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Science
Quarter 1 – Module 2:
Laws of Motion

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 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help
you master the Laws of Motion. The scope of this module permits it to be used
in many different learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse
vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard
sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them can be changed to
correspond with the textbook you are now using.

This module contains:

 Lesson 1 – Newton’s Three Laws of Motion

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Infer that when a body exerts a force on another, an equal amount of

force is exerted back on it. (Week 1-2 S8ES-IIa-15)

What I Need to Know

Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answers on a separate
sheet of paper.
1. Who formulated the Three Laws of Motion?
A. Aristotle
B. Isaac Newton
C. Thomas Edison
D. Alexander Graham Bell

2. Which has more mass, a kilogram of cotton or a kilogram of iron?

A. the iron
B. the cotton
C. they both have the same mass
D. cannot be determined from the given information

3. Which has the greatest inertia?

A. airplane
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 B. car
C. jeepney
D. bike

4. Which of these vehicles moving at the same velocity is difficult to stop?

A. a bus
B. a car
C. a train
D. a truck

5. All of the following apply the third law of motion EXCEPT ____________.
A. kicking a ball
B. rowing a banca
C. throwing a stone
D. taking out ketchup from a bottle

6. Which of the following statements are true?

I. Action and reaction forces occur in pair.
II. Action and reaction forces act on the same object.
III. Action and reaction forces can occur one at a time.
IV. Action and reaction forces have the same magnitude.

A. I and II
B. I and IV
C. II and III
D. II and IV
7. Which Newton's law explains when a man is pushed forward in the car
as it stops?
A. 1st law
B. 2nd law
C. 3rd law
D. 2nd and 3rd laws

8. In Newton’s first law of motion, a moving object that is not acted upon
by a net force will ____________.
A. accelerate
B. change its velocity
C. eventually come to a stop
D. continue moving at constant velocity
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 9. A boy jumps out of the boat into a dock. As the boy moves forward to the
dock, the boat moves backward. Which statement describes this
situation?

A. An object at rest remains at rest.

B. Friction opposes the motion of an object.
C. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
D. The net force is directly proportional to mass and inversely
proportional to acceleration.

10. Two balls are simultaneously applied with a force of 20 N. One ball has a
mass of 0.3 kg and the other has 0.4 kg. Which ball has greater
acceleration?
A. They will both accelerate at the same rate.
B. None of them will accelerate greater than the other.
C. The one with a mass of 0.3 kg has the greater acceleration.
D. The one with a mass of 0.4 kg has the greater acceleration.

Lesson
Newton’s Three Laws of
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 1 Motion

A. a man rowing a boat C. a boy pulling his pet dog

https://pixabay.com/vectors/aeroplane-plane-air-airplane-311601/

B. a flying airplane D. a man riding a bike

Figure 1. Situations that involve application of forces

What is common in the situations above?

Look around you. What do you observe? How would you describe most of the
objects that you see? What can you say about moving vehicles and running
animals? Have you ever asked yourself what causes these things to move? How
will the world be without motion?

What’s New

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Men Behind Forces
1. Read the text below.

Motion has been studied for centuries by many great minds.

Aristotle (284 – 322 B.C.) for example, believed that a moving object
needs a continuous application of force to keep it moving. To him, an
object is naturally at rest. He believed that the greater the force on the
object, the greater is its speed. He introduced the idea of impetus that
keeps a body in motion.
John Philoponus (550 A.D.) conceptualized the idea of surrounding force
similar to inertia found in Galileo’s idea and Newton’s First Law of

Motion. He first introduced “Theory of Impetus”, a concept similar to

force. According to the theory, when impetus decreases, the speed of the
object also decreases. When that impetus is removed, the object stops
moving.

Jean Buridan (1300 -1358) also saw impetus as the cause of

movement. He further developed the “Theory of Impetus” introduced by
Philoponus. According to him, motion is possible through a “mover” that

keeps the object moving with power proportional to the speed and mass
of the object. When the mover is removed, the object stops moving. He
later named impetus as force.

Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642), on the other hand, disagreed to

Aristotle. He claimed that even without a continuous application of
force, an object can continue to move with constant speed in a straight
line provided there are no outside forces acting on it.
Finally, Sir Isaac Newton (1643 – 1727) used Galileo’s ideas and
eventually formulated the three laws of motion.

What is It

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 Many phenomena can be explained by the use of actual observation and
simple common sense. Many attempts have been done to provide a set of ideas
about motion as introduced in Activity 1. One of the famous men who developed
an explanation for motion, which lasted for almost 2000 years, was the Greek
philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.). His ideas were based on very common
experiences. Aristotle formulated the idea that, for an object to move, a force
must be exerted on it; but when this force is removed, the object comes to rest.
Another important man is Galileo Galilei. In his experiment, he let a
perfectly round ball rolled down an inclined surface and prepared three set ups
under ideal conditions (lack of friction and air resistance). The following were his
observations:

1. The ball is released at a certain height. It

speeds up and, if it rolls up another
inclined surface of the same slope, it
slows down and reaches the same height
(figure 2A). Figure 2A

2. In another set up (figure 2B), the ball is

released from the same height as figure
2A. It speeds up and if it is rolling up
another inclined surface that is not as
steep as figure 2A, it slows down and
reaches the same height. However, it
covers a farther distance as it rolls up the Figure 2B slope.

