SHS

PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Quarter 2 – Week 1
Module 1: Kepler’s Law of Planetary
Motion
Physical Science
Grade 11/12 Quarter 2 - Module 1: Kepler’s Law of Planetary Motion
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: JHUNEL L. NEVADO, T-I

Editor: SDO La Union, Learning Resource Quality Assurance Team

Illustrator: Ernesto F. Ramos Jr., P II

Management Team:

Atty. Donato D. Balderas, Jr.

Schools Division Superintendent

Vivian Luz S. Pagatpatan, PhD

Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

German E. Flora, PhD, CID Chief

Virgilio C. Boado, PhD, EPS in Charge of LRMS

Rominel S. Sobremonte, Ed.D., EPS in Charge of Science

Michael Jason D. Morales, PDO II

Claire P. Toluyen, Librarian II

 Physical Science
Quarter 2 – Week 1
Module 1: Kepler’s Law of
Planetary Motion
 Target

Christian and his father were stars gazing outside one beautiful evening. They
were very surprised at the presence of a lot of stars. But since it was already late at
night, they needed to go home and have a rest. His father said, "Let's sleep now,
because it's another day tomorrow." There was a moment of silence, and Zander
suddenly asked, "Daddy, why do we have a day and a night?"

An astronomical phenomenon that needs an explanation of how the universe

works is shown in the above scenario. In this learning material, you will know and
comprehend the origins of Earth, the solar system, and the universe. You will also
examine the transformation from the ancient view of the universe, which focused on
the positions and movements of celestial objects, to the modern perspective, which
focuses on understanding how these objects came to be and why they move the way
they do.

After going through this learner material, you are expected to:
a. explain how the Greeks knew that the Earth is spherical
(S11/12PS-Iva-38)
b. cite examples of astronomical phenomena known to astronomers
before the advent of telescopes (S11/12PS-Iva-40)
c. explain how Brahe’s innovations and extensive collection of data in
observational astronomy paved the way for Kepler’s discovery of
his laws of planetary motion. (S11/12PS-Iva-44)

4
 Jumpstart

For you to understand the lesson well, do the following activities. Have
fun and good luck!

Activity 1: Guess the Philosopher

Directions: Below are the pictures and names (which are jumbled) of Greek
philosophers who made great explanations why Earth is spherical. Arrange their names
and rite their corresponding significant contribution in the explaining why Earth is
spherical which can be found in the box below. Use a separate sheet for your answer.

PHILOSOPHER CONTRIBUTION

ARSAGOTHYP
Answer: ___________________

OLPTA
Answer: ___________________

5
 EASIRLTTO
Answer: ___________________

TTOSHENESARE
Answer: ___________________

“My conviction is that the Earth is a round body in the center of the heavens, and
therefore has no need of air or any similar force to be a support”.

Conducted experiment to measure the length of the shadow casted by vertical

stick during solstice noon in order to figure out the angle the sun made with the
vertical direction at Alexandria.

There are stars that were seen in Egypt and Cyprus that is not visible in the
northern region.

Influenced by Thales & Anaximander and he said that sphere is the most perfect
shape.

6
Activity 2: What You Know
Directions: Make your own mind map on the things you know about the main concepts
which are the SUN and MOON. Add branches to the main concept and draw or use
symbols to classify different types of thoughts and ideas.

SUN

MOON

Activity 3: Set Me Free

Directions: Unscramble the letters in each item to form words and give your ideas in
each word

1. ELLIPSE

2. EKPLRE

3. EHABR

4. SAMR

5. TRICLIOEH

7
 Discover

LESSON 1: EARTH IS SPHERE

Astronomers claim that earth is much like a spherical ball

The Pythagoreans have developed a spherical model of the Earth and the heavens
since the fifth century BC. Their geographical and astronomical work was based on the
theory that the Earth was a sphere.

The evidence for a spherical

Earth is overwhelming. Indeed, because
evidence of a spherical Earth is visible to
the naked eye, this was one of the first
cosmic facts to be properly worked out
by ancient individuals.

Many Greeks understood, by the

time of the philosopher Socrates and his
student Plato, that the Earth could only
be a sphere. Sailors would have noticed
that before the hulls of the ships became
visible, the sails of approaching ships
appeared because the surface of the sea
is slightly curved, like the surface of an
enormous ball.

Aristotle (384-322 BC), the famous Greek philosopher, concluded that the Earth
is spherical because when it eclipses the moon it always casts a curved shadow (Edward
J. Tarbuck 2012). In addition, in his observations of the stars, Aristotle also argued that
not only is the earth circular, but it is also a circle of no great size. He pointed out that
the stars that are overhead are significantly changed by a very small change of position
to south or north, and the stars seen are different, as one moves north or south. His
faith in a spherical Earth, however, was lost during the Middle Ages.

