Physical Science

Quarter 4 – Module 9
Lesson 5. How Galileo Inferred that Objects in
Vacuum Fall in Uniform Acceleration
Lesson 6. Understanding Newton’s First Law
of Motion
 Physical Science
Quarter 4 – Module 9
Lesson 5. How Galileo Inferred that Objects in
Vacuum Fall in Uniform Acceleration
Lesson 6. Understanding Newton’s First Law
of Motion
 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to
help you master how Galileo inferred that object in vacuum fall with uniform
acceleration and that force is not necessary to sustain horizontal motion. The scope
of this module permits it to be used in many different learning situations. The
language used recognizes the varied vocabulary level of students. The lessons are
arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But the order in which you
read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook you are now using.
Lesson 5
After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. describe the views of motion of Aristotle and Galileo;

2. explain how Galileo inferred that object in vacuum fall with uniform
acceleration;

3. compare and contrast the view of motion of Aristotle and Galileo.

Lesson 6
After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. state Newton’s first law of motion;

2. define what is inertia;

3. recognize the relationship of mass and inertia

4. explain the subtle distinction between Newton’s first Law of Motion and
Galileo’s assertion that force is not necessary to sustain horizontal motion; and

5. apply Newton's first law to understand the effect of applying a force on an object .

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 What I Know

Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Who proved that all falling objects fall with uniform acceleration?
a. Newton
b. Aristotle
c. Galileo
d. Plato

2. It causes the object in vacuum fall at the same time

a. due to air resistance
b. due to no air resistance
c. due to air in space
d. due to mass of object

3. He proved that heavier object falls faster than lighter object.

a. Newton
b. Aristotle
c. Galileo
d. Plato

4. He is well known in his experimentation of dropping a cannon ball in the Leaning Pisa
Tower
a. Newton
b. Aristotle
c. Galileo
d. Plato

5. According to Aristotle, which falls, faster heavier or lighter object?

a. heavier object
b. lighter object
c. fall at the same time
d. no data at all

6. What is the focus of Aristotle and Galileo's ideas?

a. views
b. motion
c. history
d. knowledge

7. He is the father of modern science and a mathematician.

a. Newton
b. Aristotle
c. Galileo
d. Plato

8. It is defined as the ability of an object to change its position with a given time.
a. inertia
b. reference
c. free-fall
d. motion

9. In measuring the motion, it is always observed.

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 a. Point of ideas
b. point of view
c. point of reference
d. point of end

10. It refers to the change in velocity with time.

a. free- fall
b. speed
c. acceleration
d. momentum

11. A rolling ball was found to pick up a speed of 2m/s every second. What will be its speed
after 5 s if it is started with 0m/s at 0s?
a. 25m/s
b. 8m/s
c. 10m/s
d. 15m/s

12. What is the symbol applied for free- fall acceleration?

a. k
b. m
c. s
d. g

13. These are the ideas of Galileo about motion. Select all that apply.
a. objects in vacuum fall in uniform acceleration
b. force is not required for violent motion
c. heavier object falls faster than lighter object
d. heavier and lighter objects fall at the same time provided that there is no air
resistance.

14. What is Galileo's concept of falling objects in his experimentation?

a. object falling with changing acceleration
b. object falling with changing direction
c. object falling with uniform acceleration
d. object falling with changing speed

15. Three objects X, Y, and Z, with masses of 6 kg, 8 kg, and 16 kg respectively, were
dropped simultaneously. Provided that there is no air resistance which object will first
reach the ground?
a. object X
b. object Y
c. object Z
d. object X, Y, and Z will fall at the same time

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 Lesson How Galileo Inferred that
5 Objects in Vacuum fall with
Uniform Acceleration
Motion is defined as the ability of an object to change its position with respect to its
surroundings in given time. Motion is always observed and measured with a point of reference.
All living things show motion whereas non-living things show motion only when force acts on
it.
These are the terms associated with motion. First, Free fall, which is an example of
motion with uniform acceleration. Second is acceleration which means the change in velocity
with a given time. Third is speed which is the distance travelled of an object in a specific
amount of time.

What’s New

Activity 1.1
The pictures below show a pig and a mouse were dropped from the same point in the sky, at
the same time, which one would reach the ground first without air resistance?

Guide Questions:
1. Which falls first, the heavier or lighter object? Defend your answer.
2. What is the role of air resistance here?
3. What is the impact of this activity to you?

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 What is It

I. Aristotle's View of Motion

 Aristotle was an Ancient Greek philosopher who thought that heavier

objects fall faster than lighter ones.

 Force would be needed to have a constant velocity according to Aristotle.

Force is required for violent but not natural motion.

II. Galileo's View of Motion

• Italian Mathematician. Father of modern Science

• Discredited Aristotelian view of motion

• Object in vacuum will fall at the same time because in a vacuum there is nothing. Since
there is no air or anything in space, objects that are heavy or light, will fall at the same
time.

• Force is not necessarily required for violent motion.

Force is not required for object moving at constant velocity.

