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Module 4.2 PHYSICAL SCIENCE

TOPIC: The Aristotelian and Galilean Conceptions of Vertical, Horizontal, and Projectile
Motions
Subject Teacher: LORIZA BITANA

What I Need to Know

In the previous lesson, we explored how objects move and how different forces can affect
their motion. But have you ever wondered why some objects fall straight down while others move
forward or follow a curved path when thrown? When an object is dropped, pushed, or projected into
the air, what determines the way it moves? Throughout history, different thinkers tried to explain
these kinds of motions. In this module, we will explore ideas that help us understand how objects
move vertically, horizontally, and along curved paths.
Learning Objectives
As you go along this module, you will be able to:
 Describe the Aristotelian concepts of vertical motion, horizontal motion, and projectile
motion;
 Describe the concepts of vertical motion, horizontal motion, and projectile motion according
to Galileo; and
 Compare and contrast the Aristotelian and Galilean conceptions of vertical motion,
horizontal motion, and projectile motion.
What I Know

The succeeding activity will test what you know on the next topic.
 Why do objects move differently when they are dropped, pushed, or thrown?

What’s New

Everyday life involves motion. We witness things such as rolling across a surface, falling to the
ground, or traveling through the air when thrown. Many philosophers attempted to explain how and
why these motions occurred in the past. Aristotle and Galileo came up with two key theories
regarding motion, each explaining how objects move in a curved path, vertically, and horizontally.
We can better understand how our understanding of motion evolved over time by comprehending
their concepts.

What’s In It

I. ARISTOTLE’S CONCEPT OF VERTICAL MOTION, HORIZONTAL MOTION,

AND PROJECTILE MOTION
Motion is the action of changing location or position. Life is motion. From the coordination of
the muscles of our body which enables us to walk, run, and dance to the pumping of our hearts to
deliver blood to the different parts of our bodies are motion.

The study of heavenly bodies began with the Sumerians and Egyptians, but the Greeks were the
first to study them systematically. They believed in the geocentric model, where Earth is the center
of the universe. This was later replaced by Nicolaus Copernicus’ heliocentric model, which states
that Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. These early ideas laid the foundation for Galileo
Galilei’s scientific revolution.

1. Vertical Motion
Vertical motion is referred to as natural motion. In a natural motion, the object will move and
will return to its natural state based on the object's material or composition - earth, water, air, and
fire.
 For example, Aristotle believed that because a ball fell when thrown upward, its element was
earth.
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 Smokegoes up the air because it seeks its natural place in the

atmosphere.
 Aristotelian concept of natural motion is largely vertical
motion which is falling or rising.

2. Horizontal Motion
An object moving in a violent motion requires push or pull to maintain horizontal
motion. Motion continues only so long as there is an applied force to an object. When the
force is removed, motion stops.
 The example at the left shows a child pushing a shopping
cart. The cart will remain on the floor unless a push or a
pull force is applied.
 Violent motion is imposed motion caused by pushing or
pulling.
 Aristotle classified any motion that required a force as a
"violent motion". (He did not mean violent in the sense
that it is marked by the use of harmful or destructive
physical force.

3. Projectile Motion
Aristotle believed that the projectile motion of an object is parallel to the ground until
it is the object's time to fall back into the ground. An impetus will be kept by the object until
such time that the initial force is forgotten, and the object returns to its natural state to stop
moving and fall to the ground.
He viewed projectile motion as natural and violent motion. He said that heavy objects
fall faster than light ones.
A notorious problem for the Aristotelian view was why arrows shot from a bow
continued to fly through the air after they had left the bow and the string was no longer
applying force to them.
Aristotle’s Explanation:
 • Initial motive force transfers to the medium initially surrounding the object a "power" to act
as a motive force.
 Medium then forces object into new region, which is then imparted with the "power" to act.

II. GALILEO’S CONCEPT OF VERTICAL MOTION, HORIZONTAL MOTION, AND

PROJECTILE MOTION

1. Vertical Motion
In the absence of resistance, objects would fall not depending on their weight, but in
the time of fall. Also, if the object encounters a resistive force from a fluid equal or greater
than its weight, it will slow down and reach a uniform motion until it reaches the bottom and
stops.