Using experimental measurements of shadows in two cities and some geometry,

an ancient scholar named Eratosthenes (276-194 BC) even correctly approximated the
circumference of the Earth.

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Evidences that supports their claim
• Ships appear to sink gradually below horizon as they travel far away from the
observer and over the horizons – in all directions
• Polaris, the North star is located practically over the North Pole of planet Earth
• If you stood at the North Pole, Polaris would be almost directly overhead.
• The North star gradually appears lower and lower in the sky as you travel
toward the equator.
• When the North Star is visible at the horizon, you are located at the equator.
• South of the equator, the North Star is not visible.
• Only a sphere can cast a shadow that always appears round. During lunar
eclipses, Earth casts its shadow on the moon and the shadow is always round

LESSON 2: ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA KNOWN TO ASTRONOMERS

Without the help of telescopes, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn can
be easily seen in the sky. These planets can be easily confused with stars and are only
seen at specific times of the day. The best time to look for these planets would be before
sunrise and after sunset.

Even before the telescope's invention, different astronomical phenomena were

observed by ancient people. The sun and moon are the most observable objects in the
sky.

In systematically observing the movement of the sun, the Babylonian and

Egyptian civilizations used a primitive version of a sundial, called a gnomon. They were
able to observe that the sun rises in the eastern part of the sky, reaches its highest point
at noon, and sets in the western part of the sky by looking at the shadows which the
gnomon casts.

They also recorded that the points where the sun rises and sets on the horizon
vary over a year, and periodically these variations occur. They noted that these
variations are weather-related and thus concluded that seasonal climate changes occur
over a period of one year.

Phases of the Moon

Ancient people observed that within a period of

29.5 days, the moon changes its path and its
appearance. They noted that the appearance of the
moon varies from a thin semi-circular disk to a full
circular disk. The foundations of ancient calendars are
these phases of the moon.

9
Lunar Eclipse

In addition to their observation of the

various phases of the moon, they also noticed
that there are times when, for a short moment,
the moon or part of it seemed to be covered by
a shadow. If the Earth casts its shadow on the
moon when the Earth is between the Sun and
the Moon, a lunar eclipse occurs. A
phenomenon like this is referred to as a lunar
eclipse in which the moon transforms into a
dark or red blood color.

Solar Eclipse

In addition to the lunar eclipse, the

occurrence of a solar eclipse was also observed.
When the Moon is between the Sun and the Earth,
the solar eclipse occurs and the moon partially or
entirely blocks out the sun.

Motion of the Stars

It was also noted that the stars seem to be attached in one day to a celestial
sphere that rotates around an axis. At a point in the northern sky, this axis intersects
the celestial sphere and is presently close to the northern star, Polaris. Also, the
positions of the constellations in the night sky vary according to the time of the year.

Visibility of the Planets

Astronomers have found the planets

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn because
they have noticed that the stars (like how
constellations are always grouped) are in a fixed
position with respect to each other. But there are
very bright stars which periodically change
positions. Any group of constellations in the sky
does not belong to these "stars." In Greek terms,
they are thus called "wanderers" or planets.

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LESSON 3: BRAHE’S INNOVATIONS IN THE DISCOVERY KEPLER’S LAWS OF
PLANETARY MOTION

Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), a Danish nobleman, made

important contributions by devising the most precise
instruments available for observing the heavens before the
telescope's invention. From Uraniborg, on an island in the
sound between Denmark and Sweden called Hveen, Brahe
made his observations. The tools of Brahe enabled him to
determine the detailed motions of the planets more precisely
than was possible. In particular, in formulating the laws of planetary motion, Brahe
compiled extensive data on the planet Mars, which would later prove crucial to Kepler,
because it would be sufficiently accurate to demonstrate that the orbit of Mars was not
a circle, but an ellipse.

Although Copernicus correctly observed that

the planets revolve around the Sun, it was Kepler
who defined their orbits correctly. Kepler became the
assistant of a wealthy astronomer at the age of 27,
Tycho Brahe, who asked him to define Mars' orbit. A
lifetime of astronomical observations had been
gathered by Brahe, which passed into Kepler 's hands
upon his death. (Brahe, who had his own Earth-
centered model of the Universe, at least partly
withheld the bulk of his observations from Kepler
because he did not want Kepler to use them to prove the correct Copernican theory.)
Using these observations, Kepler found that three laws were followed by the orbits of
the planets.

