TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES VISAYAS

Capt. Sabi St., City of Talisay, Negros Occidental

College of Engineering Technology

Office of the Program Coordinator

LECTURE MODULE

PHYTECH 124:
Physics 1

DEPARTMENT: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

COMPILED BY:

FRITZIE B. ASUNCION, MT GREDA G. BALACUIT, RCh

MA. AGNES G. DINGCONG ALPHA J. HERMOSURA, RChE

2020

This module is a property of Technological University of the Philippines Visayas and intended
for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and is NOT FOR SALE NOR FOR REPRODUCTION.
 LEARNING GUIDE
Week No._10_

TOPIC/S
Free Falling Bodies

EXPECTED COMPETENCIES:

At the end of the lesson you must have:

1. described the motion of an object along a straight line;

2. explained the gravitational attraction on a free falling body; and
3. solved problems related to free falling bodies.

I. INTRODUCTION:
The motion of falling objects is the simplest and most common example of motion
with changing velocity. If a coin and a piece of paper are simultaneously dropped side
by side, the paper takes much longer to hit the ground. However, if you crumple the
paper into a compact ball and drop the items again, it will look like both the coin and
the paper hit the floor simultaneously. This is because the amount of force acting on an
object is a function of not only its mass, but also area. Free fall is the motion of a body
where its weight is the only force acting on an object.

Galileo also observed this phenomena and realized that it disagreed with the Aristotle
principle that heavier items fall more quickly. Galileo then hypothesized that there is an
upward force exerted by air in addition to the downward force of gravity. If air resistance
and friction are negligible, then in a given location (because gravity changes with
location), all objects fall toward the center of Earth with the same constant acceleration,
independent of their mass, that constant acceleration is gravity. Air resistance opposes
the motion of an object through the air, while friction opposes motion between objects
and the medium through which they are traveling.

The acceleration of free-falling objects is referred to as the acceleration due to gravity

(g). As we said earlier, gravity varies depending on location and altitude on Earth (or
any other planet), but the average acceleration due to gravity on Earth is 9.8 m/s2. This
value is also often expressed as a negative acceleration in mathematical calculations due
to the downward direction of gravity.

The best way to see the basic features of motion involving gravity is to start by
considering straight up and down motion with no air resistance or friction. This means
that if the object is dropped, we know the initial velocity is zero. Once the object is in
motion, the object is in free-fall. Under these circumstances, the motion is one-
dimensional and has constant acceleration, g.

This module is a property of Technological University of the Philippines Visayas and intended
for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and is NOT FOR SALE NOR FOR REPRODUCTION.
 II. The equations for objects experiencing free fall are:

𝑽 𝒇 − 𝑽𝒊
𝒈=
𝒕

𝒉 = 𝑽𝒊 𝒕 + 𝟏 𝟐 𝒈𝒕𝟐

𝟐𝒈𝒉 = (𝑽𝒇 )𝟐 − (𝑽𝒊 )𝟐

Note: Vi = 0 if a body is allowed to fall from rest

Freefall as the term says, is a body falling freely because of the gravitational pull of the earth.
Imagine a body with velocity (v) is falling freely from a height (h) for time (t) seconds
because of gravity (g). For bodies falling downward g is positive (+g) while for bodies thrown
upward g is negative (-g).

This module is a property of Technological University of the Philippines Visayas and intended
for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and is NOT FOR SALE NOR FOR REPRODUCTION.
 I. Sample Problems with Solution:
Problem 1: Calculate the height from which a body is allowed to fall if it has a mass
of 2 kg and reaches the ground after 7 seconds?
Answer:
Time t = 7s Mass = 2 kg
Required:
Given: Height, h

We all are acquainted with the fact that free fall is independent of mass. Also. Vi is 0 since
the body is assumed to fall from rest.
Hence, ℎ = 𝑉𝑖 𝑡 + 1 2 𝑔𝑡2

ℎ = 1 2 𝑔𝑡

ℎ = 1 2 (9.8 𝑚 𝑠 )(7𝑠)

𝒉 = 𝟐𝟒𝟎. 𝟐 𝒎 (Answer)

Problem 2: Cotton and iron were allowed to fall freely from the same height. Cotton
falls after 3 s and iron falls after 5 s. Which has the higher final velocity?

