General Physics 1

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600

Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 6A – Physics 1 Subject Teacher:

Module Outline:
 New ton’s Laws of Motion and Applications
o Applications of First Law

Learning Objectives:
After completing this module, the student should be able to:
a. apply New ton’s 1st law to obtain quantitativ e and qualitativ e conclusions about the
contact and noncontact forces acting on a body in equilibrium.

NEWTON’S LAWS OF MOTION

We hav e discussed how motion is described in terms of v elocity and acceleration. Now w e deal
w ith the question of why objects mov e as they do: w hat makes an object at rest begin to mov e?
What causes an object to accelerate or decelerate? We can answ er in each case that a force is
required. I n this module w e w ill be discussing the connection between force and motion, w hich is the
subject called dynamics.

We begin w ith intuitiv e ideas of what force is, and then discuss New ton’s three law s of motion. We
next look at sev eral types of force, including friction and the force of grav ity. We then apply
New ton’s law s to real problems.

FORCE

I ntuitively, w e experience force as any kind of a push or a pull on an object.it is a v ector quantity
because it has both magnitude and direction. When you push a stalled car or a grocery cart, you
are exerting a force on it. When a motor lifts an elev ator, or a hammer hits a nail, or a w ind blow s the
leav es of a tree, a force is being exerted. We say that an object falls because of the force of gravity.
I f an object is at rest, to start it mov ing requires force- that is, a force is needed to accelerate an
object from zero v elocity to a nonzero v elocity. For an object already mov ing, if you w ant to change
its v elocity- either in direction or in magnitude- again a force is required. I n other words, to accelerate
an object, a force is required.

One w ay to measure the magnitude (or strength) of a force is to use a spring scale. Normally,
such a spring scale is used to find the w eight of an object; by w eight w e mean the force of grav ity
acting on the object. The spring scale, once calibrated, can be used to measure other kinds of
forces as w ell, such as the pulling force. A force exerted in different directions has a different effect.
Clearly force has direction as w ell as magnitude, and is indeed a v ector that follow s the rules of
 General Physics 1
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 6A – Physics 1 Subject Teacher:

v ector addition discussed on your module 2. We can represent any force on a diagram by an arrow ,
just as w e did w ith v elocity. The direction of the arrow is the direction of the push and pull, and its
length is draw n proportional to the magnitude of the force.

NEWTON’S FIRST LAW OF MOTION

What is the relationship betw een force and motion? Aristotle (384-322 B.C) believ ed that force
w as required to keep an object mov ing along a horizontal plane. To Aristotle, the natural state of an
object w as at rest, and a force w as believ ed necessary to keep an object in motion. Furthermore,
Aristotle argued, the greater the force on the object, the greater its speed. Some 2000 years later,
Galileo disagreed: He maintained that it is just as natural for an object to be in motion w ith a
constant v elocity as it is for it to be at rest. To understand Galileo’s idea, consider the fo llow ing
observations involving motion along a horizontal plane. To push an object w ith a rough surface along
a tabletop at constant speed requires a certain amount of force. To push an equally heav y object
w ith a v ery smooth surface across the table at the same time speed w ill require less force. If a layer of
oil or other lubricant is placed betw een the surface of the object and the table, then almost no force
is required. As the next step, w e imagine that the object does not rub against the table at all—or
there is a perfect lubricant betw een the object and the table—and theorize that once started, the
object w ould mov e across the table at constant speed w ith no force applied.

A steel ball bearing rolling on a hard horizontal surface approaches this situation. So does a puck
on an air table, in w hich thin layer of air reduces friction almost to zero. I n this case, one w here there
is no friction—and to see that it could lead to a more accurate and richer understanding of the real
w orld. This idealization led him to his remarkable conclusion that if no force is applied to a moving
object, it will continue to move with constant speed in a straight line. An object slow s dow n only if a
force is exerted on it. Galileo thus interpret friction as a force to ordinary pushes and pulls.

To push an object across a table at constant speed requires a force from your hand that can
balance out the force of friction (Figure 4-3). When the object mov es at constant speed, your
pushing force is equal in magnitude to the friction force, but these tw o forces are in opposite
directions, so the net force in the object (the v ector sum of the tw o forces) is zero. This is consistent
w ith Galileo’s v iewpoint, for the object mov es with constant speed when no net force is exerted on it.