Kepler, like many philosophers of his era, had a mystical belief that the circle was
the perfect form of the Universe, and that the orbits of the planets must be circular as
a manifestation of the Divine order. He struggled for many years to make Brahe 's
observations of Mars' motions match a circular orbit.

11
 However, Kepler eventually noticed that an imaginary line drawn from a planet
to the Sun swept out an equal area of space at the same time, irrespective of where the
planet was in its orbit. If you draw a triangle from the Sun to the position of a planet at
one point in time and its position later at a set time, say, 5 hours or 2 days, that
triangle's area is always the same, anywhere in the orbit. The planet must move faster
when it is near the Sun, but more slowly when it is farthest from the Sun, for all these
triangles to have the same area.

This discovery (which became Kepler’s second law of orbital motion) led to the
realization of what became Kepler’s first law: that the planets move in an ellipse (a
squashed circle) with the Sun at one focus point, offset from the center.

Kepler’s third law shows that there is a precise mathematical relationship

between a planet’s distance from the Sun and the amount of time it takes revolve around
the Sun.

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 Explore

Here are some enrichment activities for you to work on

to master and strengthen the basic concepts
you have learned from this lesson.

Enrichment Activity 1: Flat or Sphere

Directions: Make a short essay on the topic “Is the Earth Flat or Sphere?”. Be guided
by the scoring rubric on how your output will be rated.

CRITERIA 5 4 3 2
Content Interesting Some interesting Conventional Cursory; gives
content and content; points ideas or clichés; the impression
presentation; not sustained or little supporting of writing just to
ideas well- not fully detail included. complete the
conceived and developed. assignment.
developed with
sufficient
examples.
Grammatical Appropriate level Confined to Errors Message is
Accuracy of complexity in simpler frequently affect largely
syntax with very sentences or comprehensibilit incomprehensibl
few errors, if structures with y, or very basic e due to
any. very few errors types of errors inaccurate
OR shows (subject-verb grammar, which
variety and agreement; alters or
complexity in noun-adjective obscures it, OR
syntax with agreement, etc.) reader must
errors that do know English to
not affect comprehend
comprehensibilit much of the
y. message.
Punctuation, Correct spelling) Occasional Frequent English spelling
Spelling, and mechanical mechanical and
and punctuation; errors. errors. punctuation: no
Presentation neatly typed accents;
with correct mechanical
format as errors in most
specified sentences.

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Enrichment Activity 2: Graphic Organizer
Directions: Make a graphic organizer which shows the astronomical phenomena
known to astronomers before the advent of telescopes. Be guided by the scoring
rubric on how your output will be rated.

CRITERIA 5 4 3 2
Organization Extremely well Organized. Somewhat Poorly organized.
organized. Structure allows organized A clear sense of
Order and reader to move structure allows direction is not
structure of through content reader to move evident. Flow is
information is without through some of frequently
compelling confusion. Flows the content interrupted.
and flow smoothly. without
smoothly. confusion. Flow is
sometimes
interrupted.
Content Thorough and Complete Shows some Shows incomplet
insightful understanding understanding of e understanding
understanding of content content. of material
of content
Ideas Insightful and Ideas Ideas are Ideas are unclear
well are considered; somewhat on few connections
considered more than one topic; makes
ideas making thoughtful some connections
multiple connection is
connections made

Enrichment Activity 3. Just Give Me a Reason

Directions: Read the following questions and answer concisely and briefly.
1. Why is the invention of Brahe important to the discovery of Kepler’s Law of
Planetary Motion?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. What would think will happen if Brahe did not extensively record his data on
heavenly bodies?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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3. If you were Brahe, is it ok for you to use your observations to discover something?
Why or why not?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Excellent job! You have understood the lesson.

Are you now ready to summarize?

15
 Deepen

Performance Task 1: Story Line

Directions: Create a comic out of the ancient Greeks view about the argument on
Earth’s shape.

CRITERIA 4 3 2 1
Clarity and Comic is easy Comic is easy Comic is hard Comic is hard
Neatness to read and all to read and to read with to read and
elements are so most elements few understand.
clearly written, are clearly illustrations
labeled and written, labeled and labels
illustrated. and illustrated.
Content There are There are There are very There are no
references to references to few references references to
the topic the topic to the assigned the assigned
assigned in assigned in topic in the a topic in the
each frame. most frames. few frames. comic strip.
Graphics The graphics The graphics The graphics Little or no
are meaningful, are somewhat are scarce graphics were
colorful, and meaningful, throughout the evident. It is
appropriate. It colorful, and piece and not clear that the
is clear that appropriate. It much time or effort was
time and effort is clear that effort was put lacking and
went into their some time and forth. they did not
creation. effort went into complete the
their creation. assignment.

