Capalongan
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Dr. Heidee F. Ferrer, Education Program Supervisor - LRMS
Dr. Maria Pilar O. Capalongan, Education Program Supervisor - Science

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Science
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
Law of Inertia and Law of
Acceleration
HOW TO USE THIS MODULE
Before you start answering the Supplementary Learning Material (SLeM),
kindly set aside other tasks that will disturb you while enjoying the lessons. Read
carefully the instructions below to successfully attain the objectives of this kit. Have
fun!
1. Read carefully all the contents and follow the instructions indicated in every
part of this SLeM.
2. Write in your notebook the concepts about the lessons. Keep in mind that
Writing develops and enhances learning,
3. Perform all the provided activities in the SLeM.
4. Let your facilitator/guardian assess your answers.
5. Analyze conceptually the posttest and apply what you have learned.
6. Enjoy studying!

PARTS OF THIS MODULE

Expectations This will provide what will you will be able to know
completing the lessons in the SLeM.

Pre-test This will assess your prior knowledge and the concepts to
be mastered throughout the lesson.

Looking Back This section will measure the skills that you learned and
to your Lesson understand from the previous lesson.

Brief This section will give you an overview of the lesson.

Introduction

Activities These are activities designed to develop your critical

thinking and other competencies that you need to
master. This can be done solely or with your partner
depending on the nature of the activity.

Remember This section summarizes the concepts and applications of

the lessons

Check Your This will verify how you learned from the lesson.
Understanding

Post-test This will measure how much you have learned from the
entire SLeM

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 Expectations
You will investigate the relationship between the amount of force applied and the
mass of the object to the amount of change in the object’s motion.
Specifically, this module will help you to:
1. state Newton’s first law of motion – the Law of Inertia;
2. relate inertia to mass;
3. relate inertia to stopping force like friction;
4. cite situations where the law of inertia applies;
5. show the effect of force and mass on acceleration;
6. state Newton’s second law of motion - the Law of Acceleration; and
7. solve problems involving the law of acceleration.
Let us start your journey in learning more about Newton’s laws of motion and their applications
as well. I am sure you are ready and excited to answer the Pretest. Smile and cheer up!

Pre-Test
Choose the letter of the best answer and write it on another sheet of paper.

1. The resistance of an object to any change in its motion is __________.

A. friction B. gravity C. inertia D. mass
2. Objects with greater ___________ also have greater inertia.
A. acceleration B. gravity C. mass D. motion
3. According to _____________, an object at rest will stay at rest or an object in motion will stay
in motion and travel in a straight line, as long as no external net force acts on it.
A. Law of acceleration C. Law of inertia
B. Law of attraction D. Law of interaction
4. According to Newton’s second law of motion, the acceleration of an object equals the net force
acting on the object divided by the object’s __________.
A. mass B. momentum C. velocity D. weight
5. A 2 kg object accelerated at 5 m/s 2. The net force needed to accelerate the object is
__________.
A. 0.4 Newton B. 2.5 Newton C. 5 Newton D. 10 Newton

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 Looking Back

In your previous Science, you have learned that force (F) is a push or pull exerted on
objects. Force can produce changes in motion. The force causes an object at rest to start in
motion.

The force causes a moving object to stop. Below are different situations in which you will
identify if force was exerted or not. Write F if the force was exerted and NF if not on a sheet of
paper.

_____1. The boy is looking at a stationary bike.

_____2. The man is hitting the stationary ball.

_____3. The girl is stopping the rolling coin.

_____4. The driver is stepping on the brake pedal.

_____5. The players of the tag-of-war game are pulling the rope in opposite directions.

Can you also recall the balanced and unbalanced forces? Remember that if the forces acting on
an object is equal or there is no motion or the sum of the forces equal to zero, balanced forces
exist. Now if there is motion, a net force is acting or one or more forces acting on an object is
stronger than the other, the forces are unbalanced, or the sum of forces is not equal to zero.
Below are situations of balanced and unbalanced forces. Write BF if balance forces exist and UF
if not on a sheet of paper.

