Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region IX, Zamboanga Peninsula
DIVISION OF ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE
Manukan I District
Learning Activity Sheet
Quarter 4 – Week 1
Name ________________________________ Grade _______________________ Score ___________
Subject __Physical Science________________ Teacher ______________________ Date ____________
Type of Activity : Concept Notes/Individual
Lesson/Topic: Motion
Learning Target(s): Compare and Contrast the Aristotelian and Galilean conceptions of vertical motion, horizontal
motion, and projectile motion
Reference(s): Physical Science Quarter 4 – Module 1: Motion

Motion
Motion is the action of changing location or position. Life is motion. From the coordination of the muscles of
our body which enables us to walk, run, and dance to the pumping of our hearts to deliver blood to the different parts
of our bodies are motion. The first evidence of the study of the motion of heavenly bodies can be traced back to the
people of Sumeria and Egypt. Our current understanding on the physics of motion did not happen overnight. Instead,
it gradually developed as philosophers took up previously held philosophies and improved on it or gave critique
identifying possible weakness or inconsistencies with observations.

Aristotelian vs Galiliean Motion

Aristotelian Motion
Ancient Greeks studied about motion. Aristotle came up with the theories based on his literal observation and
assumptions. For Aristotle there are two types of motion: natural and violent motion. Natural motion is vertical motion.
This is the natural tendency of object to go to its natural place based on the object's material or composition - earth, water,
air, and fire. Example Aristotle believed that because a ball fell when thrown upward, its element was earth. Smoke goes
up the air because it seeks its natural place in the atmosphere.
On the other hand violent motion is the result of removing an object from its natural place hence it is also called
violent motion. Example is pulling of wagon by a horse and the lifting of box by a man. Since it is violent it requires
force.
Projectile motion is the movement of an angle in a curve path just like in angry birds where the birds were thrown
in a projectile towards the pigs. Aristotle cannot explain projectile using his two types of motion. But to explain projectile
he came up with the idea of antiperistasis which explains that as an object moves after being thrown through the air, it
leaves a vacuum behind it. Since nature abhors vacuum, the air behind it rushes violently to fill the vacuum thus pushing
the object forward. Initial motive force transfers to the medium initially surrounding the object a "power" to act as a
motive force.
Galilean Motion
It was not until the time of Galileo Galilei that Aristotle’s ideas were challenged. For Galileo, force is needed
to sustain the motion of an object. Galileo believed that even when one has stopped pushing a cart, its natural
tendency is to move forward (even it is horizontal). According to him, the reason why cart tended to slow down or
stop was because of friction – a force that opposes to the motion of an object.
In the absence of a resistance, objects would fall not depending on their weight, but in the time of fall. Also,
if the object encountered a resistive force from a fluid equal or greater than its weight, it will slow down and reaches
a uniform motion until it reaches the bottom and stops.
He believed that a projectile is a combination of uniform motion in the horizontal direction and uniformly
accelerated motion in the vertical direction. If it is not impeded, it will continue to move even without an applied
force. For example, when you shoot a ball in a basketball ring, the ball does not need a force to keep it moving. He
used geometry to provide better description (kinematics) of projectile motion whereby horizontal motion has zero
acceleration (constant speed horizontally) and content vertical acceleration. By varying the ball's horizontal velocity
and vertical drop, Galileo was able to determine that the path of a projectile is parabolic.