3. In the last set up, the ball is released from

the same height as figure 2A. This time, it
continues to roll in a flat surface. The ball
does not speed up nor slow down (see
Figure 2C) as if it continues to move forever. Figure 2C

Galileo concluded that in the absence of friction and air resistance, the
ball would continue rolling up to a height above the base equal to the height from
where it was released. On a flat surface, the ball would continue to move forever,
since there would be no force to cause its state of motion to change.
Galileo was the first to suggest that uniform speed straight-line motion
was just as natural as at-rest state of motion. He called this tendency of an object
to maintain its initial state of motion as inertia.
Although Galileo did not fully explain motion, he took the first important
step that completely changed the world’s view about motion of objects. Galileo
greatly influenced other scientists including Sir Isaac Newton who then
formulated the three laws of motion.

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Law of Inertia
Newton’s first law of motion, the law of inertia, states that, “an object at
rest remains at rest, and an object in motion will continue to move at constant
velocity unless acted upon by a net force.” The tendency of an object to maintain
its state of rest or of uniform velocity in a straight line is called inertia. Mass is a
measure of the inertia of an object. The greater the mass of an object, the harder
it is to move when it is at rest, or difficult to stop when in motion.
A common example where inertia can be observed is when you are on a
bus. Initially, the bus is at rest. When it starts to move, your body has the
tendency to move backward. On the other hand, when the bus suddenly stops,
your body has the tendency to move forward. When the bus either starts to move
or suddenly stops, your body has the tendency to change your state of motion.

Law of Acceleration
The second law of motion is the law of acceleration which states that “the
acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and is
inversely proportional to the object’s mass. The direction of the acceleration is in
the direction of the net force acting on the object.”
Newton’s second law of motion is expressed through the equation:

∑ 𝐹⃗ = 𝑚𝑎⃗

Recall from Module 1 that the symbol ∑ (sigma) stands for the algebraic
sum. ∑ 𝐹⃗ stands for the net force acting on the object, m for mass of the object
and 𝑎⃗ for its acceleration. The arrow above the letters F and a indicates that both
have magnitude and direction.
Table 1 shows the different units of mass, acceleration and force involved
in the second law of motion.

Table 1. Units for mass, acceleration and force.

System Mass Acceleration Force
MKS kg m/s2 N= kg. m/s2
CGS g cm/s2 Dyne = g.cm/s2
FPS slug ft/s2 Pounds (lbs) = slug. ft/s2

In the Philippines, Presidential Decree No. 187 dated May 10, 1973,
prescribes the use of the metric system of weights and measures as the standard
measurement for all products may it be commodities, materials, utilities, services
as well as in all business and legal transactions. In this module, Meter-
KilogramSecond (MKS) units are mostly used. However, for some problems you
may convert the unit from one system to another.
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 Study and understand the problems below.

Sample problem 1.
A 1000.0 kg truck is traveling at an acceleration of 4.5000 m/s 2, East.
Find the net force needed to accelerate the truck.

Given: 𝑎⃗ = 4.5000 m/s2, East

𝑚 = 1000.0 𝑘𝑔

Find ∑ 𝐹⃗.

Solution:

∑ 𝐹⃗ = 𝑚𝑎⃗

∑ 𝐹⃗ = (1000.0 𝑘𝑔)(4.5000 m/s2) = 4500.0 𝑘𝑔 ∙ m/s2 𝑜𝑟 4500.0 𝑁, East.

Sample problem 2.
A boy rolls a 200 g baseball horizontally on the floor with a net force of 2 N
to the right. What is the acceleration of the baseball?

Given: 𝑚 = 200 𝑔 = 0.2 𝑘𝑔 (notice the conversion of unit)

∑ 𝐹⃗ = 2 𝑁, to the right

Find 𝑎⃗.

Solution:

∑ 𝐹⃗ = 𝑚𝑎⃗

2𝑁 = (0.2 𝑘𝑔) 𝑎⃗;

; since N is equivalent to kg. m/s2,

𝑎⃗ = 10 𝑚/𝑠2, to the right.

Sample problem 3.
A box is pushed with an applied force of 20 N parallel to the floor. It
accelerated at 1.50 m/s2 to the right. A parallel applied force of 10 N on the
opposite side slowed down the motion of the box. Neglecting friction, what is the
mass of the box?

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 Given: 𝑎⃗ = 1.50 𝑚/𝑠2, to the right;

FA = 20 N, FB = 10 N;
Find mass, m.
Solution: To fully understand the problem, let us draw the figure and consider
the horizontal forces that acts on the box.

