SHS

General Physics 1
Module 10: Quarter 1 – Week 4
 Target

The Newton's Laws of Motion are three laws that placed together as
the basis for classical mechanics. These laws describe the connection
between a body and the forces acting upon it, and its motion in response to
those forces.

Within this period of Newtonian mechanics, an inertial frame of

reference, or inertial reference frame, is one in which Newton's first law of
motion is valid. The state of motion of any object is always defined with respect
to a reference frame.

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

Define inertial frames of reference (STEM_GP12N-Id28)

Jumpstart

Motion is the action of changing location or position. The study of

motion without regard to the forces or energies that may be involved is
called kinematics. It is the simplest branch of mechanics.

At some point in your life, you've probably been on a form of

public transportation. It might have been a bus, metro, train, plane, or even
something else. Often we share these rides with other people. From your
point of view in the vehicle, these people are sitting or standing still.
However, to a bystander standing still outside the vehicle, you and your
fellow passengers are moving at a faster velocity.

We can call these two points of view two different frames of

reference. In physics, we can classify frames of reference by two main types:
inertial and non-inertial.
 Frames of reference where Newton's analysis works are called
inertial frames. They are frames where the Principle of Inertia is true.

An inertial frame of reference has a constant velocity. That is, it is

moving at a constant speed in a straight line, or it is standing still.
Understand that when something is standing still, it has a constant velocity.
Its velocity is constantly zero meters per second.

Discover

Inertia is the property of matter in which an object that is at rest

wants to remain at rest, and an object that is moving wants to remain
moving in a straight line unless another force acts upon it. Likewise, an
inertial frame of reference is a reference frame in which an object stays
either at rest or at a constant velocity unless another force acts upon it.
When a body does not seem to be acting in accordance with inertia, it is in a
non-inertial frame of reference or accelerating.

Newton's Law & Frames of Reference

Newton's first law states that a body at rest will remain at rest, and a
body in motion will remain in motion at a constant velocity in a straight line
unless acted upon by an external force. The external force in this law being a
force that does not originate from the body itself. Looking at the previous
definitions for inertia and an inertial frame of reference, we can see that their
definitions are almost the same as Newton's first law. Another way to define
an inertial frame of reference is a frame of reference in which Newton's first
law remains true.
Let’s study the picture below:

The bus is moving 40 km/hr…

Imagine that you are travelling on the bus with a ball (the red one)
beside you sitting on the floor. The bus is moving forward at a constant velocity
of 40km/h.

The ball on the floor doesn’t move because there is no net force acting
on the ball and if you remember the first law, it states that it should stay at
rest unless an outside force will change it state.

Suddenly the bus decelerates… or the bus is slowing down.

The bus decelerates…

What do you think will happen to the ball? It will start to accelerate
towards the front of the bus. Since there is no net force applied, do you think
it violates the first law of motion?

The laws of physics seem to momentarily break down for you

standing on the bus. In reality, what has happened is that your frame of
reference has been compromised.
 An inertial frame of reference is a frame of reference in which the
law of inertia and other physics laws are valid. Any frame moving at a
constant velocity relative to another frame is also an inertial frame of
reference.

Try and put yourself in the role of that passenger. From your
perspective in the vehicle, you are standing still and nothing is acting on you,
but you experience what feels like a force pushing you in the opposite
direction of the vehicle's movement. You're probably familiar with this
feeling. It's that feeling of being pushed back into your seat when a vehicle
first starts moving or accelerates quickly.

When the breaks are applied on the bus, the bus undergoes a negative
acceleration. At this moment, it becomes a non-inertial frame of reference.

A non-inertial frame of reference is a reference frame in which the law

of inertia does not hold. Although the ball accelerates toward the front of the
bus, there is no net force causing the acceleration. But if you are sitting on the
bus, you observe the ball accelerating forward. That would imply to you as you
sit on the bus that there is a net force forward on the ball. The reason there
appears to be a net force on the ball is that you are observing the motion of the
ball in the non-inertial reference frame.

If you observe the motion from the road (which is an inertial frame of
reference) the ball just continues to move forward at the speed it was already
going, and the motion is easily explained by the law of inertia.

To an observer in the inertial frame of reference (the ground) the bus

experiences a net force causing it to decelerate. The ball just continues it’s
forward velocity with no net force.
 Explore

Here is an enrichment activity for you to work on to master and strengthen the basic concepts
you have learned from this lesson.

Let’s now test your understanding regarding Inertial frame of reference!

What you need: Cellphone with load, pen/pencil

What you have to do: Below is an example that will challenge your
understanding about the topic of this module. Answer the problem solving
the best you can!

Enrichment Activity 1: Inertial frame or not?

1. You are on a train which is initially travelling at 15m/s. You gently

place a lawn tennis ball beside your seat.

a. What happens to the tennis ball’s motion?

b. Draw a Free-Body Diagram of the ball in the frame of reference of the
ground outside the train, and the frame of reference of the train
c. The train starts to accelerate east. Draw a new Free-Body Diagram of
the ball in both frames of reference.

2. Each day you see the Sun rise to the east, travel across the sky, and
set in the west.

a. Explain this observation in terms of frame of reference

b. compare your observation to the actual motions of the sun and earth

3. Explain this event based on frame of reference. You are seated on the
parked car in a parking lot. The car next to you begins to back out of its
space. For a moment you think your car is rolling forward.
For better understanding you can use these links to watch the concept of the
Inertial frame of reference… Enjoy watching!

