SHS

GENERAL PHYSICS 1
Module 5, Quarter 1, Week 1
General Physics 1
Grade 11/12 Module 5 Quarter 1, Week 1
First Edition, 2020

Copyright © 2020
La Union Schools Division
Region I

All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced in any form without
written permission from the copyright owners.

Development Team of the Module

Author: MARTIN GREGOR ALLADA

Editor: SDO La Union, Learning Resource Quality Assurance Team

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Schools Division Superintendent

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Claire P. Toluyen, Librarian II
 General Physics 1
Module 5: Quarter 1 – Week 1
 Target

Life is like a bicycle. We have to keep pedaling and moving all the way.
If we stop, we fall. In this module, you will study the numerical descriptors of motion:
time, displacement, velocity and acceleration.

In this chapter, we will focus on objects that are moving but not
spinning. In physics, we call this translational motion or one-dimensional motion.
We will treat an object as a point, not considering its size and shape, just its motion.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. convert a verbal description of a physical situation involving uniform

acceleration in one dimension into a mathematical description
(STEM_GP12KINIb12).

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 Figure 1: Photo credit: Dreamstime.com

Mechanics is a field of physics which deals with the effects of forces on an

object. It is a broad field which has several branches. Two of these branches are
kinematics which studies the description of motion of objects and dynamics which
is concerned on how these motions are affected by forces that are acting on objects.

In this module, you will learn how common terms such as speed, velocity,
displacement and acceleration take on a richer meaning in physics.

Jumpstart

Jump in. Do the activity on the next page to get a better grasp
of the concept. Don’t forget to give your best shot in answering
the questions. The activities will give you a highlight in this
lesson.

Activity 1: What’s My Role?

Physics plays a dominant role in the way athletes perform and the way a sport is
played. There are multiple applications of physics in sports. Two examples are given
here. Use a separate sheet of paper.

1) Philippine Football: the physics of collisions

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 2) Athletics: the physics of running in one lane and the high jump
3) Identify the physics application in the following sports:
a. baseball ____________________________________________
b. basketball ____________________________________________
c. bowling ____________________________________________
d. cycling ____________________________________________
e. golf ____________________________________________
f. swimming ____________________________________________
g. ice hockey ____________________________________________
h. gymnastics ____________________________________________

Activity 2: Which is My Way!

Direction: Inspect the cars below, and then choose appropriate motion of
the cars. Choices are within the box. Write your answers on a separate sheet
of paper.
change in direction
change in speed (decrease) change in speed and direction (decrease)
change in speed (increase) change in speed and direction (increase

0:00 0:03

20 km/h 40 km/h

20 km/h 40 km/h

40 km/h 20 km/h

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 Discover

Distance versus Displacement

Distance is a scalar quantity that does not require direction. It is defined as

the total length of path taken or traveled by an object. On the other hand,
displacement is a vector quantity that requires both the magnitude and the direction.
It is the measure of an object’s change in position relative to a reference point from
the initial position to the final position.

Consider the example below:

4 km

3 km

For the illustration, the man goes to work by walking. Upon reaching his
workplace, he made a detour towards a convenience store that is 4 km away from
his workplace. What is the total distance traveled by the man? What is his total
displacement?

The total distance is 7 km and the broken-lined arrow represents the total
displacement. To get the magnitude of the displacement, we can apply one of the
methods in adding vectors the trigonometric method, specifically, the Pythagorean
Theorem.

x = √42 + 32 = √16 + 9 = √25 = 5 km

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 The direction is the angle (θ) that can be obtained using the tangent
function.
3
tan θ = = 36.90
4

Therefore, the displacement is 5 km, 36.90 South of East

Speed versus Velocity

Speed is a scalar quantity. It is the measure of how fast or slow an object is

moving regardless of the direction that the object is headed to. The exact speed of
the object at a specific time in its travel is uncertain. This is why we often use the
average speed in describing the motion of an object. Average speed is defined to be
the ration between the total distance and the time elapsed of travel. In equation, this
statement is:
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 (𝑑)
(v) average speed =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑝𝑠𝑒𝑑 (𝑡)

where:v is the average speed (m/s)

d is the distance traveled (m)
t is the time taken to cover the distance (s)

The SI unit for speed is meter per second or m/s. For instance, if a bus has
covered 3.5 km (3,500 m) in 4 minutes (240 s), then its average speed is
v = 3,500 m/ 240 s = 15 m/s

When the magnitude and the direction of a body’s motion are needed, we use
velocity (v→). Velocity, therefore, is a vector quantity. Since it is a vector, we will
adopt a convention. When the object is moving to the right or to the positive side of
the x-axis, the velocity is positive (+). When the object is moving to the left or to the
negative x-axis, the velocity is negative (-). You can use also the North (N), South (S),
West (W) and East (E) direction. In mathematical equation velocity is:

𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 (𝐱→)
v→ =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑝𝑠𝑒𝑑 (∆𝑡)

where: v→ is the velocity (m/s)

x→ is the displacement (m)
∆t is the elapsed time

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Instantaneous Speed and Instantaneous Velocity

In physics, we are sometimes

more interested in finding the speed of
a body at a certain instant of time. This
is called instantaneous speed/velocity.
A speedometer on the left measures
and displays the instantaneous speed
of a vehicle so that the driver could
determine if he or she is moving. As the
vehicle changes its speed, the reading
on the speedometer also changes. The
speed of a vehicle or of any object at an instant is called instantaneous speed. On
the other hand, the speedometer reading on the vehicle, together with the direction
of its motion, indicates instantaneous velocity.

