Physical Science

Quarter 2 Module 6
Understanding First
Law of Motion
Lesson

1 First Law of Motion

Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist change when in motion or when

moving, inertia will keep it in motion. When it is at rest, it will continue to be at

rest, unless there is a force applied on it.

To get started, you have to choose the terms related to motion from the
WORD POOL below. List down these words on the table and write what you
know about it.

energy force friction

mass Newton kinetic

potential gravity velocity

Term What I know about it?

Notes to the Teacher

Ask learners to name other terms related to motion and write them on
the board. Add on the list the terms that are not mentioned by the
learners.

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Activity 1.1
This is a bowling game. A heavy ball is rolled down a narrow lane aiming the
pins. What makes the ball keep on rolling ? What makes the pins fall in different
direction?

Guide Questions:
1. What keeps an object at rest and what keeps it moving?
2. What cause the object change in motion?
3. Ho its inertia?
Have you ever wondered why people, objects keep on moving? How do we
keep at rest and keep our feet on the ground? How do objects stay in place and
displaced? We always thought that objects move because it is natural state. This is
what makes laws of motion so exciting to study about.
Sir Isaac Newton a 17th century scientist formulated laws explaining why
objects are moving and why they do not move. It has

referred as the law of inertia.

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 When it comes to law of motion, inertia is very popular. Inertia resists
change in motion. When an object is already at rest, it will remain at rest, if an
object is moving, inertia will keep it moving.
Imagine you are riding on a bus, and then it suddenly stops, your body
moves forward? Why? The brakes stop the bus but not your body, inertia keeps
your body moving for s why it is very important to wear a seatbelt for your
safety.

What is It

I. Galileo and Inertia

Galileo Galilei 1564-1642

Galileo developed the first concept of laws of motion.
Among these are the following:

Developed the concept of motion in terms of velocity (speed and direction) by

using inclined planes.
Developed the idea of force that causes motion.
Determined that the natural state of an object is rest or uniformed motion.
Developed the idea that objects resist motion, inertia.

According to Galileo, objects in motion eventually stop because of a force called

friction. Friction is a force that opposes motion between any surfaces that are
touching. This is based on his experiment observed in inclined planes. He said that
a difference between initial and final heights was due to the presence of friction.
Galileo hypothesized that if friction could be entirely eliminated, the ball would
reach exactly the same height. Or if the ball rolls horizontally and
that acts on it, the ball will never stop.

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II. Isaac Newton and his First Law of Motion
Isaac Newton 1642-1727

Isaac Newton was born the same

year Galileo died. N

inertia. He
and came up with his Three Laws of
Motion.

An object at rest stays at rest and

an object in motion stays in
motion with the same speed and
in the same direction unless acted
upon by an unbalanced force.

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Mass and Inertia
Mass is the amount of matter or
substance that makes up an object. It is measured in units called kilogram. An
object with a greater mass has a greater inertia and an object with a lesser mass
will also have a lesser inertia.

is a wooden box and a styrofoam box, which do you think has a greater mass?
lesser? Which has a greater inertia?

wooden box styrofoam box

Exploring Inertia
Inertia has three types:

Inertia of rest- an object will stay in place unless something or somebody

moves it.
Example: a plate on the table

Inertia of motion- an object will continue at the same speed until a force acts
on it.
Example: a rolling ball

Inertia of Direction- an object will stay moving in the same direction unless a
force acts on it.
Example: a moving car turning right

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Forces
What causes an object to move, to stop or remain at rest? A force causes an
object to move, to stop or remain at rest.

Force is defined as a push or a pull.

Newton (N) is the unit of force

One Newton is the amount of force required to give a 1-kg mass an

acceleration of 1 m/s/s. Thus, the following unit equivalency can be
stated as:

1. Friction
A rolling marble on the floor that suddenly stops when it reached a rough
surface does not stop because of the absence of a force, it stops because of the
presence of a force called friction.

Friction is a force that opposes motion between any surfaces that are
touching.

Friction occurs because no surface is perfectly smooth.

Rough surfaces have more friction than smooth surfaces.

Heavier objects also have more friction because they are pressed
harder with greater force than lighter objects.
Friction produces heat because it causes the molecules on rubbing
surfaces to move faster and have more energy.

has always stated that:

An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same
speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
2. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces
A balanced force is a force in which the net force is equal to zero.

What is a net force? A net force is the total

combination of forces (in opposite direction or
the same direction) acting on an object.

There are two

forces acting on the flower vase. The force of the table pushing the flower vase
upward also called the normal force and the gravitational force pushing the flower
vase downward.

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 The forces on the flower vase are balanced
Normal force of the table pushing the flower vase upwards

flower vase

Gravitational force pushing it downwards

Since the two forces are equal and in opposite directions, they balanced each other.
The net force is zero, it means the flower vase is at its equilibrium. There is no
unbalanced force acting on it thus it remains at rest.
What is an unbalanced force?
An unbalanced force is a force in which the net force is greater than zero.

40N 50N

The force produced by the right team is greater

than the left team by 10N tipping the rope to the
right direction.

Unbalanced forces cause acceleration. Only unbalanced force can change the
motion and direction of an object.

Example: Your
pet dog can
move you faster
if he pulls you
with enough
force.

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Activity 1.2 Identification
Test your understanding on the different types of inertia. Read and analyze the
different situations given below. Identify the type of inertia. Use a separate sheet of
paper for your answer.
1. When pulling a Band-Aid off, it is better to pull it fast. Your skin will remain at
rest due to inertia, and the force pulls the Band-Aid off.
2. When pedaling a bicycle and you stop pedaling, the bike continues going until
friction or gravity slows it down.
3. When you stir coffee in a cup and stop, the swirling motion continues due to
inertia.
4. If a car is moving forward it will continue to move forward unless friction or the
brakes interfere with its movement.
5. If the wind is blowing, tree branches are moving. Fruits that fall from the tree
will fall in the direction the wind is moving into because of inertia.

What I Have Learned

Activity 1.3 Critical Writing

Answer the questions briefly.

1.
motion or at rest? Explain why?

2. Explain
motion.

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 What I Can Do

Activity 1.4 Create an Acrostic Poem

Now that you have understood the law of inertia, create an acrostic poem using the
word INERTIA. In creating your poem, you may share what you have learned or
experienced facing the COVID-19 pandemic.
I
N
E
R
T
I
A
Rubric for Acrostic Poem

4 3 2 1

Poetic The acrostic follows Most of the lines of Some of the lines of The acrostic does not
Form poetic form the acrostic poem the acrostic follows follow poetic form
follow poetic form poetic form

Focus The acrostic is very The acrostic relates to The acrostic The acrostic does not
well developed and the topic somewhat relates to relate to the topic
relates to the topic the topic

Spelling No spelling errors 1 to 2 spelling errors 3 to 4 spelling 5 or more spelling

errors errors

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