LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

UNIT 1: PHYSICS
LESSON 2: FORCES IN NATURE

GRAVITATIONAL FORCE
- a force that attracts any objects with mass
- also known as Newtons Law of Gravitation
- Newton's law of universal gravitation is usually stated as that every particle
attracts every other particle in the universe with a force that is directly
proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the
square of the distance between their centers. Wikipedia

Examples of Gravity
• The force acting between the Sun and the Earth.
• The force that is responsible for the revolution to the Moon around the Earth.
• The tides that are caused in the ocean is due to the force from the Moon.
• The force that is holding all the gases in the Sun.

Sample Problem

1. What is the force of gravity acting on an object at 10,000 meters above

the Earth’s surface? Earth’s mass = 5.98 x 1024 kg, object’s mass = 1000
kg, the radius of the Earth is 6.38 x 106 m.

Solution :
 N
N

ACTIVITY 1: Solve for the following. Show your solution.

1. What is the force of gravity acting on an object at 10,000 meters above
the Earth’s surface? Earth’s mass = 5.98 x 1024 kg, object’s mass = 1000
kg, the radius of the Earth is 6.38 x 106 m.

2. Determine the force of gravitational attraction between the earth (m = 5.98

x 1024 kg) and a 70-kg physics student if the student is standing at sea
level, a distance of 6.38 x 106 m from earth's center.

3. Determine the force of gravitational attraction between the earth (m = 5.98

x 1024 kg) and a 70-kg physics student if the student is in an airplane at
40000 feet above earth's surface. This would place the student a distance
of 6.39 x 106 m from earth's center.

FRICTION
Friction is the force that resists motion when the surface of one object
comes in contact with the surface of another.
Ways of Reducing Friction
a. Use of lubricants like grease, wax and oil
b. Use of anti-friction metal
c. Making surfaces smooth with the use of carpenter’s plane, sandpaper or
files.
COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION
For any two surfaces the ratio of the force used to overcome friction to the
force pressing the surfaces together is constant. This ratio is called coefficient
of friction.

Force of friction
Coefficient of friction = Total normal force

Sample Problem

1. If a force of 50 Newtons is needed to push a 500 Newton load on the floor,

what is the coefficient of friction?

Solution:

Given:
Force of Friction = 50 N
Total Normal Force = 200 N
CF =?

CF = 50N/200 N
= 0.25

ACTIVITY 2: Solve for the following. Show your solution.

1. A horizontal force of 20 Newton is used to pull a 200 Newton load. What
is the coefficient of friction?

2. A 60 Newton force is sufficient to pull a 250 Newton object on a

horizontal surface at uniform speed. What is the value of the coefficient
of friction?

Prepared:
GRACIE ANN M. DY
EED 16 INSTRUCTOR