Physics

Unit 1
Topic 2
Motion in One Dimension

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1. Displacement

The displacement is a vector that points from an object’s initial position to its final
position and has a magnitude that equals the shortest distance between the two
positions.

2. Speed and Velocity

AVERAGE SPEED

The distance traveled divided by the time required to cover the distance.

Average speed = ___Distance ___

Elapsed time

Example 1

How far does a jogger run in 1.5 hrs (5400 s) if his average speed is 2.22 m/s?

Solution:
Distance = Average speed x Elapsed time
= 2.22 m/s x 5400 s
= 11,988 m Answer

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 AVERAGE VELOCITY

Average velocity is displacement (∆x) divided by elapsed time (∆t).

Average velocity = _Displacement__

Elapsed time

v = _ x – x0_ = _ ∆x__
t – t0 ∆t

Example 2.

A driver runs a jet-engine car through a course in two runs, one in each direction, to
nullify wind effects. The car first travels from left to right and covers a distance of 1,609
meters in a time of 4.740 sec. In the reverse direction, the car travels the same distance
in 4.695 s. Determine the average velocity for each run.

Solution:

Run 1 v = ∆x/∆t = 1,609 m / 4.740 s = 339.5 m/s

Run 2 v = ∆x /∆t = -1,609 m / 4.695 s = -342.7 m/s

Note: The magnitudes of the velocities are 339.5 and 342.7 m/s. The average
is 341.1 m/s 3
Solve:

3.A fishing boat leaves port at 04:30 AM in search of the day’s catch. The boat travels 4.5 km [E],
then 2.5 km [S] and finally 1.5 km [W] before discovering a large school of fish on the sonar
screen at 06:30 AM.

(a) Draw a vector scale diagram of the boat’s motion.

(b) Calculate the boat’s average speed.
(c) Determine the boat’s average velocity.+

2. A straight track is 1600 m in length. A runner begins at the starting line, runs due east for the
full length of the track, turns around, and runs halfway back. The time for this run is five minutes.
What is the runner’s average velocity, and what is his average speed?

3. A woman and her dog are out for a morning run for the river 4.0 km away. The woman runs at 2.5
m/s in a straight line. The dog is unleashed and runs back and forth at 4.5 m/s between his owner
and the river, until she reaches the river. What is the total distance run by the dog?

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INSTANTANEOUS VELOCITY

Instantaneous Velocity indicates how fast a particle moves and the

direction of the motion at each instant of time;

Instantaneous Speed the magnitude of the instantaneous velocity. In a

moving car, it is the number (with units)
indicated by the speedometer.

The instantaneous velocity is approximately equal to (≈) average velocity for

sufficiently small ∆t, and, in the limit that ∆t becomes infinitesimally small, the
instantaneous velocity and the average velocity become equal, i.e.,

v = lim (∆x /∆t)

∆t 0

3. Acceleration

Acceleration the rate at which the velocity of a particle

changes with time.

Average Acceleration (ā) change of velocity divided by the corresponding

time interval, i.e.,

ā = _v2 – v1_ = _∆v_

t2 – t1 = ∆t 5
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Example 5.

A drag racer crosses the finish line, and the driver deploys a parachute and applies the brakes to slow
down. The driver begins slowing down when t0 = 9.0 s and the car’s velocity is v0 = 28 m/s, When t =
12 s, the velocity has been reduced to v = + 13 m/s. What is the average acceleration of the dragster?

Given: t0 = 9.0 s; v0 = 28 m/s; v = +13 m/s ; t =

Solution:
ā = _v – v0_ = _13 – (+28)_ = - 15/3 m/s2
t – t0 12 – 9

= - 5 m/s2

CYU 2:

Two cars are moving on straight sections of a highway. The acceleration of the first car is
greater than the second car , and both accelerations have the same direction. Which one
of the following is true? (a) the velocity of the first car is always greater than the velocity
of the second car. (b) the velocity of the second car is always greater than the velocity of
the first car. (c) In the same interval, the velocity of the first car changes by a greater
amount than the velocity of the second car does. (d) In the same interval, the velocity of
the second car changes by a greater amount than the velocity of the first car does. [c]

