Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region V
Division of Camarines Sur
COGUIT HIGH SCHOOL
Balatan, Camarines Sur

LECTURE NOTES IN PHYSICAL SCIENCE 11

Lesson 4 – Aristotelian and Galilean Concepts of Motion
4th Quarter
S/Y 2023-2024

Why do objects move?

Scientists and philosophers alike have been trying to answer this question even before 300 B.C.
One of the well-known philosophers who attempted to do this was Aristotle. His attempt was
based on inductive-deductive reasoning and was accepted for centuries.

During the time of Galileo, the prevailing thought was an extension of ancient Greek thought
mostly influenced by the writings of Aristotle. Aristotle wrote extensively on many subjects, one
of which was physics. While a studying at the University of Pisa, Galileo learned of Aristotle’s
theory on motion. Later, he formulated his thought experiment regarding motion.

However, Galileo Galilei challenged the Aristotelian view of motion when he had his actual
and thorough experiments. He disagreed with most of Aristotle’s claims and provided his own
description of motion.

Picture Analysis:

In Image 1, describe the motion of the cart pulled by the horse and the motion of an arrow by
a stretched bow? What are the commonalties and differences between the two scenarios?
Describe the motion of the smoke in Image 2? Compare the motion shown in each image?
What kind of motion is presented in image 1? And image 2?

Image 1 Image 2

Answer:

1. Image 1 - the cartwheel moves because of the external force (pull) applied by the horse
and the arrow will also move because of the force applied by the stretched bow. Yes.
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region V
Division of Camarines Sur
COGUIT HIGH SCHOOL
Balatan, Camarines Sur

Similarities – both objects move because of the applied external force and they both exhibit
horizontal motion. Differences - They differ on the amount of force being exerted or applied

2. In Image 2, the smoke naturally rises moving upward.

3. Image 1 VIOLENT MOTION, requires an external force (push or pull) for the object to move.
Image 2 NATURAL MOTION, motion that an object does naturally,

4. The motion shown in image 1 is a violent motion while image 2 is a natural motion.

Aristotelian Concept of Motion

Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist born in the city of Stagira, Chalcidice,
on the Northern periphery of classical Greece.

Aristotle used two philosophical terms to define and analyse motion. He defined motion as the
actuality of a potentiality.

Potentiality refers to any "possibility" that a thing can be said to have. In contrast, actuality is
the actual change in motion or activity that represents an exercise or fulfilment of a possibility,
when a possibility becomes realistic in the fullest sense. Aristotle’s definition seems to involve a
contradiction. However, St. Thomas Aquinas emphasized and maintained that this is the only
way to define motion.

Aristotle described motion into two kinds: natural and violent motion.

 Natural motion can be described as any motion in which any object does naturally. If it is
moved, it will return to its natural state. In addition, solid materials (or liquids) fall as they seek
their natural resting place. Air likes to rise upwards, as do flames, since that is their natural
resting place. Natural motion is either straight up or straight down.

Examples of natural motions include:

 A book lying at rest on a table naturally remains at rest.

 If you let go of a book it naturally falls toward the earth’s center.
 Smoke naturally rises.
 The sun naturally rises in the east, crosses the sky, and then sets in the west.

 Violent motion, on the other hand, is the type of motion which requires an external push or pull
for the object to move.

Examples of violent motion include: Pushing a book along a table, lifting a book.

Image 1 in the previous activity shows violent motion because the cartwheel moves due to an
external pull applied by the horse. The arrow will also move due to the applied pull by the
 Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region V
Division of Camarines Sur
COGUIT HIGH SCHOOL
Balatan, Camarines Sur

stretched bow. Image 2, on the other hand, manifests natural motion because smoke
naturally rises.

Aristotle’s Views on Motion

The Greek believed that everything was made of four elements - air, water, fire and earth.
These four elements possess vertical motion; the earth moves down toward its natural resting
place. Water’s natural place is just above earth. Air is another element in which generally it
rises to its natural place in the atmosphere. Fire rises to the atmosphere which is its natural
place.

Aristotle also believed that heavy objects fall faster than lighter ones. He thought that objects
fall at a speed proportional to their weights; the heavier the object, the faster it falls.

