Universal Law of

Physics
Aristotelian and Galilean Concept of
Motion
Aristotle divided motion
into two main classes:
natural motion and violent
motion

Aristotle thought that

natural motion proceeds
from the "nature" of an
object which depended on
the combination of four
elements – earth, water, air,
and fire.
Aristotelian Concept of Motion...
 In his view, every
object in the universe
has a proper place,
determined by this
"nature“.
Any object not in its Aristotle divided motion into
proper place will two main classes: natural
"strive" to get there. motion and violent motion…
In natural motion objects were
An unsupported lump returning to their proper place
of clay, being of earth, in the universe…
properly falls to the Violent motion were caused by
ground while being of
pushes and pulls on objects...
the air, an unimpeded
puff of smoke properly
rises.
Aristotelian Concept of Motion...

A feather being a mixture of earth and air but

predominantly earth, properly falls to the ground,
but not as rapidly as a lump of clay.

He postulated that heavier objects would strive

harder. Thus objects should fall at speeds
proportional to their weights: the heavier the object,
the faster it should fall.
Aristotelian Concept of Motion...

Things on Earth showed natural motion which

was either straight up or straight down while
celestial objects had circular motion.

Unlike up-and-down motion, circular motion has

no beginning or end, repeating itself without
deviation.

He asserted that celestial bodies are perfect

spheres made of a perfect and unchanging
substance.
Aristotelian Concept of Motion...

 Pushing or
pulling forces
produced Violent
motion and so
was imposed
motion. Pushing
a cart or lifting The movement of the
a heavy weight water (in all cases) is
imposed motion, natural but the debris is
as the wind violent motion in that it is
imposed motion externally caused and
on ships and imparted to objects...
floodwaters They moved not by their
imposed it on
"nature," but because of
boulders and
debris. pushes or pulls...
Aristotelian Concept of Motion...

There were difficulties with the

concept of violent motion e.g. a
bowstring moved an arrow until the
arrow left the bow. Thereafter the
arrow's motion seemed to require some
other pushing agent.

Aristotle's statements about motion

were a beginning in scientific thought,
and, although we don’t agree with him
now, for nearly 2000 years his views
were beyond question....
Aristotelian Concept of Motion...

 This lead to the thinking that

since the force required to move
the earth is inconceivable then it
must be the centre of the
universe... Aristotle’s ideas
of motion became so
much a part of
The thinking was so entrenched traditional
that it was heresy to think knowledge that
otherwise... hundreds of years
after Newton and
Galileo we still
intuitively use
them...
Galilean Concept of Motion...

Galileodiscredited the
Aristotelian ideas about motion,
through observation and experiment

 Galileo was not the first to point

out difficulties in Aristotle's views,
but he was the first to provide
conclusive evidence by dropping
objects of various weights from the
top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and
comparing their falls
 Galilean Concept of Motion...
Galileo and the Leaning Tower
------------------------------------------------------
Contrary to Aristotle's assertion,
----------------------------------
many observers witnessed the
dropping of two objects of
different weight from the top of
the tower hitting the ground While Aristotle's
together. views appear logical and
consistent with
It is everyday observations
understandable that and do seem to make
many scoffed at the common sense, unless
young Galileo and you purge it from your
continued to hold concept of motion, you
fast to their will experience
Aristotelian difficulty understanding
teachings despite the physics of motion...
the evidence.
 Galilean Concept of Motion...
Galileo's Inclined Planes
----------------------------------------