_____ 1. A boy and a girl are pulling a heavy crate at the same time in the same direction with 10
units of force each.
_____ 2. The boy and the girl pull the heavy crate at the same time with 10 units of force going to
the right and 5 units of force going to the left.
_____ 3. A boy and a girl are pulling a heavy crate at the same time in the opposite direction with
10 units of force each.
It is nice to know that you can still remember those lessons. In understanding force and
motion, Newton’s laws of motion are very significant to understand to answer why the things
around us move or behave the way they do.

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 Brief Introduction
The object has a property to resist any change in its state of motion. In physics,
this property is known as inertia.

Measure of Inertia

All objects tend to resist changes in their state of motion or keep doing what they are doing.
However, changing a body’s state of motion depends on its inertia. A more massive object which
has more inertia is more difficult to move from rest, slow down, speed up, or change its direction.

Newton's First Law of Motion: Law of Inertia states that an object at rest will stay at rest or an
object in motion will stay in motion and travel in a straight line, as long as no external net force
acts on it. The object will change its state of motion only if there is an unbalanced or net force
acting upon it.

The following examples illustrate Newton's first law: Law of Inertia

● Inertia of Rest Examples
1. If pulled quickly, a tablecloth can be removed from underneath the dishes. The dishes
tend to remain still as long as the friction from the movement of the tablecloth is not too
great.
2. If a stopped car is hit by a moving car from behind, the passengers inside may
experience whiplash as a result of the body moving forward but the head lagging. The
head is experiencing inertia.
3. A balloon in a car will appear to move when the car moves forward, but the balloon is
attempting to stay in the place it was, it is only the car that is moving.
4. When a car is abruptly accelerated, drivers and passengers may feel as though their
bodies are moving backward. In reality, inertia is making the body want to stay in place
as the car moves forward.
5. If an index card is placed on top of a glass with a penny on top of it, the index card can
be quickly removed while the penny falls straight into the glass, as the penny is
demonstrating inertia.
6. When pulling a Band-Aid off, it is better to pull it fast. Your skin will remain at rest due to
inertia, and the force pulls the Band-Aid off.

● Inertia of Motion Examples

1. Seat belts tighten in a car when it stops quickly.
2. Men in space find it more difficult to stop moving because of a lack of gravity acting
against them.
3. Playing football, a player is tackled, and his head hits the ground. The impact stops his
skull, but his brain continues to move and hit the inside of his skull. His brain is showing
inertia.
4. If one drove a car directly into a brick wall, the car would stop because of the force
exerted upon it by the wall. However, the driver requires a force to stop his body from
moving, such as a seatbelt. Otherwise, inertia will cause his body to continue moving at
the original speed until his body is acted upon by some force.
5. When a baseball is thrown, it will continue to move forward until acted upon by gravity.
The greater the force of the throw, the harder it is for gravity to act upon it.
6. A hockey puck will continue to slide across the ice until acted upon by an outside force.
7. When pedaling a bicycle, if you stop pedaling, then the bike continues going until friction
or gravity slows it down.

Newton's Second Law of Motion: Law of Acceleration – states that the acceleration of an
object is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force acting on it and is inversely
proportional to its mass.
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This can be expressed in equation form as:
Acceleration = Net force / Mass; a = Fnet /m
This is often rearranged as: Fnet = m • a and m = Fnet / a
Like any other quantity, the force has a unit, and it is expressed in Newton (N). One Newton is
defined as the amount of force required to give a 1-kg mass an acceleration of 1 m/s/s, or 1Newton
(N) = 1kg/ms2

Sample mathematical problem:

1. Suppose a ball of mass 0.5 kg is hit with a force of 25 N. Find its acceleration.

Given:
m= 0.5 kg
F= 25N
Find: a= ?
Solution:
a= F = 25 N = 25 kg.m/s2 = 50 m/s2
m 0.5 kg 0.5 kg

2. An object with a mass of 2 kg accelerates 4 m/s 2 when an unknown force is applied to it.
What is the amount of force?