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 Galileo's Experimentation to prove his Ideas about motion

 Experiment I

 Galileo dropped two different weights of cannon ball to the Leaning Tower of Pisa
and they fell at the same time but could not measure the distance travelled therefore he
proceeded to another experimentation.

 Experiment II

• Galileo used the inclined ramp in order to measure the acceleration of an object.
He used a rolling ball to measure the changes. He measured that objects
accelerates at the same time regardless of their size and mass.

• Speed is the distance traveled by an object divided by the time taken to travel
the distance

• A ball rolling down an inclined plane increases its speed by the same value after
every second

T-1
X-1
T-2
X-3

T -3
X -5

T-4
X-7
T Time
X Distance

• The speed of a rolling ball was found to increase by 2 m/s every second. This
means that the rolling ball would have the following speeds for every given
second.

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 TIME SPEED m/s

0 0

1 2

2 4

3 6

4 8

5 10

 Free Fall and Gravity

 Freely falling bodies undergo constant acceleration in which it is referred to as free fall.
The free fall acceleration represents a symbol g which means gravity.

 At the surface of the earth, gravity (g) is approximately 9.8 m/s2.

 Gravity leads the object to accelerate in a constant rate.

 Horizontal Motion
• View of Aristotle
• Natural state of object at rest
• View of Galileo
• Imagined motion will continue without friction

Horizontal versus Vertical Motion

Horizontal: constant in value which represent by x axis

• rolling balls
• inertia
• leaning tower of Pisa

Vertical: changing value which represent by y axis

• free fall
• Aristotle versus Galileo

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 What’s More

Activity 1.2 Table Summary

Summarize your understanding about the different terms/names given on the
table.Use a separate sheet of paper for your answer.
Terms Description

Motion

Aristotle

Galileo

Air resistance

Acceleration

Free-fall

Speed

What I Have Learned

Activity 1.3 Construct a Venn Diagram

Point out the similarities and differences between Aristotle's view of motion and Galileo's
view of motion by using a Venn diagram on a separate sheet of paper.

Aristotle's Galileo's views

views of of motion
motion

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 What I Can Do

Activity 1.4 Try it

This activity depends on the availability of materials at home. Get a basketball ball
and ping pong ball. Hold the balls on your hand, at the height level of your shoulder,
then simultaneously drop the ball. Observe what happens.

Guide Questions:
1. Which ball reached the ground first? Defend your answer.
2. What can you say about Galileo's view of motion?
3. What is the impact of this activity to you?

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 Lesson
Understanding Newton’s
6 First Law of Motion
Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist change when in motion or when at rest.
Newton’s first law of motion is also called law of inertia. If an object is moving, inertia will
keep it in motion. When it is at rest, it will continue to be at rest, unless there is a force
applied on it.

What is It

I. Galileo and Inertia

Galileo Galilei 1564-1642

Galileo developed the first concept of laws of motion.

Among these are the following:

• Developed the concept of motion in terms of velocity (speed and direction) by using
inclined planes.
• Developed the idea of force that causes motion.
• Determined that the natural state of an object is rest or uniformed motion.
• Developed the idea that objects resist motion, inertia.

According to Galileo, objects in motion eventually stop because of a force called friction.
Friction is a force that opposes motion between any surfaces that are touching. This is based
on his experiment observed in inclined planes. He said that a difference between initial and
final heights was due to the presence of friction. Galileo hypothesized that if friction could be
entirely eliminated, the ball would reach exactly the same height. Or if the ball rolls
horizontally and there’s no friction that acts on it, the ball will never stop.

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II. Isaac Newton and his First Law of Motion
Isaac Newton 1642-1727
Isaac Newton was born the same year Galileo
died. Newton’s law of inertia is based on
Galileo’s idea of inertia. He expanded Galileo’s
work and came up with his Three Laws of
Motion.

Newton’s first law of motion states that…

An object at rest stays at rest and an object
in motion stays in motion with the same
speed and in the same direction unless
acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Mass and Inertia

An object’s inertia depends on its mass. Mass is the amount of matter or substance
that makes up an object. It is measured in units called kilogram. An object with a greater
mass has a greater inertia and an object with a lesser mass will also have a lesser inertia.

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 wooden box styrofoam box

Exploring Inertia
Inertia has three types:

• Inertia of rest- an object will stay in place unless something or somebody moves it.
Example: a plate on the table
• Inertia of motion- an object will continue at the same speed until a force acts on it.
Example: a rolling ball
• Inertia of Direction- an object will stay moving in the same direction unless a force acts
on it.
Example: a moving car turning right

Forces
What causes an object to move, to stop or remain at rest? A force causes an object to move,
to stop or remain at rest.

• Force is defined as a push or a pull.

• Newton (N) is the unit of force
• One Newton is the amount of force required to give a 1-kg mass an acceleration
of 1 m/s/s. Thus, the following unit equivalency can be stated as:

1 Newton = 1 kg • m/s²

1. Friction
A rolling marble on the floor that suddenly stops when it reached a rough surface does
not stop because of the absence of a force, it stops because of the presence of a force called
friction.

• Friction is a force that opposes motion between any surfaces that are touching.

• Friction occurs because no surface is perfectly smooth.