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xiIP2B6L3M
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD7C4V9smG4
3. https://www.coursera.org/lecture/mechanics-particles-
planets/lesson-4-2-inertial-and-non-inertial-frames-4Cq3a

Deepen

Problem: Defining frame of reference to describe motion.

Background Information: (Describe what you know about the problem,

content, vocabulary, materials used, and procedure.)

What you need

Materials: Stop watch
Meter stick
Tape, string or other marking item
What you need to do:

Procedure:

Work in a group of five:

1. Prepare a clear track 1-meter-wide and 5 meters long. Mark a

starting line and a finish line.
2. One group member will be in motion, walking backwards from the
starting line to the finish line.
A. The other group members will observe and measure the
time and distance of the motion:
B. One group member will stand behind the starting line to
observe and time the walker
C. One group member will stand at the finish line to observe
and time the walker
D. One group member will stand at the left sideline to
 observe and time the walker
E. One group member will stand at the right sideline to
observe and time the mover.
3. Each observer should start his or her stopwatch when the walker
starts moving and stop when the walker reaches the finish line. The
walking group member should record the times from each observer.
4. Repeat step 3 for a total of three trials. Record the time of the motion.
5. After all three trials, each observing group member should draw a
diagram in the appropriate box and briefly describe in words, the
motion of the walker from their own frame of reference (f.o.r).
6. Rotate positions. The walker becomes an observer and each observer
moves to a different position.
7. Repeat steps three, four, five and six until each group member has been
a walker and has been at each observing position (frame of reference).
8. After the activity, answer the following questions in the analysis part.

Analysis:
1. Why did each walker do three trials?
2. Calculate the average time of motion for each frame of reference position.
Starting line
Finish Line
Left sideline
Right sideline
3. Why do we average data?

4. Look at the average times you calculated. Is there a significant difference

in the average times from the different frame of reference positions?
yes no
5. Should there be a difference in average times from the different positions?
yes no
6. Explain your answer to question 5.
7. If there is a significant difference in the average times, what might be the
cause?
8. After examining your data, do you think frame of reference has an affect
on the
time of motion? Explain.
9. What are some possible sources of error for this activity?
10. Examine the drawings and descriptions you made for the different frames
of reference. Then, look at your group members’ drawings.
a. How are the drawings and descriptions alike?
b. How are the drawings and descriptions different?
11. Think about what you have learned about motion and frame of reference:
A. How we recognize frame of reference,
B. Things that do and do not affect frame of reference,
C. Things that frame of reference does and does not affect.
D. Remember the terms position, distance, displacement
12. In your own words, write a few sentences describing and defining frame
of reference, as they might appear in Wikipedia or another encyclopedia. It
may be helpful to include diagrams in your discussion.
13. Describe how this activity about frame of reference relates to an
experience you have had in the real world.

Gauge

I. Tell whether the situation is in inertial or non- inertial frame

of reference.

Inertial / Non-
Situation Inertial Reference
Frame
1. The object at rest and in motion
remains motion unless acted by a net
force.
2. The object is accelerating either in linear
fashion or rotating around some axis.
3. John is holding his ball and riding on a bus
that is moving with a constant velocity in
a
westward direction.
4. You are riding at the bus when suddenly the
ball that you are holding falls down the floor
of the bus. The bus starts to decelerate, then
the ball on the floor accelerate forward
inside
the bus by itself.
5. A frame of reference in which the law of
inertia does not hold
6. Car A is speeding up and passing car B.
7. A turning car with a constant velocity
8. Bea drop the stone from the third floor of a
building. The stones falls down straight to
the ground.
9. You and your friend is riding in a merry go
round. You fell like not moving at all even
the merry go round is continuously
rotating
to its center.
10. The driver is driving a vehicle moving at a
constant speed at a straight road
11. When the bus goes round a corner, a
standing passenger who is not holding
onto a rail seems to find himself
accelerating
sideways
12. A traffic light turns green. The driver steps
on the gas, accelerating. Dice hanging from
the rear-view mirror swing towards the back
of the car.
13. Maria who is standing along the road notice
that the dice swings forward as the bus
stopped
14. A turning car with constant speed.
15. Any frame where some external force can be
seen to acting upon it.
 References:
Printed Materials:

Department of Education, Bureau of Learning Resources. General Physics I.

Reader (pp. 16-18). Pasig City, Philippines
Reyes, Christopher G. (2018). Work-Text in General Physics I for Senior High
School. GBT Great Books Trading
Department of Education, Secondary Education Development and
Improvement Project. Science and Technology. Physics Textbook..
Pasig City, Philippines
Website:
Inertial and Non- Inertial Frames of Reference BY AARTI PANWAR SUBMITTED
TO GYANRAO DHOTE
file:///C:/Users/Dell_PC/Downloads/aartipanwarinertialandnon-
inertialframesofreference-180130141939.pdf.
Inertial and non-Inertial Reference frame
https://www.slideshare.net/GyanraoPhysics/inertial-and-non-
inertial-frames-of-reference-aarti-panwar-bsc-i-2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xiIP2B6L3M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD7C4V9smG4
https://www.coursera.org/lecture/mechanics-particles-planets/lesson-4-2-
inertial-and-non-inertial-frames-4Cq3a
Investigating Motion: Understanding Frame of Reference. Cheryl Gores,
Nicollet Junior High School, Burnsville,
MN https://serc.carleton.edu/sp/mnstep/activities/19867.html

1. NON
INERTI
AL
2. NON
INERTI
AL