Activity 1. Complete the Venn diagram below by writing the letter that corresponds to the statement inside the diagram.
A. Horizontal motion is violent motion
B. Horizontal motion can be natural motion of an object
C. Vertical motion is natural motion
D. The speed of a falling object is equal regardless of their weight in a vacuum
E. Friction is the force that opposes the horizontal motion
F. Air resistance is the force that opposes the vertical motion
G. Projectile is a combination of horizontal and vertical motion
H. Made conclusions based on his 5 senses
I. Made conclusions based from experimentation
J. Explain observation
K. Projectile is caused by the pushing of an object by the air
L. Push and pull are forces that act on the object
Galileo’s Thought Experiment
Before Galileo, people believed that the heavier objects will land first on the ground when released at the same
time with a lighter object from a higher ground. For Galileo, all objects regardless of their weight will fall at the same
time in the absence of air or other resistance and that they increase in their speed as they get closer to the ground. This is
called acceleration due to gravity and this acceleration is uniform. Vacuum is when the object is void of air so there is no
air resistance.
To support his claim that falling objects increase their speed as they fall, Galileo made a thought experiment: A
stone was dropped at the height of 2 m will drive a stake into the ground much further than will the stone dropped from a
height of only 0.2 m. Clearly the stone from 2m must be moving faster.
To prove that air resistance is the cause of the slowing down of objects he had prepared a piece of a paper
horizontally in one hand and a ball on the other hand and release it at the same time. Predictably, the ball will land first
than the paper and this is due to the air resistance. But if the paper is crumpled they will land the ground nearly at the
same time. For Galileo the air acts as resistance to very light objects and large surface area. This thought experiment was
proven and tested by BBC two video from https://youtu.be/QyeF-_QPSbk.
Aristotle made a statement that the natural state of an object was at rest and force is believed necessary to keep an
object in motion. So, the greater the force applied to an object the greater the speed will be. To Galileo, force is not
required to sustain a horizontal motion. To push a heavy object on a rough surface requires a lot of force but to push an
equally heavy object on a smooth surface requires a very little amount of force.
He also conducted a thought experiment involving platforms like the one showed in Figure 1below. These
platform all have the same height. Now a ball is released on platform A. After releasing the ball, the ball went to the other
slope of the platform and reached the same level as when it was released before it went back to its original position. The
same thing will happen to the ball if the width of the platform was increased. This ball will continually move until
eternity, when there is no friction on the surface. So on platform C, the ball will also continue to move forward without
even force applied to it provided that the surface is frictionless. Galileo's conclusion from this thought experiment was
that no force is needed to keep an object moving with constant velocity.

Figure 1. The thought experiment of Galileo using platforms and balls in his imagination

The tendency of an object to maintain its state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line is called inertia. For
Galileo, objects in motion tend to maintain their state of motion, while an object at rest will remain at rest. Upon this
foundation laid by Galileo, Isaac Newton made his theory of motion particularly the first theory which states that every
object continues in its state of rest, or uniform velocity in a straight line, as long as there is no net force acting on it.
A school bus comes to a sudden stop, and all of the backpacks on the floor start to slide forward. This is because
of inertia. Backpacks continue their state of motion, maintain the velocity as the velocity of the bus decreases.
Inertia is also related to the mass of an object. Suppose you are to move two boxes, one weighing 2 kg and the
other 40 kg. Which will be harder to move? That is right! The 40 kg box will be difficult to move. The more mass the
object has, the more is its inertia. Mass is the amount of matter and inertia the object has.

The subtle difference between Newton’s First Law of Motion and Galileo’s assertion that force is not necessary

Galileo asserted that if friction were not present, the ball would continue to roll at constant velocity. It will
continue its state of motion until a push or pull causes it to change that state. Galileo named this tendency of materials to
resist change as inertia in their state of motion. His statement was the basis for Newton's first law of motion. They both
indicated that no force is required to keep the object moving, and the inertia of the object would keep it from changing its
state of motion.
The difference between the Newton’s First Law of Motion and Galileo’s assertion is subtle. The distinction is the
principle of force. Galileo knew about friction, but he didn't know about the concept of force. He used the word 'push and
pull' to show power. It was Sir Isaac Newton who established the idea of force and its relationship with motion.
Assessment
Directions: Encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1. What property of matter tends to resist a change in an object’s state of motion?
a. mass b. volume c. inertia d. force
2. Which of the following is Galileo’s assertion on horizontal motion?
a. No force is needed to start the motion of an object.
b. No force is required to decrease or increase the motion of an object.
c. When an object is left alone, it will continue to move with constant velocity.
d. The inertia of an object will keep the object moving with constant velocity.
3. What was Aristotle’s understanding of natural motion?
a. Each element would seek out its natural place within the sphere of change
b. Each element would seek out its natural place within the sphere of perfection
c. It is the motion which results from objects being moved from place to place by life forms that seek change for
their benefit
d. It is any motion that seek change for their benefit
4. According to Galileo, a ball rolling down an inclined plane will pick up enough speed to roll up another plane. How
high will it roll compared with its initial height if friction is negligible?
a. Higher than the original height
b. Lower than the original height
c. Same as the original height
d. Depends on the smoothness of the inclined plane
5. All statements below are similarities of Galileo’s assertion on horizontal motion and Newton’s 1 st law of motion
except _______.
a. Inertia is the property of an object that keeps it from changing its state of motion
b. All objects have inertia that tends to increase or decrease its speed
c. No force is needed in order to keep an object moving in a straight line with constant speed
d. Force is required to change the state of motion of an object