Performance Task 2: Sundial Time

Directions: Follow the instructions in the activity carefully.

Objectives:
At the end of the activity, you will be able to make a sundial to cast
a shadow allowing you to gauge the time. You will demonstrate that the
Earth is rotating, in relation to the sun, by showing how a shadow moves
throughout the day.

Materials:
• Stiff piece of cardboard, file folder, tablet back, or other flat, durable
surface to make marks on

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 • Pencil or Chalk
• Ruler or yardstick
• Colored drinking straw, or other long, narrow object
• Clay, tape, or other adhesive to adhere the object to the flat surface
• Masking tape
• Small scissors
• Marker, pen, or pencil
• Magnetic compass
• Watch or clock
• Timer, alarm, or stopwatch to alert you at one-hour intervals

Procedures:
1. Choose one of the long sides of your cardboard to be the bottom. Two
inches from the bottom, make a pencil mark in the center.

2. Use a pencil, small scissors, or other sharp object to make a small

hole the same size, or slightly smaller than, the straw.

3. Use the scissors to cut the straw: make three vertical, equal, half-
inch cuts from the bottom of the straw so that you can spread the
sections out flat, for the straw to stand on. If you’re using a pencil or
other heavier object, skip this step.

4. Insert the top of the straw through the hole in the cardboard until
just the cut sections remain on the bottom of the cardboard.

5. Tape the cut sections securely to the bottom of the cardboard. If

you’re using a pencil or other heavier object, use clay on the top of
the cardboard (instead of tape on the bottom) to hold your object
upright.

6. Now your straw should be standing upright when you place the
cardboard on the ground or table.

7. Find a place where the sun shines all day and you can leave the
sundial in the same position. Options include your driveway, the
sidewalk, your patio or other hard, flat surface.

8. Find North. Use a compass to find North. Position the cardboard so

that the shadow of the straw aligns with North on the compass. Use
the masking tape to secure the cardboard to the ground or table.

9. Set your alarm for the next top of the hour (noon, 1:00, 2:00, etc.)
When the alarm sounds, observe where the straw’s shadow is on the

17
 cardboard. Align the ruler with the edge of the straw’s shadow and
make a pencil mark along the edge of the ruler.

10. Write the hour next to, on top of, or underneath, the mark.

11. Repeat the observation and notes at each hour. If you started in the
afternoon, come back to the sundial the next day in the morning
hours to complete the hour marks.

Observation/s:
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________

Adapted from https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/how-to make-

a-sundial-science project/

Performance Task 3: 3D Model

Directions: Using any recyclable or indigenous materials make a 3D Model on
Brahe’s model of the universe. Your output will be graded using the attached rubric.

Criteria Excellent(10- 8) Good (7-6) Fair (5-4) Poor (3-1)

All structures are More than Fail to
included and One or two two identify and
Completeness
accurately structures structures represent
represented and are not are not structures

18
 labeled. included or included or correctly.
are inaccurately
inaccurately represented.
represented.
Model is
The model is Model is constructed A model is
Creativity/
creatively constructed using a constructed
Aesthetic
constructed using several limited using the
appeal/
using a wide recyclable or variety of same
variety of
variety of indigenous recyclable or material for
material used
recyclable or materials indigenous each part.
indigenous items. items.

Durable, Slightly
The model is
Extremely neat, missing durable and
sloppy or
Durability durable, neat one neat, missing
messy and
and standard and constructed component. more than
missing
based according to size, (size, one
multiple
materials and material component.
components
display. or display) (size, material
or display)

Job well done! You are now ready to take your posttest. You may
again go over the lessons, experiments and activities
to review for the final assessment.
Good luck!

Gauge

Directions: Read carefully each item. Use a separate sheet for your answers.
Write only the letter of the best answer for each test item. Use a separate sheet
of paper for your answers.
1. Who among the following philosophers concluded that the Earth is spherical
in shape with no great size?
A. Aristotle C. Plato
B. Eratosthenes D. Pythagoras
2. Who among the following philosophers DOES NOT explain that the Earth is
sphere?
A. Aristotle C. Eratosthenes

