PHYSICAL SCIENCE

Quarter 4, W eek 2
Investigating Principles Governing Motion

Galilean Conceptions vs. Aristotelian Conceptions According to Aristotle, motion is classified as

natural or violent motion. He explained that in a natural motion, a body will move and will return
to its natural state based on the body’s nature and composition. In contrast, a body moving in a
violent motion needs an external force for it to move. However, Galileo disproved Aristotle’s
claims and stated that the motion of a body is not due to its composition. He further asserted that
the motion of a body can be described by measurement and the changes in quantifiable variables
such as time and distance. Lastly, he further asserted that:
1. A body who is in uniform motion will move a distance that is proportional to the time it will take to
travel;

2. A uniformly accelerating body will travel at a speed proportional to time; and

3. An object in motion will keep moving; and the external force is not necessary to maintain the motion.

With regards to the concept of vertical motion, Aristotle pointed out that the velocity of a body
is inversely proportional to the time it covers to travel a certain height. On the other hand, Galileo
emphasized that if two objects of different weights are dropped from a high point, both will hit the
ground at the same time.

In terms of horizontal motion, Aristotle mentioned that bodies require force to maintain
horizontal motion. In the contrary, Galileo asserted that if there is no interference, a body in motion
will keep moving in a straight line forever. He further added that there is no need to apply force for
it to continuously move. The external force will act upon the body not to keep it from moving, but
for it to stop moving.

Lastly, with regards to projectile motion, Aristotle coined the concept of antiperistasis which
is the resistance of a medium in response to the movement of a body; while Galileo explained that
projectiles follow a curved path with a horizontal and vertical component.
Galileo and his Uniform Acceleration

Galileo asserted using his cannonball experiment that when objects are
dropped simultaneously at the same height, they will reach the ground at the
same time regardless of mass, size, and air resistance. This experiment paved
the way for the discovery of the principle of uniform acceleration.
Furthermore, he noticed that falling objects increases their speed as
they go down and he coined this change in speed as acceleration. His
observations lead to remarkable conclusions that regardless of the mass, size,
and shape of an object, and air resistance, falling objects will always have
uniform acceleration and that, force is not necessary to sustain the horizontal
motion of a body. He further asserted that the speed of a body is directly
proportional to the time it travels a path and that the distance covered by a
moving body is directly proportional to the square of time interval which
implies that the speed of a falling object does not depend on a body’s weight
but on the time of fall. Lastly, using his inclined plane experiment and
cannonball experiment, he came up with the following observations and
conclusions:

➢ A body moving down an inclined plane increases its acceleration by the

same value after every second.
➢ The maximum acceleration of a body is attained when the inclined plane
is positioned vertically as if the body is falling.
➢ Using the law of parabolic fall, he concluded that bodies fall with
constant acceleration on the surface and that gravity pulling all bodies
downward is a constant force. In this regard, he found out that force is not
necessary to sustain horizontal motion.

Galileo’s Assertion and Newton’s Laws of Motion

Galileo Galilei proposed the first accurate principle governing motion and masses in his
experiments wherein, remarkable findings such as bodies accelerate at the same rate regardless of
their respective masses and sizes and that force is not needed to sustain horizontal motion were
emphasized. He stated that the mass of an object is proportional to its resistance to move and that force
is not necessary to keep an object in motion. However, Sir Isaac Newton proposed Laws on Motion
anchored on the findings of Galileo and expounded his assertions. In his first law of motion, he
mentioned that an object at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an external force and a body
in motion will keep moving unless external force is acted upon it. Lastly, he stated that a body will only
accelerate if an external force is acted upon it.

Newton’s first law states that, if a body is at rest or in motion, it will remain at rest or keep
in motion unless an external force is acted upon. This postulate is known as inertia which was
proposed by Galileo in his experiment about horizontal motion wherein, he stated that a body
requires an external force to move and that an external force must be acted upon for a body to rest.
On the other hand, the second law states that the change in momentum of a body is equal to the
magnitude and direction of force acting upon it. He further added that force is the product of the
mass of an object and its acceleration. Lastly, the third law also known as the law of interaction
states that when two bodies interact, both will apply equal amount of forces to one another in the
opposite direction.
Activity 1 Great Motion Debate

Directions: Based on your understanding about Galilean and Aristotelian concept of principles
governing motion, COMPARE and CONTRAST their assertions regarding vertical motion,
horizontal motion, and projectile motion by completing the table below.

Concept Aristotle Similarities Galileo

VERTICAL MOTION
HORIZONTAL MOTION
PROJECTILE MOTION

Activity 2 Science Consensus

Directions: Explain the subtle distinction between Newton’s first law of motion and Galileo’s
assertions regarding force and motion by completing the table below:

Isaac Newton Concept Galileo Galilei

INERTIA
FORCE
BODY AT REST
BODY IN MOTION

Activity 3 Graph it All the Way

Directions: Demonstrate understanding of uniform acceleration by analyzing and explaining the

distance vs. time graph, velocity vs. time graph, and acceleration vs. time graph to explain the
situation below.

Situation: Describe the motion of a ball placed on an inclined plane with smooth surface.

Acceleration vs. Time

Distance vs. Time graph Velocity vs. Time graph
graph

d v a

t t t
 ASSESSMENT

DIRECTIONS: Read each question carefully. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write your
answer on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Rising of smoke is an example of what type of motion according to Aristotle?

A. Natural b. normal c. reaction d. violent
2. Which of the following is needed to put a body to rest?
A. inertia b. force c. gravity d. mass
3. The resistance of a medium in response to movement of a body is known as; antiperistasis b.
force c. inertia d. gravity
4. What will happen if an external force is acted upon a body at rest?
A. it will move c. nothing will happen
B. it will not move d. it will remain in motion
5. What will happen to the acceleration of the body if a marble moves in a sloped downward plane?
A. accelerates b. decelerates c. nothing d. not determined