2. Horizontal Motion
An object in motion, if unimpeded, will continue to be in motion, and an external
force is not necessary to maintain the motion. If the Earth’s surface is very flat and extended
infinitely, objects that are pushed will not be impeded. Thus, the objects will continue to
move. This kind of motion, however, is not evident in nature.
3. Projectile Motion
Galileo performed experiments on uniformly accelerated motion using an
inclined plane, and used the same apparatus to study projectile motion.
 Galileo was credited for quantifying the “rate of fall” by measurement of distance and time
and plotting it graphically. He was able to slow down the “fall” using ramps rather than
viscous materials as Aristotle did resulting to significantly different conclusions related to the
“rate of fall”.
 He correctly measured motion in two independent directions (horizontal and vertical) and
deduced that the “rate of fall” is better measured in terms of downward acceleration.
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 He used geometry to provide better description (kinematics) of projectile motion whereby

horizontal motion has zero acceleration (constant speed horizontally) and content vertical
acceleration.
 By varying the ball's horizontal velocity and vertical drop, Galileo was able to determine that
the path of a projectile is parabolic.
 He believed that a projectile is a combination of uniform motion in the horizontal direction
and uniformly accelerated motion in the vertical direction. If it is not impeded, it will
continue to move even without an applied force.
 For example, when you shoot a ball in a basketball ring, the ball does not need a force to
keep it moving.
To further widen your knowledge and understanding about the Aristotle and Galileo concept of
motion, click this link: [Link]

What’s More
For me to asses if you learned something about our topic, answer the following activities below.
Activity #1.1 Mini Lab: Aristotle or Galileo? (1/2 sheet of paper-
Perform the activities below. In each activity, drop both objects at the same time and from the
same height. Choose a safe height when doing the activity. Write your answers on a ½ sheet of
paper and attach pictures of yourself performing the activity.

1. Drop a book and a flat sheet of paper.

2. Drop a book and a sheet of paper crumpled to a ball.
3. Drop a book with a small flat sheet of paper on top of it.

Guide Questions:
1. In all three cases, which object reaches the ground first?
2. In activity 1, what causes the flat sheet of paper to move sideways?
3. In activities 2 and 3, why did the objects fall at the same rate regardless of their
masses?
4. Whose view is more acceptable? Why?

Activity #1.2: Venn Diagram

Compare and contrast the views of Aristotle and Galileo on motion. Write Aristotle’s ideas
on the left side, Galileo’s ideas on the right side, and the similarities of their views in the center of
the diagram. Use short phrases or keywords to explain their ideas about motion. (1 whole sheet of
paper).

Criteria Excellent (5 pts) Good (3-4 pts) Needs

Improvement (1-2
pt)
Content All ideas of Aristotle and Most ideas are correct; minor Many ideas are
Accuracy Galileo are correct and errors incorrect or missing
clearly written
Comparison & Clearly shows Some similarities/differences Few or no
Similarities similarities and are shown but not clear comparisons made
differences in motion
views
Neatness & Diagram is well- Some parts are messy or hard Diagram is
Clarity organized, easy to read, to read confusing or messy
and visually clear

What I Have Learned

 Aristotle’s concept of vertical motion, horizontal motion, and projectile motion

 Galileo’s concept of vertical motion, horizontal motion, and projectile motion

What I Can Do
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PERFORMANCE TASK
COMIC STRIP
Direction: You are a comic book artist. The comic strip should show conversations between
Aristotle and Galileo. The text in the conversations should present Aristotle’s and Galileo’s views of
motion. There should be at least eight panels for the comic strip.
Criteria Excellent (10 pts.) Good (9-6 pts.) Needs Improvement (5-3
pts.)

Content Accuracy All dialogues correctly show Most dialogues are Many ideas are incorrect or
Aristotle’s and Galileo’s views on correct; minor errors missing
motion

Creativity & Comic is highly creative with clear, Some creativity; Little creativity; illustrations
Illustration engaging illustrations illustrations are somewhat are unclear or missing
clear

Organization & Panels are well-organized, easy to Panels mostly organized; Panels disorganized or hard
Structure follow, and numbered correctly some confusion to follow

Panel Includes at least 8 panels Includes 6–7 panels Fewer than 6 panels
Requirement

Neatness & Very neat, visually appealing, and Somewhat neat and Messy or difficult to read
Presentation easy to read readable

Module 4.2 PHYSICAL SCIENCE

TOPIC: How Galileo Inferred Objects in Vacuum Fall with Uniform Acceleration
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Subject Teacher: LORIZA BITANA

What I Need to Know

We looked at how objects move and the forces that influence that motion in the previous
lesson. However, how can we predict an object's rate of descent or its behavior in the absence of air
or resistance? What controls an object's motion and speed when it falls? We talked about how forces
and resistance affect motion in your last module. This module will help us better understand motion
by exploring concepts that help predict how objects move under ideal circumstances.
Learning Objectives
As you go along with this module, you will be able to:
 Explain how Galileo inferred that object in vacuum fall with uniform acceleration;
 Compare and contrast the view of motion Aristotle and Galileo.
What I Know

The succeeding activity will test what you know on the next topic.
 How does the absence of air or resistance affect the way objects fall?