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 B. Brahe D. Plato
3. Who among the following philosophers developed a spherical model of the
Earth and the heavens since the fifth century BC?
A. Aristotle C. Plato
B. Eratosthenes D. Pythagoras
4. Which of the following statements was used by Eratosthenes to support his
claim that Earth is sphere?
A. Stars change in position to south or north.
B. Ship appear to sink gradually below horizon.
C. Bothe statements are false.
D. All of the above.
5. Which of the following is NOT an evidence that Earth is sphere?
A. South of the equator, the North Star is not visible.
B. Polaris is located over the South Pole of the Earth.
C. When the North Star is visible at the horizon, you are located at the
equator.
D. Ships appear to sink gradually below horizon as they travel far away
from the observer and over the horizons.
6. Which of the following statements is/are TRUE about early astronomical
phenomena?
Statement I - The sun and moon are the most observable objects in the
sky.
Statement II - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn can be easily
seen in the sky with the help of telescope.
A. Both statements are true.
B. Only statement I is true.
C. Only statement II is true.
D. Bothe statements are false.

7. Which of the following occurs when Earth casts its shadow on the moon when
the Earth is between sun and the moon?
A. Lunar Eclipse C. Phases of the moon
B. Motion of the Star D. Solar Eclipse
8. Which of the following should be the alignment for a solar eclipse to occur?
A. Sun, Moon, Earth C. Earth, Sun, Moon
B. Sun, Earth, Moon D. None of these
9. Which of the following statements BEST explains why you are less likely to
see a total solar eclipse than a total lunar eclipse?
A. New moon phases occur less often than a full moon phases.
B. The moon’s shadow covers all of Earth during a solar eclipse.
C. The moon’s umbra only covers a small are on Earth’s surface.
D. Only people on the daytime side of Earth can see a solar eclipse.
10. Which of the following is NOT an astronomical phenomena known to
astronomers before the invention of telescope?
A. Lunar Eclipse C. Phases of the moon
B. Motion of the Moon D. Solar Eclipse

11. Who among the following demonstrated that the planets move in elliptical
orbits around the sun?
A. Galileo Galilei C. Nicolaus Copernicus

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 B. Johannes Kepler D. Tycho brahe
12. Which of the following statements is/are CORRECT about Tycho Brahe?
A. He compiled extensive data on the planet Mars.
B. He determined the detailed motions of the planets more precisely.
C. He devised the most precise instruments available for observing the
heavens before the telescope's invention.
D. All of the above
13. Which of the following statements is/are TRUE about Kepler?
Statement I - Kepler noticed that an imaginary line drawn from a planet to
the Sun swept out an equal area of space at the same time,
irrespective of where the planet was in its orbit.
Statement II - Kepler discovered that the planets move in an ellipse with
the Sun at one focus point, offset from the center.
A. Both statements are true.
B. Only statement I is true.
C. Only statement II is true.
D. Bothe statements are false.
14. Which of the following was discovered by Kepler with the use of Brahe’s
extensive collection of data in observational astronomy?
A. Law of Motion C. Law of Acceleration
B. Law of Relativity D. Law of Planetary Motion
15. Which of the following is TRUE about Kepler’s Third Law?
A. Any planet joining the Sun sweeps out equal areas in equal lengths of
time.
B. Planets move in an ellipse with the Sun at one focus point, offset from
the center.

C. There is a precise mathematical relationship between a planet’s

distance from the Sun and the amount of time it takes revolve around
the Sun.
D. Both A and B

Great job! You are done with this module.

21
References

Printed Materials

The Commission on Higher Education. (2016). Physical Science, Teaching

Guide for Senior High School (pp. 13-23). Diliman, Quezon City

Santiago, K and Silverio, A. (2016). Exploring Life Through Science Series.

Phoenix Publishing House, Incorporated

Websites

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/OrbitsHistory/page2.php

https://web.facebook.com/notes/physical-science/lesson-66-astronomical-
phenomena-known-to-astronomers-before-the-advent-of-
teles/2060305700652311/?_rdc=1&_rdr

https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question54.html

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-
is-earth-58.html
https://www.popsci.com/10-ways-you-can-prove-earth-is-round/

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 23
Enrichment Activity 1: Flat or Sphere
*Rubrics attached
Enrichment Activity 2: Graphic Organizer
*Rubrics attached
Enrichment Activity 3: Just Give Me A Reason
*Answers may vary
EXPLORE
Activity 1: Guess the Philosopher
Pythagoras -
Plato -
Aristotle -
Eratosthenes -
JUMPSTART
KEY ANSWERS
 24
1. A
2. B
3. D
4. C
5. B
6. C
7. A
8. A
9. B
10.B
11.B
12.D
13.A
14.D
15.C
GAUGE
* Rubrics attached
* Answers may vary
* Rubrics attached
DEEPEN