Module 1: Newton’s Laws of Motion

Newton’s First Law of Motion

In our daily experiences, when there is a moving object, it tends to slow down and
stop unless there is someone or something that makes it move continuously. To
understand this, let’s recall that if a net external force acts on a stationary object, it makes
an object move and if it acts on a moving object with a constant velocity, it slows down
and stop. What force acts on an object to slow it down? This is called the friction. Friction
is a force that opposes the object’s direction of motion (see figure 1e).

With no external force acting on the object, it will continue to move at a constant velocity
as stated in the first law.
An object at rest will remain at rest or in motion at a constant velocity unless acted by a
net force. (Remember that constant velocity means moving in a straight line at a constant
speed.)

“Net force” is very significant in the first law. Several forces act on an object at the same
time and the net force is the vector sum of all of them. To understand it more, consider
the air hockey table in any arcade game zones in Metro Manila. When the machine is not
on, and you slide the puck, it will just move a short distance due to friction. However,
when it is turned on, the air lifts the puck making it frictionless as it moves on the surface.

Mass and Inertia

Inertia is the natural tendency for the object at rest to remain at rest, or for a moving
object to remain in motion in a straight line with constant speed. This concept of inertia
was integrated by Isaac Newton to his first law of motion known as the “Law of Inertia”.
 Some objects have greater inertia compared to others.

For example in figure 1h, it is harder for the elephant to

change in motion than a pony in figure 1g. In fact, the inertia
of an object is measured by the mass of an object. Mass is
expressed in kilograms (kg). This is the reason why some
objects need greater net force to change its velocity.

Newton’s Second Law of Motion

In the Newton’s first law of motion, if there is no net force acting on the object, it is
either at rest or in motion at a constant velocity. But what will happen to an object if a net
force acting on it? A net force will change the velocity of an object. It may increase or
decrease speed or remain constant speed and will change its direction. If there is a
change in velocity, there is acceleration. The SI unit for acceleration is m/s2. Acceleration
is caused by a net force acting on the object. This explains the second law of motion.
What is the relationship between force and acceleration? Imagine, you have
identical red and yellow balls, you roll the red ball gently for a certain period of time. Then
you roll the yellow ball harder. in which ball did you apply more force? Which of the balls
do you think will roll faster? In the example, the yellow ball will roll faster as you have
applied greater force on it. Thus, the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to
the net force. However, the acceleration of the object also depends on its mass. Let’s
take a look at the pictures below.
If you roll the ball with the same force as you roll the rock, you will notice that the rock will
have a lesser acceleration. Thus, the more massive the object is, the less acceleration,
for the same net forces applied. With this, Newton’s second law of motion can be stated
as:
The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting
on an object and inversely proportional to its mass.

Mathematically, Newton’s second law can be written as

Given the equation above, we can say that the force is directly proportional to mass and
acceleration. To accelerate two objects with different masses with the same velocity, you
have to exert more force on the massive object. Similarly, for two objects with the same
mass, the greater force applied will accelerate more. The SI unit for force is Newton (N).
1N = 1kg∙m/s².
Newton’s Third Law of Motion: Interaction
A force can make an object accelerate. The greater the force exerted, the greater
the acceleration. But, have you thought, where these forces come from? If you push a
table, are you the only one exerting a force? Does the table exert a force on you as well?
In Physics, to identify the forces acting on an object, we make Free Body Diagrams
(FBD). In an FBD, you will know the magnitude and the direction of the forces on an object
represented by arrows. The length of the arrow corresponds to the magnitude of the force
while its direction is the direction of the force.
Have you tried pushing a wall? What did you notice? Why do you think the wall did
not move? Do you think the wall also applied a force on you? At first thought, you may
say the wall does not exert force on you but actually the wall pushes you back with equal
amount of force you exerted on the wall. This example explains the Newton’s third law
of motion.
 Whenever two objects interact with each other, both of them will experience same
amount of force but in an opposite direction. In the given example, when you push the
wall with a force of 5 N, the wall also pushes you back with the same force of 5 N. With
this, Newton realized that the forces occur in pairs, that no force is isolated. No force will
exist without the other force.

The paired forces in this law are referred as the action- reaction pairs, where in
an exerted force is the action and the force in return is the reaction. The forces do not
cancel out each other as the forces act on different objects. This means, the paired forces
have equal magnitude but different directions. The law is also known as the Law of
Interaction. We apply this law in our daily lives like walking on a rough surface, throwing
a ball, riding a horse, hammering the nail and many more.

Circular Motion

Motion, whether linear or circular must be described from a reference point. Moving
in circle can be rotation or revolution. What is the difference between the two? When an
object turns or moves about an axis that is fixed, the path of motion of the object becomes
circular. When the axis is internal or within (center) the body, the motion is rotation. If the
axis is external or outside the body, the motion is revolution.
Centripetal Motion
It is easy to get confused about linear motion with circular motion. To better illustrate its
complexity, imagine you are riding a merry-go-round. Which moves faster, the one in the
inner rail or the one near the outside rail? Now, how do consider the type of motion
illustrated? Is it linear motion, circular motion or both? These questions can be answered
by knowing the dynamics of circular motion.
Now, let us define uniform circular motion. If the motion of a travelling object is
characterized by a circular path and a constant speed, then it is in Uniform Circular Motion
(UCM).
Let us compare linear motion and circular motion. Note that the key to understand the
motions of the two types is by comparing the paths followed by objects under these two
types of motion.
Module 3: Factors Affecting Potential and Kinetic Energy

Energy is the capacity to do work. It is a vital part of our daily work because we
use energy to perform our work. People obtain energy from the food they consumed. This
energy can be transferred to objects.
When people performed activities such as running, climbing, and walking they
used this energy. There are many forms of energy that have been discussed during your
previous grades. This time you will be able to identify and differentiate the two types of
mechanical energy which are the potential and kinetic energy.
Potential Energy
If you lift an object at a certain height from the ground, it will gain energy. The
energy gained is called Potential Energy or PE. Since the force of gravity acts on the
object, the amount of potential energy will vary depending on the situation whether it is
against or along with gravity. If an object is falling, it is against the gravity so the PE
decreases as this energy is being transformed to KE as it falls.
The potential energy is dependent on its position because this energy depends on
the product of mass, the height of the object, and acceleration due to gravity which equals
9.8 m/s2. The equation for potential energy is PE = mgh. Where PE is potential energy,
m is mass, g is the gravity and h is height. The unit for potential energy is the joule (J).
Kinetic Energy
The energy of motion or moving object is called Kinetic Energy (KE). The kinetic
energy of an object can be determined by its mass and velocity. The KE is proportional
to the square of the velocity, thus if the velocity was doubled, the KE will be quadrupled.
The formula for kinetic energy is KE = ½ mv2 where KE is kinetic energy, m is mass and
v is the velocity. The unit for kinetic energy is the joule.
Propagation of Sound
Sound and Temperature
1. Sound is a longitudinal wave that travels parallel to the direction of particles.
2. Acoustics is a branch of Physics that deals with the study of sound.
3. Sound is a mechanical wave that needs a medium for propagation, it cannot travel
through a vacuum.
4. When sound waves hit a barrier, they are reflected in the form of an ECHO.
Reverberation occurs when there is a multiple reflections of sound. Most people love to
sing in a bathroom because it creates an audibly desirable environment.
5. Nocturnal animals such as bats can locate their food source through echolocation.