Answer:
The Velocity in free fall is autonomous of mass.
Velocity of iron:
𝑉𝑓 −𝑉𝑖
𝑔= ; vi = 0
𝑡

𝑉𝑓 = 𝑔𝑡

𝑉𝑓 = (9.8 𝑚 𝑠 )(5𝑠)

𝑽𝒇 = 𝟒𝟗 𝒎⁄𝒔

Velocity of cotton:
𝑉𝑓 −𝑉𝑖
𝑔= ; vi = 0
𝑡

𝑉𝑓 = 𝑔𝑡

𝑉𝑓 = (9.8 𝑚 𝑠 )(3𝑠)

𝑽𝒇 = 𝟐𝟗. 𝟒 𝒎⁄𝒔 Therefore, the velocity of

iron is more than cotton.
This module is a property of Technological University of the Philippines Visayas and intended
for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and is NOT FOR SALE NOR FOR REPRODUCTION.
Progress Check:
1. A body falls freely from rest. Find;
a. distance it falls in 5 sec.
b. velocity after falling 5km.
c. time required to attain a velocity of 50m/s
d. time in which it falls 200m.

2. A ball is thrown vertically upward from the ground with a velocity of 30m/s.
a. How long will it rise to its highest point?
b. How high does the ball rise?
c. How long after it was thrown will the ball return to the ground?

3. A stone is dropped from the top of a cliff and one second later a second stone is thrown
vertically upward with a velocity of 20m/s. how far below the top of the cliff will the
second stone overtake the first?

4. An anti aircraft shell is fired vertically upward with a muzzle velocity of 488m/s.
Determine,
a. The maximum height the shell can reach
b. The time it takes to reach the maximum height
c. The velocity at the end of 40sec and 60sec.

5. A flower pot is accidentally dropped from a building window 400m from the
ground. Assuming it starts from rest,
a. How long will it take the pot to reach the ground?
b. How long will it take the pot to crash on the glass table resting directly beneath
the window if the height of the table is 170cm?
c. What is the velocity of the pot just before it hits the ground?

This module is a property of Technological University of the Philippines Visayas and intended
for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and is NOT FOR SALE NOR FOR REPRODUCTION.
 LEARNING GUIDE
Week No._11_

TOPIC/S
Newton’s Second Law of Motion

EXPECTED COMPETENCIES:

At the end of the lesson you must have:

1. defined the principle of “Newton’s Second Law of Motion” ;

2. explained the effect of force and mass to the acceleration of the body;
and
3. solved problems related to the “Newton’s Second Law of Motion”.

I. INTRODUCTION:

In the world of introductory physics, Newton's second law is one of the most
important laws you'll learn. It's used in almost every chapter of every physics textbook, so it's
important to master this law.
Newton's second law of motion is a quantitative description of the changes that a
force can produce on the motion of a body. It pertains to the behavior of objects for which all
existing forces are not balanced. The second law states that the acceleration of an object is
dependent upon two variables - the net force acting upon the object and the mass of the object.
The acceleration of an object depends directly upon the net force acting upon the object, and
inversely upon the mass of the object. As the force acting upon an object is increased, the
acceleration of the object is increased. As the mass of an object is increased, the acceleration
of the object is decreased.

Statement of the second law of motion:

“When an unbalanced force acts on a body, the body will accelerate in the direction of the
unbalanced force or net force. The acceleration is directly proportional to the net force and
inversely proportional to the mass of the body.”

𝑀𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑠:

𝐹
𝑎= 𝑜𝑟 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎
𝑚

This module is a property of Technological University of the Philippines Visayas and intended
for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and is NOT FOR SALE NOR FOR REPRODUCTION.
Units of Measurement:

m a F
kg m/s2 2
kg- m/s or newton, N
g cm/s2 g- cm/s2 or dyne, dyn
slug ft/s2 slug- ft/s2 or lbforce

What is Net Force?