Given:
m= 2 kg
a= 4 m/s2
Find: F= ?
Solution: F=m•a
F= 2kg •4 m/s2 = 8 kg•m/s2 or 8 N

Activities

Activity 1. Get the Coin in the Bottle

Objective: At the end of this activity, you should be able to demonstrate Newton’s first
law of motion.
Materials: a bottle or glass, a 1 peso coin,
a flexible cardboard hoops
Procedure:
1. Place the flexible cardboard hoop on the mouth of the bottle or glass and put a 1 peso
coin in the middle over the opening of the bottle or
glass. (see Figure 1)

2. Flick the hoop with your finger by hitting the hoop on the outside. Observe the coin.
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 3. Flick the hoop with your finger by hitting the hoop on the inside.
Observe the coin.
Guide Questions: (Answer the following on a sheet of paper)
1. What happens to the coin when you hit the hoop on the outside? Does the coin
fall into the bottle?
2. What force acts on the coin when the hoop is hit on the outside?

Activity 2. Move Me if You Can

Objective: At the end of this activity, you should be able to relate inertia to
mass.
Materials: 2 stones with different masses (light stone and heavy stone)
Procedure:
1. Put the 2 stones in the table.
2. Give an identical push to the 2 stones to change their state of motion from being at
rest.
3. Repeat step 2. Observe.
Guide Questions: (Answer the following on a sheet of paper)
1. Which stone is harder to move? Why?
2. Which stone offers great resistance?
3. Relate its mass to inertia.
Activity 3. Touch Me Not
Objective: At the end of this activity, you should be able to relate inertia to
stopping force like friction.
Materials: 2 identical marbles
Procedure:
1. Put the 2 identical marbles in the table. Label marbles A and B.
2. Give an identical push to the 2 marbles and let them roll.
3. Stop marble A using your hand while let marble B continue to roll. Observe.
Guide Questions: (Answer the following on a sheet of paper)
1. What happens to marble B after some time? Why?

Activity 4. Sudden Stops

Objective: At the end of this activity, you should be able to demonstrate Newton’s first
law of motion application at sudden stops.
Materials: 1 empty matchbox, marker, masking tape, wooden ramp about 1m long 20
cm wide, stacked books or box about 30 cm high, small toy car or improvised car, small
board as barrier lower than the toy car, .ruler
Procedure:
1. Mark lines 20 cm apart on the ramp. Set-up the materials as shown below (see
figure 2) Tape the barrier to the
floor or table.

2. Put the matchbox on top of the front part of the toy car. Line up the toy car with a 20
cm mark. Release the toy car. Observe what happens to the matchbox.
3. Repeat step 2, varying the distance of the toy cay starts from the end of the ramp.

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 Guide Questions: (Answer the following on a sheet of paper)
1. When the matchbox is on the toy car, it goes in the same
direction as the toy car. When the matchbox is thrown from the car, in what
direction does it go? Explain your answer?
2. How is the distance that the matchbox is thrown forward related to the point
where the car starts on the ramp?

Activity 5. A Hit From Behind

Objective: At the end of this activity, you should be able to demonstrate Newton’s first
law of motion application when there is a hit from behind.
Materials: 2 empty matchboxes, marker, masking tape, wooden ramp about 1 m long
20cm wide, stacked books or box about 30 cm high, 2 small toy cars or improvised cars,
small board as barrier lower than the toy car, ruler
Procedure:
1. Label the two toy cars as Car A and Car B.
2. Put a matchbox on the top front part of each toy car.
3. Set up the materials as shown in Figure 3.

4. Put Car A along 100 cm mark. Release Car A. Observe what happens to the
matchboxes in Car A and Car B.
Guide Questions: (Answer the following on a sheet of paper)
1. Did the matchbox on Car B move forward, backward, or remain in the same
position? Why?
2. Did the matchbox on Car A move forward, backward, or remain in the same
position? Why?
3. A stationary car is hit from behind by another car. Describe what happens to
the people in the:
a. stationary car; b. car that hit the stationary car.
4. Why is it important for a driver or passenger to buckle his seatbelt?
Activity 6. Force, Mass, Acceleration: Their Relationship
Objective: At the end of this activity, you should be able to state the relationship
between force, mass, and acceleration.
Materials: pen and calculator
Procedure: Consider the following tables of force, mass, and acceleration. Complete
each of them and answer the corresponding questions on a sheet of paper:

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A. Constant Force, Varying Mass, and Acceleration

Force (N) Mass (kg) Acceleration (m/s2)

m= F/a a = F/m

8 ½ 16

8 1 ____

8 2 ____

8 ____ 2

8 ____ 1

Guide Questions:
1. If you double the mass, what happens to the acceleration?
2. How does the mass vary with acceleration at constant force?
3. What is the relationship between mass and acceleration at constant force?