∑ 𝐹⃗ = 𝑚𝑎⃗;

+10 𝑁 = 𝑚(1.50 𝑚/𝑠2) ;

10 𝑘𝑔∙𝑚/𝑠2
1.50 𝑚/𝑠2 =𝑚;

𝑚 = 6.67 𝑘𝑔

Law of Interaction
The third law of motion is the law of interaction which states that “for
every action, there is always an equal and opposite reaction.” This law tells us
that a force exerted on any object is always exerted back by an equal magnitude
of force but in opposite direction. Always remember that in this law, forces always
come in pairs. These are called action and reaction forces, and they do not act
on the same body. In determining the action and reaction forces, be able to
identify first the action that requires force, and then identify the reaction force
that counteracts the action force. An example of this is a boy pushing a wall.
When the boy pushes the wall (action), the wall exerts an equal and opposite
magnitude of force to the boy (reaction). Another example is a horse pulling a
calesa (action). The calesa pulls an equal and opposite magnitude of force
towards the horse (reaction). Some more examples include hammering a nail,
pushing a grocery cart, and attracting a paper clip using a magnet.

The Force of Gravity or Weight

In one of Galileo’s experiments, objects dropped near the surface of the
Earth would fall with the same acceleration, if air resistance is neglected. This
acceleration is denoted by ⃗𝒈⃗⃗ with an approximate value of 9.8 m/s 2 or 980 cm/
s2 or 32 ft/s2. The force that causes this acceleration is called the force of
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gravity or gravitational force. The force acts vertically downward toward the
center of the Earth. The gravitational force on an object, ⃗𝑭⃗⃗𝒈,can be expressed as

where ⃗𝑭⃗⃗𝒈 is for gravitational force, m for mass and ⃗𝒈⃗⃗ for acceleration due to
gravity.
The direction of this force is always down toward the center of the Earth. The
magnitude of the force of gravity on an object, mg, is called the object’s weight,
symbolized by the letter W. When a person’s mass is 40 kg, the computed weight
is 392 N (multiply the mass to g = 9.8 m/s 2) on Earth. His weight differs when he
is on other planets and satellites like the Moon.

Assessment

Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answers on a separate sheet
of paper.

1. What is the definition of weight?

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 A. the size of an object
B. the time it takes to get on a ride
C. the amount of matter in an object
D. the magnitude of the force of gravity on an object

2. Which law states that forces act with equal magnitude and in opposite
direction?
A. Law of Inertia
B. Law of Interaction
C. Law of Acceleration
D. Law of Gravitational Force

3. For every _________ there is an equal and opposite ___________.

A. action, action
B. reaction, action
C. action, reaction
D. reaction, reaction

4. What Newton’s law of motion requires the use of seat belt in cars?
A. Law of Inertia
B. Law of Interaction
C. Law of Acceleration
D. Law of Universal Gravitation

5. A guava with a mass of 0.200 kg has a weight of ___________.

A. 0.200 N
B. 1.96 N C. 4.50 N
D. 10.0 N

6. A stone hits the ground before a flat sheet of paper because ___________.
A. it is less massive
B. it is more massive
C. the acceleration of gravity is greater on the stone
D. there is more air resistance against the flat paper

7. If the mass of an object is 45 kg on Earth, what is its mass on the moon?

A. 45 N
B. 45 kg
C. 441 N
D. 441 kg

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 8. Which of the following phenomena applies the first law of motion? A. A leaf
sways back and forth falling from a tree.
B. When a ball falls on the floor, the ball bounces back up.
C. When pushed with the same force, a car accelerates slower than a
grocery cart.
D. When a cardboard with coin on top is suddenly pulled, the coin
falls into the glass.

9. According to the second law of motion, the net force is the product of mass
and acceleration. Which of the following has the greatest acceleration? A. A
5.000 kg stone pulled with a 10 N net force.
B. A 0.5000 kg toy car is pulled with a 9 N net force.
C. A 7.000 kg metal ball is pushed by a 17 N net force.
D. A 500.0 kg truck accelerated by 1000 N net force from its engine.

10.In a grocery store, you can easily push a cart with 5 kg sack of rice than a
cart with a 10 kg sack of rice to the counter. Which of these explains the
situation?
A. Law of Inertia
B. Law of Interaction
C. Law of Acceleration
D. Law of Universal Gravitation

Additional Activities

Identify the law of motion that applies in each situation. \Write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.

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 Situation Type of Laws of Motion

1. Throwing garbage on the river

would go back to the community
during the flood season.

2. It is easier to push an empty

shopping cart than a loaded one.

3. The baseball is thrown into the air

after being hit by the bat.

4. When walking, your foot pushes

the ground backward, and the
ground pushes your foot forward.

5. A runner who reaches the finish

line must continue running for
some time.

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