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4. Equations of Kinematics for Constant Acceleration
For an object with initial velocity of v0 at t0 = 0 and moves for a time t with a constant
acceleration a, the final velocity is found by:

ā = a = v – v0 _ or v = v0 + at (constant acceleration) (2.4)

t

The displacement x at time t, assuming that x0 = 0 m at t0 = 0 s, is:

vave = x – x0_ = x_ or x = vavet

t –t0 t

Because the acceleration is constant, the average velocity increases at a constant rate.
Thus, the average velicity is midway between the initial and final velocities:

vave = ½(v0 + v) (constant acceleration)

The displacement at time t is now determined as:

x = vavet = ½(v0 + v)t (constant acceleration) (2.7)

Note that there are five kinematic variables in equations (2.4) and (2.7):

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1. x = displacement 4. v0 = initial velocity at t0 = 0
 Each of equations (2.4) and (2.7) contains four of these variables, so if three of them are
known, the fourth can always be found.

Example:

1. A speed boat has a constant acceleration of +2.0 m/s2 . If the initial velocity of the boat is +6.0 m/s,
find its displacement after 8 seconds.

Solution:

Given: a = +2.0 m/s2 ; v0 = +6.0 m/s; t = 8 s.

From eq. (2.7), x = ½ (v0 + v)t

from eq. (2.4): v = v0 + at

v = 6.0 m/s + 2.0 m/s2 (8 s) = 22 m/s

x = ½(6.0 m/s + 22 m/s) 8 s = 112 m ≈ 110 m (correct to 2 dec places)

Note: Equation (2.4) may be substituted into equation (2.7) to yield an equation that
allows solving for x in a single step:

x = ½[v0 + (v0 + at)]t = ½(2v0t + at2)

x = v0t + ½at2 (2.8)

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2. A jet is taking off the deck of an aircraft carrier. Starting from rest, the jet is catapulted with a constant
acceleration of +31 m/s2 along a straight line and reaches a velocity of 62 m/s. Find the displacement of
the jet.

Given: v0 = 0; a = +31 m/s2; v = 62 m/s. x=?

Solution:

x = v0t + ½ at2 (1)

from equation (a):

v = v0 + at; t = (v – v0)_ = 62 m/s – 0_

a 31 m/s2

t = 2 sec

Subst in (1) : x = ½ ( 31 m/s2)(2 s)2

= 62 m Ans

Notice that solving Equation 2.4 for the time [ t = (v – v0.)/a] and then substituting into Equation 2.7, and
solving for v2 yields:

v2 = v02 + 2ax (2.9)

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 Equations of Kinematics for Constant Acceleration

Variables
No. Equation
x a v v0 t
2.4 v = v0 + at - √ √ √ √
2.7 x = ½ (v0 + v)t √ - √ √ √
2.8 x = v0 t + ½ at2 √ √ - √ √
2.9 V2 = v02 + 2ax √ √ √ √ -

Deceleration Versus Negative Acceleration

Deceleration: means only that the acceleration vector points opposite to the
velocity vector and indicates that the moving object is slowing
down.

When a moving object slows down, its instantaneous speed

decreases.

A decelerating object does not necessarily have a negative

acceleration.

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 When a moving object slows down, its instantaneous speed (the magnitude of the
instantaneous velocity) decreases. One possibility is that the velocity vector of the object points to the
right, in the positive direction. The term “decelerating” implies that the acceleration vector points
opposite, or to the left, which is the negative direction. Here, the value of the acceleration would indeed
be negative. However, the object could be travelling to the left, in which case the acceleration vector
would point opposite or to the right, so the acceleration a would have a positive value.

Example.

A motorcycle, starting from rest, has an acceleration of +2.6m/s2 . After the motorcycle travelled a
distance of 120 m, it slows down with an acceleration of -1.5 m/s2 until its velocity is +12m/s. What is the
total displacement of the motorcycle?

Solution:

Phase 1: v2 = v02 + 2ax ;

v2 = 0 + 2(2.6m/s2)(120m)
= 624 (m/s)2
v = 25 m/s this is the initial velocity for phase 2.

Phase 2: x = (v02 – v2)/2a

= [(12)2 + (25)2)]/2(-1.5 m/s2)
= 160 m
Total displacement = 120 + 160 = 280 m

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