 On Earth motion
always involved a
resistive medium such as
air or water. Aristotle
did not consider motion Galileo showed that physics
in the absence of an should be investigated by
interacting medium. experiment rather than
logic…
Aristotelian motion
required that an object In this way he can be considered
requires a push or pull to the father of modern
keep it moving. investigative methods used in the
way we study modern science...
Galilean Concept of Motion...
Galileo's Inclined Planes
-------------------------------------
 Galileo disagreed with
this principle and he
postulated that if there
is no interference with
a moving object, it will
keep moving in a Galileo showed that physics
straight line forever; no should be investigated by
push, pull, or force of experiment rather than
any kind is necessary.
logic…
Galileo tested this
hypothesis by In this way he can be considered
experimenting with the the father of modern
motion of various investigative methods used in the
objects on plane way we study modern science...
surfaces tilted at
various angles.
Galilean Concept of Motion...
Galileo's Inclined Planes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Galileo tested
his hypotheasis by
experimenting
with the motion of
various objects on
plane surfaces Balls rolling on Balls rolling on
tilted at various downward sloping upward sloping
angles. planes speed up ... planes slow
 Balls rolling on down...
downward sloping
planes picked up
speed Prediction: balls rolling along a
 Balls rolling on horizontal plane would neither
upward sloping speed up nor slow down
planes lost speed.
Galilean Concept of Motion...
Galileo's Inclined Planes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From this he
predicted that
balls rolling along a
horizontal plane
would neither
speed up nor slow Balls rolling on Balls rolling on
down.
downward sloping upward sloping
planes speed up ... planes slow
The ball would down...
finally come to
rest not because
of its "nature" but Prediction: balls rolling along a
because of horizontal plane would neither
friction. speed up nor slow down
Galilean Concept of Motion...
Galileo's Inclined Planes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 This idea was
supported by
observation of
motion along
smoother surfaces.
 The motion of
objects persisted Balls rolling on Balls rolling on
for a longer time downward sloping upward sloping
when there was less planes speed up ... planes slow
friction. down...
 Lessening the
friction caused the Prediction: balls rolling along a
motion afforded a
horizontal plane would neither
greater to
approached speed up nor slow down
constant speed
Galilean Concept of Motion...
Galileo's Inclined Planes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Lessening the
friction caused the
motion afforded a
greater to
approached
constant speed Balls rolling on Balls rolling on
 He predicted downward sloping upward sloping
that, in the planes speed up ... planes slow
absence of friction
down...
or other opposing
forces, a
horizontally moving Prediction: balls rolling along a
object would horizontal plane would neither
continue moving speed up nor slow down
indefinitely.
Galilean Concept of Motion...
Galileo's Inclined Planes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Galileo placed two
of his inclined planes
facing each other.

 A ball released
from a position of
rest at the top of a
downward sloping
plane rolled down and
then up the slope of
the upward sloping
plane until it almost
reached its initial
height.
Galilean Concept of Motion...
Galileo's Inclined Planes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 He inferred that
only friction
prevented it from
rising to exactly the
same height, for the
smoother the planes,
the more nearly the
ball rose to the same
height.
 Reducing the angle
of the upward sloping
plane causes the ball
to rise to the same
height as before, but
will never reach its
initial height.
Galilean Concept of Motion...
Galileo's Inclined Planes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Balls rolling on upward
sloping planes lost
speed.
 Balls rolling on
downward sloping planes
picked up speed
He hypothesized that
balls rolling along a
horizontal plane should
neither speed up nor
slow down.
 The ball would finally
come to rest not
because of its "nature"
but because of friction
Galilean Concept of Motion...
Galileo's Inclined Planes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The motion of
objects persisted for
a longer time when
there was less
friction; reducing the
friction makes the
motion approached
constant speed.
He predicted that,
in the absence of
friction or other
opposing forces, a
horizontally moving
object would continue
moving indefinitely.
Galilean Concept of Motion...
Galileo's Inclined Planes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 The tendency of
the ball is to move
forever without
slowing down in the
absence of retarding
forces. The property of an object to resist
 The property of an changes in motion is called inertia...
object to resist Aristotle did not imagine motion without
changes in motion is friction so physics got stuck for 2000 years...
called inertia. Galileo realized that friction was a force like
any other push or pull and so developed the
 In the absence of idea of inertia...
retarding forces, Thus Newton presents a completely new
the tendency of the concept of the Universe...
ball is to move Newton's laws are really a restatement of
forever without the concept of inertia as proposed
slowing down. earlier by Galileo.
Galilean Concept of Motion...
Galileo's Inclined Planes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aristotle did not
imagine motion
without friction so
physics got stuck
for 2000 years.
Galileo realized
The property of an object to
that friction was a
force like any other resist changes in motion is called
push or pull and so inertia...
developed the idea Newton presents a completely
of inertia… new concept of the Universe...
Newton's laws are really a
restatement of the concept of inertia
as proposed earlier by Galileo.
Let’s check...

Make a venn diagram on the

Aristotelean and Galiliean concepts
of motion (vertical motion, horizontal
motion and projectile motion)
Motion… any physical movement or change
in position or place, relative to a
reference point.
Objects that we call “stationary”—such as a tree, a
sign, or a building—make good reference points.

The passenger can use a tree as a

reference point to decide if the train is
moving. A tree makes a good reference
point because it is stationary from the
passenger’s point of view.
Motion…
is described in terms
of:
distance
displacement
time Are speed,
speed velocity, and
velocity
acceleration the
acceleration,
same thing?
Definition of terms…
Distance - how far an object has moved.

When an object moves, it goes from point A

to point B – that is the DISTANCE it
traveled. (SI unit is the meter)

B A
*When object travels the same distance every second,
then the object is moving with “constant velocity.”
Definition of terms…
Displacement
Knowing how far something moves is not sufficient. You
must also know in what direction the object moved.
 Definition of terms…
Speed - describes how fast an object moves.
Calculating Speed: If you know the distance an
object travels in a certain amount of time,
you can calculate the speed of the object.

What is
instantaneous
speed?