Reflection:
What is the difference between Aristotle and Galileo in the way they understand their observations?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Parent’s Signature: _______________________________

Signature above Printed Name
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region IX, Zamboanga Peninsula
DIVISION OF ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE
Manukan I District
Learning Activity Sheet
Quarter 4 – Week 1
Name ________________________________ Grade _______________________ Score ___________
Subject __Physical Science________________ Teacher ______________________ Date ____________
Type of Activity : Concept Notes/Individual
Lesson/Topic: Aristotelian vs Galilean views of motion
Learning Target(s): Compare and Contrast the Aristotelian and Galilean conceptions of vertical motion, horizontal
motion, and projectile motion
Reference(s): Physical Science Quarter 4 – Module 2

Motion is the action of changing location or position. Life is motion. From the coordination of the muscles of our
body which enables us to walk, run, and dance to the pumping of our hearts to deliver blood to the different parts of our
bodies are motion.
The first evidence of the study of the motion of heavenly bodies can be traced back to the people of Sumeria and
Egypt. While the Greeks were the first ones to study systematically and in detail the heavenly bodies. They regarded the
Earth as the center of the universe, geocentric. This idea of geocentric earth was replaced by the heliocentric model of
Nicolaus Copernicus, where earth and other planets revolve in circular orbits around the Sun.
These early studies were the foundations of Galileo Galilei, an Italian physicist to revolutionized Science.

Activity 1.
The timeline below shows the different personalities involved in the Ancient Greek Astronomy and during the time of
Galileo and Isaac Newton. Answer the guide questions given below.

Guide Questions:
1. Who were the Ancient Greek Astronomers who studied the motion of heavenly bodies from Aristotle to the year
200 AD?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Who were those Astronomers who made contributions to the study of heavenly bodies from 1400 to the time of
Galileo Galilei?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

I. Aristotle’s Concept of Vertical Motion, Horizontal Motion, and Projectile Motion

1. Vertical Motion
Vertical motion is referred to as natural motion. In a natural motion, the object will
move and will return to its natural state based on the object's material or composition - earth,
water, air, and fire.
 For example, Aristotle believed that because a ball fell when thrown upward, its
element was earth.
 Smoke goes up the air because it seeks its natural place in the atmosphere.
 Aristotelian concept of natural motion is largely vertical motion which is falling or
rising.
2. Horizontal Motion
An object moving in a violent motion requires push or pull to maintain
horizontal motion. Motion continues only so long as there is an applied force to
an object. When the force is removed, motion stops.
 The example at the right shows piled boxes of food donations. The boxes
will remain on the floor unless a push or pull force is applied.
 Violent motion is imposed motion caused by pushing or pulling.
 Aristotle classified any motion that required a force as a “violent
motion”. (He did not mean violent in the sense that it is marked by the
use of harmful or destructive physical force.)
3. Projectile Motion
Aristotle believed that the projectile motion of an object is parallel to the ground until it is the object's time to fall
back into the ground. An impetus will be kept by the object until such time that the initial force is forgotten, and the object
returns to its natural state to stop moving and fall to the ground.
He viewed projectile motion as natural and violent motion. He said that heavy
objects fall faster than light ones.
 A notorious problem for the Aristotelian view was why arrows shot from a
bow continued to fly through the air after they had left the bow and the string
was no longer applying force to them.
 Initial motive force transfers to the medium initially surrounding the object a
“power” to act as a motive force.
 Medium then forces object into new region, which is then imparted with the
“power” to act.
II. Galileo’s Concept of Vertical Motion, Horizontal Motion, and Projectile Motion
1. Vertical Motion
In the absence of a resistance, objects would fall not depending on their weight, but in the time of fall. Also, if the
object encountered a resistive force from a fluid equal or greater than its weight, it will slow down and reaches a uniform
motion until it reaches the bottom and stops.
 For example, without any resistance, a 1.0-kg object will be as
fast as a 10-kg object when falling because they fall with the
same amount of time, given that they are released from the
same height.