A force is a push or a pull, and the net force, F is the total force—or sum of the forces
exerted on an object. Adding vectors is a little different from adding regular numbers. When
adding vectors, we must take their direction into account. The net force is the vector sum of all
the forces exerted on an object.
If there were more horizontal forces, we could find the net force by adding up all the
forces to the right and subtracting all the forces to the left.

∑
Since force is a vector, we can write Newton's second law as 𝑎 =
This shows that the direction of the total acceleration vector points in the same direction as the
net force vector. In other words, if the net force ∑ 𝐹 points right, the acceleration 𝑎 must point
right.

How do we use Newton’s Second Law?

If the problem you're analyzing has many forces in many directions, it's often easier to
analyze each direction independently.
∑
In other words, for the horizontal direction we can write 𝑎 =
This shows that the acceleration 𝑎 in the horizontal direction is equal to the net force in the
horizontal direction, ∑ 𝐹 , divided by the mass, 𝑚.

∑
Similarly for the vertical direction we can write 𝑎 =
This shows that the acceleration 𝑎 in the horizontal direction is equal to the net force in the
horizontal direction, ∑ 𝐹 , divided by the mass, 𝑚.

When using these equations we must be careful to only plug horizontal forces into the
horizontal form of Newton's second law and to plug vertical forces into the vertical form of
Newton's second law. We do this because horizontal forces only affect the horizontal
acceleration and vertical forces only affect the vertical acceleration.
This module is a property of Technological University of the Philippines Visayas and intended
for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and is NOT FOR SALE NOR FOR REPRODUCTION.
 Guide in Solving Problems Involving the Second Law:
1. Make a sketch of a problem and indicate all the data given.
2. Select the body to be studied and make an FBD.
3. From the FBD, compute for the resultant force using the equations
𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎 𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎
4. Determine the unknown quantity. If distance, time and velocity are given,
solve for acceleration, 𝑎 , using the equations for rectilinear motion.

Examples of Newton's Second Law in Everyday Life

This law of Newton applies to real life, being one of the laws of physics that impacts
most in our daily lives:

 Kicking a ball
When we kick a ball, we exert force in a specific direction, which is the direction in which
it will travel. In addition, the stronger that ball is kicked, the stronger the force we put on
it, the further away it will go.

 Capture the ball by hand

Professional athletes move their hands back once they catch the ball as it provides the
ball more time to lose its speed, and in turn apply less force on its part.

 Push a cart
For example, pushing a supermarket cart with twice as much force produces twice as
much acceleration.

 Push the same car full or empty

It is easier to push an empty supermarket cart than a full one, since the full cart has more
mass than the empty one, so more force is needed to push the cart full.

 Driving a truck or a car

The mass of a truck is much larger than that of a car, which means it requires more power
to accelerate to the same extent. When, for example, a car is driven 100km on a highway
for 65km, much less petrol will certainly be used than if it had to be driven at the same
speed for the same distance in a truck.

 Two people walking together

The same reasoning above can be applied to any moving object. For example, two people
walking together, but one of them has a lower weight than the other, although they walk
with the same amount of force, who weighs less will go faster because their acceleration
is certainly greater.

 Two people pushing a table

Imagine two people, one with more force than the other, pushing a table, in different
directions. The person with greater strength is pushing towards the east, and the person
with less force towards the north. If we add both forces, we get a result equal to the
movement and acceleration of the table. The table, therefore, will move in a northeasterly
direction, although with a greater inclination towards the east, given the force exerted by
the strongest person.

This module is a property of Technological University of the Philippines Visayas and intended
for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and is NOT FOR SALE NOR FOR REPRODUCTION.
 II. Sample Problems with Solution:

Problem 1: How much force does it take to give a 2000 kg bike an acceleration of
1.5 𝑚 𝑠 on a level track with a coefficient of rolling friction of
0.03?