B. Constant Mass, Varying Force, and Acceleration

Force (N) mass (kg) Acceleration (m/s2)

F = m•a a = F/m

2 4 0.5

4 4 ____

8 4 ____

_____ 4 4

_____ 4 8

Guide Questions:
4. If you double the force, what happens to the acceleration?
5. How does the force vary with acceleration at constant mass?
6. What is the relationship between force and acceleration at constant mass?

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 C. Acceleration, Varying Force and Mass

Force (N) mass (kg) Acceleration (m/s2)

F = m•a m= F/a

5 ½ 10

_____ 1 10

20 _____ 10

_____ 4 10

_____ 8 10

Guide Questions:
7. If you double the mass, how does the force change?
8. How is force related to mass at constant acceleration?
9. What is the relationship between force and mass at constant acceleration?

Remember
Newton's first law: Law of Inertia states that an object at rest will stay at
rest or an object in motion will stay in motion and travel in a straight line,
as long as no external net force acts on it. The object will change its state
of motion only if there is an unbalanced or net force acting upon it.
● Inertia s the property of the object to resist any change in its state of motion.
● The greater the mass of an object, the greater the inertia.
● Newton's first law: Law of Inertia states that an object at rest will stay at rest or an object
in motion will stay in motion and travel in a straight line, as long as no external net force
acts on it. The object will change its state of motion only if there is an unbalanced or net
force acting upon it.
● Newton's second law of motion: Law of Acceleration – states that the acceleration of an
object is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force acting on it and is inversely
proportional to its mass.
This can be expressed in equation form as:
Acceleration = Net force / Mass; a = Fnet /m
● Direct proportion relationship means that as one quantity increases the other quantity
increases also, or as one quantity decreases, the other quantity decreases also.
● Inverse proportion relationship means that as one quantity increases the other quantity
decreases, or as one quantity decreases, the other quantity increases.

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 Checking Your Understanding

Read and analyze the following questions. Apply what you learned from this lesson
and write your answers on a sheet of paper.
1. What would happen if the passengers were not wearing their seat belt? What motion would
the passengers undergo if they failed to use their seat belts and the car were brought to a
sudden and abrupt halt by a collision with wall?
____________________________________________________________________________
2. Suppose that you are a superhero and you need to stop the jeep and truck to prevent a head-
on collision, which vehicle is easier for you to stop? Why?
__________________________________________________________________________
3. Suppose you hit a ball of mass 0.60 kg with a force of 12 N. Its acceleration will be 20 m / s 2.
What will you do to double the acceleration of the ball? Show your computation.
______________________________________________________________________

Post-Test
Choose the letter of the best answer and write it on another sheet of paper.
1. What is inertia?
A. A nonzero net force, which changes an object`s motion.
B. Equal forces acting on an object in the opposite direction.
C. The tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion.
D. An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted
on by an unbalanced force
.
2. Which of the following has the greatest inertia?
A. bicycle B. bus C. jeep D. tricycle

3. What is the law of inertia?

A. The overall force on an object when all the individual forces acting on an object are
added together.
B. The rate at which velocity changes. The state in which one object`s distance from
another is changing.
C. An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted
on by an unbalanced force.
D. Equal forces acting on an object in the opposite direction.