What’s New

Objects around us fall, roll, or move in different ways. Sometimes, air or other factors affect how
they move. By thinking about motion under ideal conditions, we can better understand how objects
really behave when nothing slows them down.

What’s In It

I. GALILEO’S VIEW OF MOTION

 Galileo Galilie is an Italian Mathematician Father of Modern Science
 He discredited Aristotelian view of motion
 Objects in vacuum will fall at the same time because in a vacuum there is nothing.
Since there is no air or anything in space, objects that are heavy or light, will fall at
the same time.
 Force is not necessarily required for violent motion. Force is not required for object
moving at constant velocity.

II. GALILEO’S EXPERIMENTATION TO PROVE HIS IDEAS ABOUT MOTION

Experiment I:
 Galileo dropped two different weights of cannon ball to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and
they fell at the same time but could not measure the distance travelled therefore he
proceeded to another experimentation.
Experiment II:
 Galileo used the inclined ramp in order to measure the acceleration of an object. He used
a rolling ball to measure the changes. He measured that objects accelerate at the same
time regardless of their size and mass.
 Speed is the distance traveled by an object divided by the time taken to travel the
distance.
 A ball rolling down an inclined plane increases its speed by the same value after every
second.
 The speed of a rolling ball was found to increase by 2 m/s every second. This means that
the rolling ball would have the following speeds for every given second.
TIME SPEED m/s
0 0
1 2
2 4
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3 6
4 8
5 10

FREE FALL AND GRAVITY

 Free falling bodies undergo constant acceleration in which it is referred to as free
fall. The free fall acceleration represents a symbol g which means gravity.
 At the surface of the earth, gravity (g) is approximately 9.8 m/s2
 Gravity leads the object to accelerate in a constant rate.

III. UNIFORM ACCELERATION

Objects in Vacuum Fall with Uniform Acceleration
Galileo was interested by the behavior of falling objects. He knew that as falling objects go
down, they increase their speed as they go down. This change in speed is acceleration. Although he
did not have any tool to measure this change, he used inclined planes to reduce the acceleration of
the moving bodies. He was then able to take a close look at the moving bodies carefully.
With his experiments, Galileo proved that regardless of their masses and air resistance two
objects dropped simultaneously will reach the ground at the same time. He also discovered that
objects fall with uniform acceleration.
For Galileo, constant acceleration means steady, incremental additions of velocity evenly
proportionate to time. The following graphs show the comparison between motions of objects with
constant velocity and no object with constant acceleration.
Positive velocity - indicates the object moves toward the positive direction
Negative velocity - indicates the object moves toward the negative direction
Positive acceleration - indicates the object is speeding up
Positive acceleration - indicates the object is slowing down

To have a constant velocity, an object must have a constant speed (steady) in a constant
direction. If an object maintains a constant or a uniform change in its velocity in a given time
interval along a straight line, then it is said to have a constant acceleration.

Force is Not Necessary to Sustain Horizontal Motion

Aristotle believed that forces are necessary to keep objects in motion. Although a force is
needed to start an object moving, Galileo believed that force was not necessary to sustain motion and
did this experiment:

Causes of Motion
For almost 2,000 years, people believed Aristotle’s idea that objects stop moving because their
natural state is rest.
Galileo, however, disagreed. He observed that once a ball is in motion, it keeps moving on its own
unless an outside force, like friction, slows it down. Friction is a force that opposes motion. If
friction is removed, a moving object will keep moving by itself.
In 1665, Sir Isaac Newton revolutionized science with his Laws of Motion. His First Law of
Motion, also called the Law of Inertia, states:
“An object at rest tends to stay at rest. An object in motion tends to continue moving in a straight
line at a constant speed unless acted upon by an external force.”
This means that objects naturally continue doing what they are already doing.
 Example: A notebook on a table stays at rest, even if you quickly pull the paper under it.
 Example: If you slide a coin on the road, it stops quickly because of friction. On ice, it slides
farther because there is less friction.
Motion and Inertia
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If an object slides on a surface with no friction, like a table that emits air, it will keep moving. This
is because nothing is there to slow it down. A moving object naturally tends to continue in a
straight line if no force acts on it.
Sir Isaac Newton built on Galileo’s ideas. He explained that all objects resist changes in motion, a
property called inertia.
 Inertia is the natural tendency of an object to stay at rest or keep moving in a straight line
at a constant speed.
 How much an object resists change depends on its mass—the heavier the object, the harder
it is to stop or start.
Newton’s First Law of Motion (Law of Inertia) states:
If the net force on an object is zero, it will stay at rest or move at a constant speed in a straight
line.
 Example: A ball sliding on ice keeps moving farther than a ball on the road because there is
less friction to stop it.
 Example: A heavy desk is harder to push than a small chair because it has more inertia.