Aristotle views horizontal motion of the projectile as the result of the tendency of any object in
motion to remain in motion at constant velocity. Due to the absence of horizontal forces, a
projectile remains in motion with constant horizontal velocity.

Projectile motion is the motion of an object upon which the only force acting is gravity. A
projectile is any object that once thrusted upwards continues in motion by its own inertia and
is pulled downward by force of gravity that manifest horizontal motion. He also had his view on
the projectile motion of an object. He believed that an impetus is given to an object thrown at
a certain angle which is a force or energy that permits an object to move. The object will
continue to move in the same direction until the impetus is lost and the object falls to the
ground and returns to its natural state.

As a summary, Aristotle believed that:

 All objects naturally seek their resting places.

 All motion on the Earth is linear.

 All motion in the heavens (outer space) is curved. The speed at

which an object falls is directly related to the mass of an object.
Heavy objects fall faster than lighter ones.

 Motion continues for as long as a force is applied to an object.

Removing the force stops the object.
 Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region V
Division of Camarines Sur
COGUIT HIGH SCHOOL
Balatan, Camarines Sur

Galileo's Conceptions of Motion

Galileo built his concepts of motion from Aristotle’s ideas.

Horizontal motion

An object in motion, if unimpeded (not slowed or blocked or interfered with), 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.

Vertical motion

In the absence of a resistance (opposing or retarding force), 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-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.
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region V
Division of Camarines Sur
COGUIT HIGH SCHOOL
Balatan, Camarines Sur

Projectile motion

Galileo 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.

Key Points

 Galileo believed that an object in uniform motion will travel a distance that is proportional to
the time it took to travel; a uniformly accelerating object will travel with a speed proportional
to some factor of time; and an object in motion, if unimpeded, will continue to be in motion;
an external force is not necessary to maintain the motion.
 Galileo believed that a projectile is a combination of uniform motion in the horizontal direction
and uniformly accelerated motion in the vertical direction.

Questions with Answer and Explanations:

1. Which of the following does Galileo believe about motion?

A. A violent motion is caused by an external force.

B. Objects will continue to be in uniform motion if unimpeded.

C. Objects move because of their elemental composition.

D. Heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects if there is no resistance.

 Galileo believed that an object in motion, if unimpeded, will continue to be in motion;

an external force is not necessary to maintain the motion.
 Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region V
Division of Camarines Sur
COGUIT HIGH SCHOOL
Balatan, Camarines Sur

2. According to Galileo, an object in uniform motion will travel a distance that is proportional
to _____.

A. time B. acceleration C. velocity D. speed

 An object in uniform motion will travel a distance that is proportional to the time it took to
travel.

3. If the object encountered a resistive force from a fluid equal or greater than its weight, it will
______.

A. have a uniform motion B. accelerate C. disappear D. slow down

 Galileo believed that 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.

4. A metal ball dropped in a pool went down slowly. This means that the resistive force on the
ball is __.

I. equal to its weight II. less than its weight

III. greater than its weight IV. equal to zero

A. I and III B. II and IV C. II and III D. All of the above

 The metal dropped in the pool encountered a resistive force equal or greater than its
weight. Thus, it will slow down and attain a uniform motion. Galileo believed that if the
object encountered a resistive force from a fluid equal or greater than its weight, it will slow
down and reaches a uniform until it reaches the bottom and stops.

5. Which of the following agrees with Galileo’s view of motion?

A. A feather will be as fast as an iron ball if dropped in a vacuum.

B. If a 10-kg boulder is dropped to the sea, it will stop midway.

C. Planets revolve around the Sun because of a Prime Mover.

D. Smoke rises because the sky is its natural place.

 Galileo believed that in the absence of a resistance, objects would fall not depending on
their weight, but on the time of fall.

6. Which of the following is true about the projectile of an arrow when shot?

A. It has a continuous applied force from the person who shot the arrow.

B. It creates a vacuum that sucks air in, and the air pushes the arrow.

C. It rises because arrows are mostly air.

D. It has both uniform motion and uniformly accelerating motion.

 Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region V
Division of Camarines Sur
COGUIT HIGH SCHOOL
Balatan, Camarines Sur

 Galileo believed that a projectile is a combination of uniform motion in the horizontal

direction and uniformly accelerated motion in the vertical direction.