 Also, a stone dropped in the ocean will sooner or later travel at

constant speed.

2. Horizontal Motion
An object in motion, if unimpeded, will continue to be in motion, and an external force is not necessary to
maintain the motion. If the Earth’s surface is very flat and extended infinitely, objects that are pushed will not be
impeded. Thus, the objects will continue to move. This kind of motion, however, is not evident in nature.

For example, if a ball is pushed on an infinitely flat plane, the ball will continue to roll if unimpeded.
3. Projectile Motion
Galileo performed experiments on uniformly accelerated motion using an inclined plane, and used the same
apparatus to study projectile motion.
 Galileo was credited for quantifying the “rate of fall” by measurement of distance and time and plotting it
graphically. He was able to slow down the “fall” using ramps rather than viscous materials as Aristotle did
resulting to significantly different conclusions related to the “rate of fall”.
 He correctly measured motion in two independent directions (horizontal and vertical) and deduced that the “rate
of fall” is better measured in terms of downward acceleration.
 He used geometry to provide better description (kinematics) of projectile motion whereby horizontal motion has
zero acceleration (constant speed horizontally) and content vertical acceleration.
 By varying the ball’s horizontal velocity and vertical drop, Galileo was able to determine that the path of a
projectile is parabolic.
 He believed that a projectile is a combination of uniform motion in the horizontal direction and uniformly
accelerated motion in the vertical direction. If it is not impeded, it will continue to move even without an applied
force.
 For example, when you shoot a ball in a basketball ring, the ball does not need a force to keep it moving.
Activity 2. Complete the Venn diagram below by writing the letter that corresponds to the statement inside the diagram.
A. Horizontal motion is violent motion
B. Horizontal motion can be natural motion of an
object
C. Vertical motion is natural motion
D. The speed of a falling object is equal regardless of
their weight in a vacuum
E. Friction is the force that opposes the horizontal
motion
F. Air resistance is the force that opposes the vertical
motion
G. Projectile is a combination of horizontal and
vertical motion
H. Made conclusions based on his 5 senses
I. Made conclusions based from experimentation
J. Explain observation
K. Projectile is caused by the pushing of an object by
the air
L. Push and pull are forces that act on the object

Galileo’s Thought Experiment

Before Galileo, people believed that the heavier objects will land first on the ground when released at the same
time with a lighter object from a higher ground. For Galileo, all objects regardless of their weight will fall at the same
time in the absence of air or other resistance and that they increase in their speed as they get closer to the ground. This is
called acceleration due to gravity and this acceleration is uniform. Vacuum is when the object is void of air so there is no
air resistance.
To support his claim that falling objects increase their speed as they fall, Galileo made a thought experiment: A
stone was dropped at the height of 2 m will drive a stake into the ground much further than will the stone dropped from a
height of only 0.2 m. Clearly the stone from 2m must be moving faster.
To prove that air resistance is the cause of the slowing down of objects he had prepared a piece of a paper
horizontally in one hand and a ball on the other hand and release it at the same time. Predictably, the ball will land first
than the paper and this is due to the air resistance. But if the paper is crumpled they will land the ground nearly at the
same time. For Galileo the air acts as resistance to very light objects and large surface area. This thought experiment was
proven and tested by BBC two video from https://youtu.be/QyeF-_QPSbk.
Aristotle made a statement that the natural state of an object was at rest and force is believed necessary to keep an
object in motion. So, the greater the force applied to an object the greater the speed will be. To Galileo, force is not
required to sustain a horizontal motion. To push a heavy object on a rough surface requires a lot of force but to push an
equally heavy object on a smooth surface requires a very little amount of force.
He also conducted a thought experiment involving platforms like the one showed in Figure 1below. These
platform all have the same height. Now a ball is released on platform A. After releasing the ball, the ball went to the other
slope of the platform and reached the same level as when it was released before it went back to its original position. The
same thing will happen to the ball if the width of the platform was increased. This ball will continually move until
eternity, when there is no friction on the surface. So on platform C, the ball will also continue to move forward without
even force applied to it provided that the surface is frictionless. Galileo's conclusion from this thought experiment was
that no force is needed to keep an object moving with constant velocity.