What’s More
For me to asses if you learned something about our topic, answer the following activities below
Activity #2.1: Mini Lab
Given two one-peso coins released at the same time, Coin A is dropped straight down,
while Coin B is thrown horizontally from the same height. Attach pictures of yourself performing
this activity and answer the question below in at least 5 sentences.

Question: Which one do you think would reach the ground first?

What I Have Learned

 Galileo disproved Aristotle’s idea that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones.
 He showed that objects fall with uniform acceleration, regardless of their mass, especially in
the absence of air resistance.
 A moving object does not need a force to keep moving if friction is minimal.
 This idea led to Newton’s First Law of Motion (Law of Inertia): objects resist changes in
motion.
 Inertia depends on mass—the heavier the object, the more it resists changes in motion.
 Overall, Galileo’s experiments helped explain free fall, uniform acceleration, and the natural
tendency of objects to maintain their motion.

What I Can Do
PERFORMANCE TASK

POSTER-SLOGAN
Direction: Create a poster with slogan that explains Galileo’s discovery that objects
in a vacuum fall with uniform acceleration. Put it on a long bond paper.
Your poster must include:
1. A creative slogan related to Galileo’s idea about falling objects.
2. An illustration or drawing showing an example of falling objects (e.g., two objects falling at
the same time or a ball rolling on an inclined plane).
3. A short explanation (2–3 sentences) describing Galileo’s idea about motion and gravity.

Criteria:
Criteria Excellent (10 pts.) Very Satisfactory (8 Satisfactory (6 pts.) Needs
pts.) Improvement (4
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pts.)
Accuracy of Scientific The poster clearly explains The poster shows Some ideas are Concepts are
Concept Galileo’s idea that objects fall correct understanding correct but mostly incorrect or
with uniform acceleration; with minor missing explanation is not explained.
concepts are accurate and details. unclear or partially
complete. incorrect.
Slogan Relevance and Slogan is very creative, Slogan is relevant and Slogan is related but Slogan is unclear
Creativity meaningful, and clearly somewhat creative. lacks creativity or or not related to the
related to Galileo’s discovery. clarity. topic.
Visual Presentation Poster is neat, well-organized, Poster is organized Poster is somewhat Poster is messy or
colorful, and very attractive. and neat but less organized but lacks poorly organized.
visually appealing. neatness or effort.
Illustration and Content Drawings or illustrations Illustrations are Illustrations are No illustration or
clearly show Galileo’s present and somewhat minimal or not does not relate to
experiment or falling objects related to the concept. clearly related. the topic.
and support the concept well.
Explanation/Presentation Student clearly explains the Explanation is clear Explanation is Student cannot
poster and slogan with but with minor errors. somewhat unclear or clearly explain the
confidence and correct incomplete. poster.
understanding.

For me to asses if you learned something about our topic, answer the following activities below.
Activity #2.1: Modified True or False
Read each statement carefully. Write True if the statement is correct and if FALSE, change
the italicized word or group of words to make the statement correct. Use a separate paper for your
answer. (copy and answer 1 whole sheet of paper).
_______________1. Aristotle claimed that violent motion is an imposed motion.
______________2. In natural motion, an object will move and will eventually return to its natural
state depending on the composition that the object is made of.
_______________3. According to Galileo, heavy objects will fall faster than light ones.
_______________4. Aristotle said that to keep the object moving in horizontal motion, a constant
amount of force is needed.
_______________5. Objects dropped simultaneously will reach the ground at the same time
regardless of their masses and air resistance.
_______________6. Galileo concluded that the path taken by a projectile is parabolic.
_______________7. Galileo used an inclined plane to perform his experiments both on uniformly
accelerated motion and to study projectile motion.
_______________8. Aristotle believed that a projectile is a combination of uniform motion in the
horizontal direction and uniformly accelerated motion in the vertical direction.
_______________9. A kicked ball is an example of a natural motion.
_______________10. Vertical motion does affect the horizontal motion of a projectile.
_______________11. The “rate of fall” of an object is better measured in terms of upward
acceleration.
_______________12. According to Galileo, a stone dropped in the ocean will sooner or later travel
at constant speed.
_______________13. In Galileo’s view of vertical motion, the fall of the object is dependent on its
weight.
_______________14. To Galileo, natural motion is largely vertical motion.
_______________15. The fall of heavy object toward the center of the earth is a violent motion