∑ 𝐹 = (𝐹𝑥) = 𝑚𝑎
𝐹−𝜇 𝑁 =𝑚𝑎 where: 𝑁 = 𝑚𝑔
𝐹 = 𝑚 𝑎 + 𝜇 𝑚𝑔
𝐹 = 𝑚 (𝑎 + 𝜇 𝑔)

𝐹 = 2000𝑘𝑔 1.5 𝑚 𝑠2 + 0.03𝑥9.8 𝑚 𝑠2

𝑭 = 𝟑𝟓𝟖𝟖 𝑵 (Answer)

This module is a property of Technological University of the Philippines Visayas and intended
for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and is NOT FOR SALE NOR FOR REPRODUCTION.
Problem 1: An elevator weighing 9800 N is supported by a steel cable.
A) Find the tension in the cable if the elevator is accelerated 5m/s2
upward.
B) Find the tension in the cable if the elevator moves downward with
the same acceleration.
Given:

F gravity = W of elevator = 9 800N

a = 5 m/s2

∑ 𝐹 = ∑ 𝐹 𝑦 = 𝑚𝑎,

W = mg, m =

A. For upward motion, ∑ 𝐹 𝑦 = T-W

T- W = ma
T = ma + W

T= a+W

T= ( 5 m/s2) + 9 800N
. /

T = 14 800N
B. For downward motion, ∑ 𝐹 𝑦 = W-T
W - T = ma
T = W - ma

T=W- a

T = 9 800N - ( 5 m/s2)
. /

T = 4 800N (Answer)
This module is a property of Technological University of the Philippines Visayas and intended
for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and is NOT FOR SALE NOR FOR REPRODUCTION.
Progress Check:
1. A force on a 5 kg mass and reduces its velocity from 7 m/s to 3m/s in 2
s. Find the retarding force in newton.
2. A box weighing 200 N hangs at the end of a rope. Find the acceleration
of the box if the tension in the rope is a) 200 N b) 150 N
c) 300 N
3. A 50 kg block rests on a rough horizontal floor. The coefficient of kinetic
friction between the block and the floor is 0.25. A horizontal force of
180 N acts on the block for 3 seconds. Find the velocity of the block
after 3 seconds.

4. A box starting from rest slides down a frictionless plane 3 meters long
inclined plane at 30 degrees with the horizontal. If the box starts from
the top of the plane, find: A) the velocity of the box when it reaches the
bottom of the plane. B) The time for the box to reach the bottom.

5. A 100 N block on a horizontal surface is acted upon by two horizontal

opposing forces: P2 = 500 N and P1 = 800 N. What is the acceleration
produced if the coefficient of friction between the block and the
surface is 0.10?
6. Two blocks, each having a mass of 20 kg, are on frictionless surfaces as
shown. Assuming the pulleys to be light and frictionless, compute:
a.) The time required for block A to move 1 m down the
plane starting from rest. b.) The tension in the cord while
in motion.

7. An elevator with mass 2000 kg rises with an acceleration of 1m/s2.

What is the Tension in the supporting cable? What is the velocity
after 5s from rest?
8. A 600 kg car is moving on a level road at 30 m/s. How large a retarding
force is required to stop it in a distance of 70 meters? What is the
minimum coefficient of friction between the tires and roadway if this is
possible?

This module is a property of Technological University of the Philippines Visayas and intended
for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and is NOT FOR SALE NOR FOR REPRODUCTION.
References:

Halpern, Alvin. Schaum's 3,000 Solved Problems in Physics. McGraw-Hill Education, 2011

Balacuit, G. G., Hermosura, A. J., Dingcong, M. G., Ralios, M. C., Tortosa, H. L., &
Montealegre,P., (1994). Handbook of Physics I.

Rosenberg, Jerome, et al. Schaum's Outline of College Physics. 9th ed., McGraw Hill
Professional, 2009

This module is a property of Technological University of the Philippines Visayas and intended
for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and is NOT FOR SALE NOR FOR REPRODUCTION.