Acceleration

Objects in motion change speed and direction. An object seldom moves at

constant speed nor does it remain in the same direction. Acceleration is defined as
the rate of change in velocity. Since velocity has two components – speed and
direction – a moving body undergoes acceleration if its velocity changes in either
speed or direction, or both at the same time. Acceleration is considered a vector
quantity. However, since our focus is on motion along a straight line, we can
disregard the direction. In mathematical equation, acceleration is:
𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 (∆v→)
a=
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑙 (∆𝑡)

The direction of the acceleration follows the direction of the vector with the
higher magnitude. A negative acceleration means that the speed decreases through
time, this is called deceleration. The SI unit of acceleration is meter per second
square or m/s2.

Consider a car that was initially moving at 2.0 m/s. After 5.0 s, it was observed
to be moving at 16.0 m/s. What is the acceleration of the car?
𝑚
(∆v→) 16.0 𝑠 −2.0 𝑚/𝑠 14
a= = = = 7 m/s2
(∆𝑡) 5.0 𝑠 2

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 Explore

Accomplish the activities below. This would help you

strengthen your skills and basic concepts you have learned
in this lesson.

Activity 1. Practice Problems

A. Direction: Solve the following problems systematically. Use
another sheet of paper for your solution.

1) Alfiya holds a record of 20 s for the women’s 200-m race at the SEA
games. What was her speed?
2) A car’s performance is often judged by the shortest time required to
accelerate the car from rest to 120 km/h. The new Ford Mustang can
achieve this in 12 s. What is the average acceleration of this sports car?
3) A dog is chasing a bird. It runs 10 m to the south, and then turns and
runs 25 m towards east. What is the distance traveled by the dog? What
is its displacement?
4) How long would it take Alvin with an acceleration of -4.50 m/s2 to bring
his bicycle with an initial velocity of 12.5 m/s to a complete stop?
5) Kadita is trying to predict the time required to ride her bike to the
nearby beach. She knows that the distance is 55 km and, from other
trips, that she can usually average about 20 km/h. Predict how long
the trip will take.

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 Deepen

Activity 1: Measuring Distance and Displacement

Materials needed:
✓ Balloon-powered race car
✓ Meterstick
✓ Masking tape
✓ marker

Procedure:
A. determining the Total Distance Traveled
1) Mark the floor with an adhesive tape. Label it as the starting line.
2) Set the balloon-powered race car on the starting line.
3) Upon the signal of the teacher (any), release the car.
4) Using the adhesive tape, mark the floor where the car first stopped. Label
it as A.
5) Measure the distance of point A from the starting point. Record your
measurement.
6) From point A, set up and release the car again upon the signal of the
teacher (any).
7) Again mark the floor where the car will stop. Label it as B,
8) Measure the distance of point B from point A. Record your measurement.
9) Repeat the same procedure, this time starting from point B. Label the
third stop as point C.
10) Measure the distance of point C from point B. Record your measurement.
11) Complete the required information in the data table.

B. Determining the Total Displacement

Determine the total displacement by measuring the distance of the final
point from the starting point. Record your measurement.
Data Table
Paths Distance (m)
Start to A
A to B
B to C
Total
Path Displacement (m)
From A to C

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Synthesis:

1) How were you able to determine the total distance traveled by the car?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________.
2) How were you able to determine the total displacement of the car?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________.
3) How is the total displacement different from the total distance traveled?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________.

Ericka was told by her mother to go to the market. She traveled 200 m west
and 100 m north. After buying fruits and vegetables, she went back to their house,
taking different route – traveling 200 m east and 100 m south. How much is the total
distance traveled by Ericka? How much is her total displacement from their house
in her entire journey?

___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________.

Market Route B

Route A Ericka’s House

Conclusion
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________.

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 Gauge

Directions: Read carefully each item. Write only the letter of the best
answer. Use a separate sheet of paper for your answers.