Speed = Distance/time
Average speed = Total distance/Total time
In calculating Speed…
Speed (meters/second) = distance (in meters)
time (sec)

Simply use the equation:

s=d d
t
r t
Speed = Distance/time
Practice…
1. A boy walks at a speed of 4 kmph. How much
time does he take to walk a distance of 20 km?

Solution
Time = Distance / speed
Given:
t=?
d = 20 km
s = 4 kmph
Practice…
1. A boy walks at a speed of 4 kmph. How much
time does he take to walk a distance of 20 km?

Solution
Time = Distance / speed
Given:
t=?
d = 20 km
s = 4 kmph

t = 20 km
4 kmph
t = 5 hours
Practice…
2. . A cyclist covers a distance of 15 miles in 2
hours. Calculate his speed.

Solution
Speed = Distance/time
Given:
s=?
t =2 hours
d = 15 miles
Practice…
2. . A cyclist covers a distance of 15 miles in 2
hours. Calculate his speed.

Solution
Speed = Distance/time
Given:
s=?
t =2 hours
d = 15 miles
s = 15 miles
2 hours
s = 7.5 miles/hour
Practice…
3. A car takes 4 hours to cover a distance, if it
travels at a speed of 40 mph. What should be its
speed to cover the same distance in 1.5 hours?
Solution 1: Solution 2:
distance = speed x time speed = distance x time
Given: Given:
d=? s=?
s = 40 mph d = 160 m
t=4h t = 1.5 h
Practice…
3. A car takes 4 hours to cover a distance, if it
travels at a speed of 40 mph. What should be its
speed to cover the same distance in 1.5 hours?
Solution 1: Solution 2:
distance = speed x time speed = distance x time
Given: Given:
d=? s=?
s = 40 mph d = 160 m
t=4h t = 1.5 h
d = (40 mph)( 4 h) s = 160 m
d = 160 m distance covered 1.5 h
s = 106.66 m/h Speed
required to cover the same
distance
Average speed
This is useful when you are trying to measure
speed, and the object moved at varying speeds
throughout the trip. For instance, if you drove
from here to Davao, you might AVERAGE
60mph, even though you stopped at lights, or
slowed down at some points on your trip.

Average Speed = total distance traveled

time taken
In calculating average speed…
Avg Speed=distance
time
S=d V=d
t t
Practice:
John travels 100 m East & then
30 m West in 5 sec. What is
John’s average speed & average
velocity.
Average speed:
s=d
t
s=100 m + 30 m
5 sec
s=130 m 100 m
5s
s=26 m/s t=5s 30 m
Average Velocity:
v=d
t
v=100 m - 30 m
5 sec
Initial position
v=70 m +100 m
5s
t=5s
v=+14 m/s East -30 m
final position
Therefore, average speed & average
velocity are two different things…
 Graphing Speed…
The steepness of a line on a graph is called slope.
Slope = Rise
Run
 The steeper the slope is, the greater the speed.
 A constant slope represents motion at constant
speed.

Y
d rise

run
X
t
Graphing Speed

D
I
S
Speed
T
increasing Object begins moving at
A a different speed
N
C Object is
E
stopped

TIME
Graphing Speed…
m =Y 2 - Y 1
X 2- X 1

m =1,200-800
6-4
m =400 m
2 min

m =200 m/min

Using the points shown, the rise is 400 meters and the run is
2 minutes. To find the slope, you divide 400 meters by
2 minutes. The slope is 200 meters per minute.
Definition of terms…
Velocity is a description of an object’s
speed and direction. It is a vector.

As the sailboat’s direction

changes, its velocity also
changes, even if its speed
stays the same. If the
sailboat slows down at the
same time that it changes
direction, how will its
velocity be changed?
Units used in velocity are as
follows:
Meters per second (m/s)
Kilometers per hour (k/h or kph)
Miles per hour (mi/h or mph)

constant velocity is a “vector”

 Vector
is a quantity that has both
magnitude (size) and direction

it is represented by an arrow whereby

– the length of the arrow is the magnitude, and
– the arrow itself indicates the direction

The symbol for a vector is a letter

with an arrow over it
A
Example
Scalars
are quantities which have magnitude
without direction

Examples of scalars
• temperature • time
• mass • amount
• kinetic energy • density
• charge
Two ways to specify a vector
y
It is either given by A
A
• a magnitude A, and 
• a direction  x

Or it is given in the
x and y components as
y Ax A
• Ax Ay

• Ay x
Scalars
Distance (m)
Speed (m/s) Vectors
Displacement (m)
Velocity (m/s)
Acceleration (m/s 2)
(ft/s 2)
In calculating Velocity…
Simply use the speed equation but don’t
forget to specify direction.

Speed = Distance/time
Speed (meters/second) = distance (in meters)
time (sec)
v=d
t
Practice…
1 During a hard sneeze, your eyes might shut for
0.50 s. If you are driving a car at 90 km/h during
such a sneeze, how far does the care move during
that time?