7. Which of the following agrees with Galileo’s view of motion?

A. A flying baseball has both uniform motion and uniformly accelerating motion.

B. A box will stop sliding in a frictionless plane if the applied force is removed.

C. A balloon rises because it is mostly air, and the sky is its natural place.

D. An iron ball will always fall faster than a rubber ball.

 A flying baseball with both uniform and accelerating motion is an example of a

projectile motion. Galileo believed that a projectile is a combination of uniform motion in
the horizontal direction and uniformly accelerated motion in the vertical direction.

8. According to Galileo's view, which will reach the floor of the vacuum chamber first, a sheet
of paper or a bowling ball?

A. The bowling ball will reach the vacuum chamber.

B. The sheet of paper will reach the vacuum chamber.

C. They will reach the floor at the same time.

D. They will not reach the floor and will be sucked in the vacuum.

 In a vacuum chamber, both the sheet of paper and the bowling ball will reach the
ground at the same time. Galileo believed that in the absence of a resistance, objects
would fall not depending on their weight, but on the time of fall.

A box sliding on the floor slowly stops.

9. Why is this so?

A. There was a force that impeded the sliding box.

B. The applied force from the pusher disappeared.

C. The resistive force from the floor is equal to the applied force.

D. The boxes are usually made of earth, so the box, being a heavy element, stops.

 Galileo believed that an object in motion, if unimpeded, will continue to be in motion.

Therefore, the box will only stop if it was impeded.

Terminal velocity is the maximum velocity that an object could travel when it is falling with air
resistance. When an object is at terminal velocity, its velocity becomes constant.

10. Which Galilean concept helps explains this?

A. The object’s travelled distance depends on the time.

B. An external force is not necessary to maintain the movement of the object.

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region V
Division of Camarines Sur
COGUIT HIGH SCHOOL
Balatan, Camarines Sur

C. Due to a resistive force, an object slows down and reaches a uniform motion.

D. Any object will fall at the same rate.

 Galileo believed that 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.

Galilean Conceptions vs. Aristotelian Conceptions

According to Aristotle, motion can be either natural or violent motion. In a natural motion, the
object will move and will return to its natural state based on the object's material or
composition. In contrast, an object moving in a violent motion requires an external force (push
or pull) for the object to move.

He also had his view on the projectile motion of an object. He believed that an object thrown
at a certain angle is given an impetus—a force or energy that permits an object to move. It
will continue to move in such state until the object’s impetus is lost, and the object returns to its
natural state, causing it to stop and fall to the ground.

Galileo disproved Aristotle’s claims and believed that the motion of objects is not simply due
to the composition of objects. He posited that motion can be measured using physical
variables such as time and distance and thus can be described mathematically. Through his
experiments, he was able to prove that:

1. an object in uniform motion will travel a distance that is proportional to the time it will take
to travel;

2. a uniformly accelerating object will travel at a speed proportional to some factor of time;
and

3. an object in motion, if unimpeded, will continue to be in motion; an external force is not

necessary to maintain the motion.
 Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region V
Division of Camarines Sur
COGUIT HIGH SCHOOL
Balatan, Camarines Sur

Activity 1

In a vacuum chamber, a 1-kg object and 10-kg object was dropped at a certain height and
at the same time. Which of the following objects will reach the ground first?

Activity 2

Who has a more acceptable view of falling objects, Aristotle or Galileo? Try to test it in the
following activities below. Take note that in every activity, both objects should be dropped at
the same time and at the same height.

1. Drop a book and a flat sheet of paper coming.

2. Drop a book and a sheet of paper crumbled to a ball.
3. Drop a book with a small flat sheet of paper on top of it.

In all three cases, which object reach the ground first? Whose view is more acceptable then,
and why?

Prepared by: Noted by:

JERRLYN D. TECSON ROMEO B. COLINA

Subject Teacher Principal III