Figure 1. The thought experiment of Galileo using platforms and balls in his imagination

The tendency of an object to maintain its state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line is called inertia. For
Galileo, objects in motion tend to maintain their state of motion, while an object at rest will remain at rest. Upon this
foundation laid by Galileo, Isaac Newton made his theory of motion particularly the first theory which states that every
object continues in its state of rest, or uniform velocity in a straight line, as long as there is no net force acting on it.
A school bus comes to a sudden stop, and all of the backpacks on the floor start to slide forward. This is because
of inertia. Backpacks continue their state of motion, maintain the velocity as the velocity of the bus decreases.
Inertia is also related to the mass of an object. Suppose you are to move two boxes, one weighing 2 kg and the
other 40 kg. Which will be harder to move? That is right! The 40 kg box will be difficult to move. The more mass the
object has, the more is its inertia. Mass is the amount of matter and inertia the object has.

The subtle difference between Newton’s First Law of Motion and Galileo’s assertion that force is not necessary

Galileo asserted that if friction were not present, the ball would continue to roll at constant velocity. It will
continue its state of motion until a push or pull causes it to change that state. Galileo named this tendency of materials to
resist change as inertia in their state of motion. His statement was the basis for Newton's first law of motion. They both
indicated that no force is required to keep the object moving, and the inertia of the object would keep it from changing its
state of motion.
 The difference between the Newton’s First Law of Motion and Galileo’s assertion is subtle. The distinction is the
principle of force. Galileo knew about friction, but he didn't know about the concept of force. He used the word 'push and
pull' to show power. It was Sir Isaac Newton who established the idea of force and its relationship with motion.

Activity 3. 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.
_________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 fall 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. A stationary object resists movement only because of gravity.
_________15. The speed of an object changes only when it is acted on by an unbalanced force.

Assessment
Directions: Encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1. What property of matter tends to resist a change in an object’s state of motion?
a. mass b. volume c. inertia d. force
2. Which of the following is Galileo’s assertion on horizontal motion?
a. No force is needed to start the motion of an object.
b. No force is required to decrease or increase the motion of an object.
c. When an object is left alone, it will continue to move with constant velocity.
d. The inertia of an object will keep the object moving with constant velocity.
3. What was Aristotle’s understanding of natural motion?
a. Each element would seek out its natural place within the sphere of change
b. Each element would seek out its natural place within the sphere of perfection
c. It is the motion which results from objects being moved from place to place by life forms that seek change for
their benefit
d. It is any motion that seek change for their benefit
4. According to Galileo, a ball rolling down an inclined plane will pick up enough speed to roll up another plane. How
high will it roll compared with its initial height if friction is negligible?
a. Higher than the original height
b. Lower than the original height
c. Same as the original height
d. Depends on the smoothness of the inclined plane
5. All statements below are similarities of Galileo’s assertion on horizontal motion and Newton’s 1 st law of motion
except _______.
a. Inertia is the property of an object that keeps it from changing its state of motion
b. All objects have inertia that tends to increase or decrease its speed
c. No force is needed in order to keep an object moving in a straight line with constant speed
d. Force is required to change the state of motion of an object

Reflection:
What is the difference between Aristotle and Galileo in the way they understand their observations?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________

Parent’s Signature: _______________________________

Signature above Printed Name