Solution
distance = velocity x time
Given:
d=?
v = 90 km/h (convert where necessary)
t = 0.50 s
convert…

distance = 25 m/s x .50 s

distance = 12.5 m or 13 m
more practice…
1. If a person is walking at 4 m/s, how far can he
travel in 30 seconds?
a) 120 meters
b) b) 7.8 meters
c) c) .08 meters

2. A spaceship can move 100 meters in 2 seconds.

What is the ship's velocity?
a) 200 m/s
b) b) 50 m/s
c) c) .002 m/s
more practice…
3. A chicken runs across the street at a speed of 12
m/s. If the road is 36 meters across, how long does
it take for the chicken to cross the road?
a) 3 s
b) b) 432 s
c) c) .333 s
Assignment
A car travels at uniform velocity a distance of 100 m
in 4 seconds. What is the velocity of the car?

A sailboat is traveling north at 10 km/h, relative to

the water. The water is flowing north at 5 km/h.
What is the velocity of the boat relative to ground?
 Speed v. Velocity
1. How are speed and velocity similar?
They both measure how fast something is moving

2. How are speed and velocity different?

Velocity includes the direction of motion and
speed does not (the car is moving 5mph East)

3. Is velocity more like distance or

displacement? Why?
Displacement, because both are vectors which
include an amount and a direction.
Acceleration
is the rate at which velocity changes.

Acceleration can result from:

 a change in speed (increase or decrease)
 a change in direction (back, forth, up, down
left, right)
 or changes in both.
Like velocity, acceleration is a vector.
Acceleration = the rate of change of velocity
Positive acceleration = speeding up
Negative acceleration = slowing down

Change in Velocity = final velocity (vf) minus

initial velocity (vi)
v v = vf – vi

acceleration (m/s2) = (vf) -(vi)

acceleration (m/s) = (vf) -(vi)
time
a = vf – vi a=v v
tf – ti v t
 The pitcher throws. The ball speeds toward the
batter. Off the bat it goes. It’s going, going, gone! A
home run!
 Before landing, the ball went through several changes
in motion. It sped up in the pitcher’s hand, and lost
speed as it traveled toward the batter. The ball
stopped when it hit the bat, changed direction, sped
up again, and eventually slowed down. Most examples
of motion involve similar changes. In fact, rarely does
any object’s motion stay the same for very long.
Understanding
Acceleration
1. As the ball falls from the girl’s hand, how does
its speed change?
2. What happens to the speed of
the ball as it rises from the ground
back to her hand?

3. At what point does the ball

have zero velocity?

4. How does the velocity

of the ball change when
it bounces on the floor?
You can feel acceleration!
If you’re moving at 500mph
east without turbulence,
there is no acceleration.

But if the plane hits an air pocket and drops 500 feet in
2 seconds, there is a large change in acceleration and
you will feel that!

It does not matter whether you speed up or

slow down; it is still considered a change in
acceleration.
 In science, acceleration refers to increasing speed,
decreasing speed, or changing direction.
 A car that begins to move from a stopped position or
speeds up to pass another car is accelerating.

 A car decelerates when it stops at a red light. A water

skier decelerates when the boat stops pulling.

 A softball accelerates when it changes direction as it is hit.

Calculating Acceleration
Acceleration = Change in velocity
Total time

Change in velocity = final velocity-initial velocity

OR..
= final speed-initial speed

So…
Acceleration = (Final speed – Initial speed)
Time
Calculating Acceleration
As a roller-coaster car starts down a slope,
its speed is 4 m/s. But 3 seconds later,
at the bottom, its speed is 22 m/s. What
is its average acceleration?

What information have you

been given?
Initial speed = 4 m/s
Final Speed = 22 m/s
Time = 3 s
 Calculating Acceleration
What quantity are you trying to calculate?
The average acceleration of the roller-coaster car.

What formula contains the given quantities and the

unknown quantity?

Acceleration = (Final speed – Initial speed)/Time

Perform the calculation.

Acceleration = (22 m/s – 4 m/s)/3 s = 18 m/s/3 s

Acceleration = 6 m/s2

The roller-coaster car’s average acceleration is 6 m/s2.

Graphing acceleration

S
P Object accelerates
E Object decelerates

E
Object moves at
D constant speed

Time
The slanted, straight line on this speed-versus-time graph tells you that
the cyclist is accelerating at a constant rate. The slope of a speed-versus-
time graph tells you the object’s acceleration. Predicting How would the
slope of the graph change if the cyclist were accelerating at a greater
rate? At a lesser rate?
Since the slope is increasing, you can conclude that
the speed is also increasing. You are accelerating.

Distance-Versus-Time Graph
The curved line on this
distance-versus-time graph
tells you that the cyclist is
accelerating.