• Rough surfaces have more friction than smooth surfaces.

Heavier objects also have more friction because they are pressed harder with greater
force than lighter objects.
• Friction produces heat because it causes the molecules on rubbing surfaces to move
faster and have more energy.

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 Newton’s first law of motion has always stated that:

An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and
in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

2. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces

A balanced force is a force in which the net force is equal to zero.

Let’s consider the free body diagram of a flower vase on the table. There are two forces acting
on the flower vase. The force of the table pushing the flower vase upward also called the normal
force and the gravitational force pushing the flower vase downward.

Since the two forces are equal and in opposite directions, they balanced each other. The net
force is zero, it means the flower vase is at its equilibrium. There is no unbalanced force acting
on it thus it remains at rest.

What is an unbalanced force?

An unbalanced force is a force in which the net force is greater than zero.

40N 50N

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 Unbalanced forces cause acceleration. Only unbalanced force can change the motion and
direction of an object.

Example: Your pet dog can

move you faster if he pulls
you with enough force.

What’s More

Activity 1.1 Identification

Test your understanding on the different types of inertia. Read and analyze the different
situations given below. Identify the type of inertia. Use a separate sheet of paper for your
answer.

1. 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.

2. When pedaling a bicycle and you stop pedaling, the bike continues going until friction
or gravity slows it down.

3. When you stir coffee in a cup and stop, the swirling motion continues due to inertia.

4. If a car is moving forward it will continue to move forward unless friction or the brakes
interfere with its movement.
5. If the wind is blowing, tree branches are moving. Fruits that fall from the tree will fall
in the direction the wind is moving into because of inertia.

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 What I Have Learned

Activity 1.2 Critical Writing

Answer the questions briefly.

1. State Newton’s first law of motion. What makes the object remain in state of motion or
at rest? Explain why?

2. Explain the difference on Galileo’s idea of inertia and Newton’s first law of motion.

What I Can Do

Activity 1.3 Create an Acrostic Poem

Now that you have understood the law of inertia, create an acrostic poem using the word
INERTIA. In creating your poem, you may share what you have learned or experienced facing
the COVID-19 pandemic.
I
N
E
R
T
I
A
Rubric for Acrostic Poem

4 3 2 1

Poetic The acrostic follows The acrostic does not

Most of the lines of the Some of the lines of
Form poetic form follow poetic form
acrostic poem the acrostic follows
follow poetic form poetic form

Focus The acrostic relates to The acrostic does not

The acrostic is very the topic The acrostic relate to the topic
well developed and somewhat relates to
relates to the topic the topic

Spelling No spelling errors 1 to 2 spelling errors

3 to 4 spelling 5 or more spelling
errors errors

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 Assessment

Modified True or False. Read each statement carefully. Write True if the statement is correct.
If it is not, provide the right term that made the statement false. Write your answer on a
separate sheet of paper.

_____1. All living things show motion whereas non- living things show motion only when force
acts on them.
_____2. Galileo inferred that objects in vacuum fall with constant acceleration.

_____3. Aristotle had the idea that heavier object falls faster than lighter objects.

_____4. In Galileo's experimentation using two different weights of ball dropping in the leaning
Pisa tower, he proves that heavier and lighter object fall at the same time provided that
there is no air resistance. He also measures the acceleration.
_____5. Freely falling bodies undergo constant acceleration.

_____6. Motion is constantly changing.

_____7. Galileo used an inclined ramp in order to measure acceleration.

_____8. When the object, is changing position with respect to its surrounding with a given time
it is called motion.

_____9. In measuring motion, point of reference is considered.

_____10. According to Aristotle, free- fall undergoes constant acceleration.

_____11. Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist motion.

_____12. Newton’s first law of motion is also called the law of acceleration.

_____ 13. If an object is at rest, inertia will keep it at rest.

_____14. The inertia of an object is determined by its speed

_____15. The speed of an object changes only when it is acted on by an unbalanced force.

_____16. A stationary object resists movement only because of gravity.

_____17. The tendency of an object to resist a change in motion depends on its mass.

_____18. If the net force acting on an object is zero, its inertia is also zero.

_____19. When you are moving at a high rate of speed, inertia makes it to stop.

_____20. Newton’s first law of motion applies to objects that are already moving and at rest.

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References
Commission on Higher Education. Teaching Guide for Senior High School: Physical
Science. Book.https://drive.google.com/file/d/AhXWA6YKHA4tBOUQ2/view.
www.pbslearning media.org

Warlito Zamora Canoy Thursday December 12, 2019 Universal Law in Physics
https//www.thought .com. rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?sp=A357WC&

Books and Journals

Commission on Higher Education. Teaching Guide for Senior High School: Physical
Science. Book.

Websites

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B869YF0KEHr7SHFGVG5mVFFhcXc/view.

https://phys.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/University_Physics/Book%3A_University_

Physics_I__Classical_Mechanics_(GeaBanacloche)/02%3A_Acceleration/2.01%3A_T
he_Law_of_Inertia

https://www.britannica.com/science/law-of-inertia

www.physicsclassroom.com

www.pinstrike.com

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