4. What are the factors affecting the acceleration of a body according to Newton’s second
law of motion?
A. mass and force C. mass and velocity
B. mass and time D. mass and volume

5. A 10 kg mass at rest on a frictionless table is acted upon by a constant force of 20 N?

What is the acceleration of the table?
A. 0.5 m/s2 B. 2 2 m/s2 C. 4 m/s2 D. 20 m/s2
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Activity 6. Force, Mass, Acceleration: Their Relationship Activity 5. A Hit From Behind
A. Constant Force, Varying Mass, and Acceleration 1. Backward; The matchbox was originally at
rest.
2. Forward; The matchbox was traveling in
the same direction and speed as the toy car,
it kept on going forward even after it hit
another toy car.
3. a. The people in the stationary car will
tend to move backward.
b. The people in the car that hit the stopped
car will move forward until something stops
them.
4. Passengers in a vehicle who are not
wearing a seat belt can be ejected during an
accident. Unbuckled passengers can very
easily be ejected through the front, rear or
Guide Questions: side windows, resulting in serious damage or
1. If you double the mass, the acceleration decreases by ½. even death.
2. At constant force, as the mass increases, the accleration
decreases.
Activity 4. Sudden Stops Activity 3. Touch Me Not
Marble B stopped after
The matchbox is thrown forward. Since it is traveling in the same direction some time because of
and speed as the toy car when the car suddenly stops, it keeps going friction – the resistance to
forward until it stops and lands on the table. motion of an object moving
relative to another.
The farther the starting point of the toy car, the greater the distance of the
matchbox is thrown.
Activity 2. Move Me if You Can Activity 1. Get the coin in the Bottle Looking Back Pre-
The heavy stone is harder to When the hoop is hit on inside, it Test
1. NF 2. F
move because of its mass. flattens and slips out under the coin
3. F 4. F 1. C
The heavy stone offers great making the coin fall into the bottle.
5. F 2. C
resistance. When it is hit on the outside, the 3. C
The greater the mass of an force is upward, and the coin gets 1. UF 2. UF 4. A
object, the greater its inertia. pushed up. 3. BF 5. D
Answer Key
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Post-Test
1. C 2. B 3. C 4. A 5. B
Mathematical explanation: Checking Your Understanding
Given:
m= 0.6 kg 1. The use of seat belt assures that the forces necessary
F= 12N for accelerated and decelerated motion exists. Yet, if the
Find: a = ? seat belt is not used, the passengers are more likely to
Solution: maintain its state of motion.
a= F = 12 N = 12 kg.m/s2 = 20 m/s2
m 0.6 kg 0.6 kg If the car were to abruptly stop and the seat belts
worn, the the passengers in motion would continue in
Doubling the applied force, motion. Assuming a negligible amount of friction between
the passengers and the seats, the passengers would likely
Given: be propelled from the car and be hurled into the air.
m= 0.6 kg
2. Jeep. Because it is lighter than the bus and is easier to
F= 24N
Find: a = ? stop because it offers less inertia.
Solution: 3. Double the applied force to the ball to double the
a= F = 24 N = 24 kg.m/s2 = 40 m/s2 acceleration.
m 0.6 kg 0.6 kg
C. Acceleration, Varying Force and Mass B. Constant Mass, Varying Force, and Acceleration
Guide Questions:
7. If you double the mass, the force is also doubled Guide Questions:
or increases twice the original value. 4. If you double the force, the acceleration is also
8. As constant acceleration, as the mass increases, doubled or increases twice the original value.
the force also increases. 5. At constant mass, as the force increases, the
9. At constant acceleration, the mass is directly acceleration also increases.
proportional to force. 6. At constant mass, the force is directly proportional to
acceleration.
References

Alicia L. Padua, Ricardo M. Crisostomo, and Lilia M. Rabago. Science and Technology
Physics Textbook For Fourth Year. SD Publishing, Inc.
Physics Teacher Resource Material. Philippine-Australia Science and Mathematics
Project. University of the Philippine-Institute For Science and Mathematics Education
Development.
Pia C. Ocampo et. al. 2013. Science –Grade 8 Learner’s Material, First edition,
Philippines. Department of Education.
Retrieved from https://www.virtualdriveoftexas.com/seat-belt/
Retrieved from https://yourdictionary.com/examples-oexamplesf-inertia.html
Retrieved from https://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/newtlaws/cci.cfm

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