______1. What quantity describes the length of the actual paths traveled by
an object?
a. acceleration c. displacement
b. distance d. velocity
______2. What quantity describes the length and direction of the change in
position measured from the starting point?
a. acceleration c. displacement
b. distance d. velocity
______3. What quantity describes the rate of change in displacement over the
elapsed time?
a. acceleration c. speed
b. distance d. velocity
______4. What quantity describes the rate of change in velocity over the
elapsed time?
a. acceleration c. speed
b. distance d. velocity
______5. What device is used to measure the speed of a moving object at any
given instant?
a. anemometer c. speedometer
b. barometer d. thermometer
______6. A car is moving at a uniform speed that travels a distance of 500
cm in 10 seconds. What is the average speed of the car?
a. 0.5 m/s c. 50 m/s
b. 0.5 m/s2 d. 50 m/s2
______7. How long will it take for a man to covering a distance of 30 m
having a speed of 5 m/s?
a. 0.17 s c. 6.0 s
b. 5.0 s d. 150 s

For numbers 8-10, refer to the situation below.

The speedometer of a car moving east reads 70 km/h. It passes another car
that travels west at 70 km/h.

______8. What can be inferred about the speed of the car?

a. The car is not moving
b. The car’s speed is constant
c. The car’s speed is increasing

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 d. The car’s speed is decreasing
______9. What can be inferred about the velocity of the car?
a. The velocity of the car remains the same
b. The velocity of the car is increasing from east to west
c. The velocity of the car is decreasing from east to west
d. The velocity of the car is not the same from east to west

For numbers 10-12, refer to the problem below.

A car travels 27 km due east, then does a U-turn, and travels 33 km due west.

______10. What is the total distance covered by the car?

a. 27 m c. 60 m
b. 33 m d. 65 m
______11. What is the displacement of the car?
a. 6 m due east c. 6 m due north
b. 6 m due west d. 6 m due south
______12. What is the average speed of the car, if the entire trip took 2.0
hours?
a. 8.0 x 10-2 m/s c. 8.0 x 10-4 m/s
b. 8.0 x 10 m/s
-3 d. 8.0 x 10-5 m/s

For numbers 13-15, refer to the problem below.

A car was initially moving at 17.0 m/s. After 3.0 s, it was observed to be
moving at 5.0 m/s.

______13. What is the acceleration of the car?

a. -4.0 m/s c. 4.5 m/s
b. -5.0 m/s d. 5.0 m/s
______14. Which of the following will be the velocity-time table of the car?

a. Time (s) Velocity b. Time (s) Velocity

(m/s) (m/s)
0.0 5.0 0.0 13.0
1.0 9.0 1.0 17.0
2.0 13.0 2.0 9.0
3.0 17.0 3.0 5.0

c. d.
Time (s) Velocity Time Velocity
(m/s) (s) (m/s)
17.0 0.0 0.0 17.0
13.0 1.0 1.0 13.0
9.0 2.0 2.0 9.0
5.0 3.0 3.0 5.0

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______15. Based from your answer in no. 14, what conclusion can be drawn
about the velocity-time table of the car?
a. The acceleration is positive. From the table, the velocity of the car
increased by 4.0 m/s after every second.
b. The acceleration is negative. From the table, the velocity of the car
increased by 4.0 m/s after every second.
c. The acceleration is negative. From the table, the velocity of the car
decreased by 4.0 m/s after every second.
d. The acceleration is positive. From the table, the speed of the car
increased by 4.0 m/s after every second.

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References
Books:

Abistado, Joanna M. and Aquino, Marites D. 2012. Science Links-Physics.

Manila. Rex Book Store, Inc.

Caintic, Helen E. 2017. General Physics 1. Quezon City. C and E Publishing,

Inc.

David, Oliver M. et al. 2012. Discover Science: Physics. Makati. Diwa

Learning Systems, Inc.

Nolasco, Fernando, Ma. Duran. 2010. Integrative Physics. Makati City.

Salesiana Books by Don Bosco Press, Inc.

Osabel, Marco C. 2010. Conceptual Science and Beyond-Physics Laboratory

Manual. Quezon City. Brilliant Creations Publishing, Inc.

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KEY ANSWER

JUMPSTART
Activity 1: What’s My Role?

Answers may vary

Activity 2: Which is My Way!

Change in speed (increase)

Change in speed and direction (increase)
Change in speed and direction (decrease)

EXPLORE
Activity 1. Practice Problems

1) 10 m/s
2) 36,363.6 km/h2
3) Distance = 35 m
4) 2.78 m
5) 2.75 s

DEEPEN
Activity 1: Measuring Distance and Displacement

Synthesis:
1) The total distance traveled by the car could be determined by adding the distances traveled by
the car from the starting position to final position, taking into consideration the path traveled.
2) By subtracting the final position from the initial position of the car, you could determine the
total displacement.
3) Total distance is a scalar quantity which only considers magnitude and is always positive. On
the other hand, total displacement is a vector quantity which considers both magnitude and
direction. Displacement could be positive or negative depending on the direction relative to
the initial and final position.
4) Answers may vary

GAUGE
` 1) B 6) A 11)
` 2) C 7) C 12) B
3) D 8) B 13) A
4) A 9) D 14) D
5) C 10) C 15) C

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