Upon this foundation laid by Galileo, I saac New ton build his great theory of motion. New ton’s
analysis is summarized in his famous ―three law s of motion‖. I n his great w ork, the Principia (published
in 1687). New ton readily acknowledge his debt to Galileo. I n fact, Newton’s first law of motion is close
 General Physics 1
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 6A – Physics 1 Subject Teacher:

to Galileo’s conclusions. I t states that “Every object continues in its state, or of uniform velocity in a
straight line, as long as no net force acts on it”. The law of inertia also states that “A body at rest will
remain at rest and a body in motion will continue to move with constant velocity unless acted upon
by an unbalanced force”. The tendency of an object to maintain its state of rest or of uniform motion
in a straight line is called inertia. As a result, New ton’s first law is often called the law of inertia. Mass is
a measure of inertia. The greater the mass, the greater the inertia. The greater the inertia, the harder
it is to change the state of motion of a body.

The law of inertia is concerned w ith the natural tendency of objects to keep their states,
w hether at rest or mov ing. A ball stays in place unless it is kicked. An object in motion w ill remain in
motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced external force. New ton’s law of inertia as w ell as
Republic Act 8750 (otherw ise know n as The Seat Belt Use Act of 1999) are the tw o reasons w hy w e
should use seat belts. A person inside a car mov es w ith the same v elocity as the car. I f the car
collides w ith a hard object, the net force acting on the car causes it to stop. The passenger w ill
continue to mov e at this v elocity unless a force stops him. This force is prov ided by the seat bel t.
When w orn properly, the seat belt helps spread the stopping force to bigger and sturdier parts of the
body—the ribcage and the pelv is—to minimize damage.

Conceptual Example. Newton’s first law. A school bus comes to a sudden stop, and all of the
backpacks on the floor start to slide forw ard. What force causes them to do that?
Response: it isn’t ―force‖ that does it. The backpacks continue their state of motion, maintaining
their v elocity (friction may slow dow n them dow n), as the v elocity of the bus decreases.

INERTIAL REFERENCE FRAMES

New ton’s first law does not hold in ev ery reference frame. For example, if your reference frame
is fixed in an accelerating car, an object such as a cup resting on the dashboard may begin to move
tow ards you (it stayed at rest as long as the car’s v elocity remained constant). The cup accelerated
tow ard you, but neither you nor anything else exerted a force on it in that direction. Similarly, in the
reference frame of the bus, there w as no force pushing the backpacks forw ard. I n accelerating
reference frames, Newton’s first law does not hold. Reference frame in w hich Newton’s first law does
hold are called inertial reference frames (the law of inertia is v alid in them). For most purposes, w e
can usually assume that reference frames fixed on the Earth are inertial frames. (This is not precisely
true, due to the Earth’s rotation, but usually it is close enough.) Any reference frame that mov es w ith
constant v elocity (say, a car or an airplane) relativ e to an inertial frame is also an inertial reference
frame. Reference frames where the law of inertia does not hold, such as the accelerating reference
frames discussed abov e are called noninertial reference frames. How can w e be sure a reference
frame id the inertial or not? By checking to see if New ton’s first law holds. Thus New ton’s first law
serv es as the definition of inertial reference frames.

Practical Science:
 Pull slowly on the end of the adhesiv e tape and the tape unrolls. Pull sharply and it tears
off. The inertia of the tape roll resists a rapid change in motion more than it resists a slow
change in motion. The same reason applies to tissue paper rolls.
 General Physics 1
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section:
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 6A – Physics 1 Subject Teacher:

SUMMARY
• Aristotle considered the natural state of most matter to be at rest.
• Galileo concluded that objects could naturally remain in motion.
• New ton – An object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted on by
an external, unbalance force.
• Objects at Rest
• An object w ill remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted on by an
external, unbalance force.
• Force – any quantity capable of producing motion
• Forces are v ector quantities – they hav e both magnitude and direction.
• Balanced  equal magnitude but opposite directions
• External  must be applied to the entire object or system.

• I nertia
• I nertia - the natural tendency of an object to remain in a state of rest or in uniform
motion in a straight line (first introduced by Galileo)
• Basically, objects tend to maintain their state of motion and resist changes.
• New ton w ent one step further and related an object’s mass to its inertia.
• The greater the mass of an object, the greater its inertia.
• The smaller the mass of an object, the less its inertia.

References:
 GI ANCOLI , D, C. (2005) Physics Principles w ith Application. Sixth Edition. P72-82. Pearson
Education, I nc. Upper Saddle Riv er, NJ 07458
 SI LVERO, J, A., (2017) Exploring Life Through Science General Physics 1. P88-115. Phoenix Publishing
House I nc. 927 Quezon Av enue, Quezon City