Raymond A.

Serway
Chris Vuille

Chapter Two
Motion in One Dimension

Kinematics definitions
Kinematics branch of physics;
study of motion
Position (x) where you are
located
Distance (d ) how far you have
traveled, regardless of direction
Displacement (x) where you
are in relation to where you
started

Dynamics
The branch of physics involving the
motion of an object and the
relationship between that motion and
other physics concepts
Kinematics is a part of dynamics
In kinematics, you are interested in the
description of motion
Not concerned with the cause of the
motion
Introduction

Displacement

x final position
x o initial position

x x x o displaceme nt
The displacement x is a vector that points from the initial position to the final
position. SI Unit of Displacement: meter (m)

Distance vs. Displacement

You drive the path, and your odometer
goes up by 8 miles (your distance).
Your displacement is the shorter directed
distance from start to stop (green arrow).
What if you drove in a circle?
start

stop

Distance

Speed, Velocity, &

Acceleration
Speed (v) how fast you go
Velocity (v) how fast and which
way;
the rate at which position
changes
Average speed ( v ) distance /
time
Acceleration (a) how fast you
speed

Distance and
Displacement
Starting from origin, O a person walks 90-m east, then turns around and walks
40-m west.

Q: What is the total walked distance?

Q: What is the displacement?

A: 130-m
A: 50-m, due east

Displacement Examples
From A to B

xi = 30 m
xf = 52 m
x = 22 m
The displacement is positive, indicating the
motion was in the positive x direction

From C to F

xi = 38 m
xf = -53 m
x = -91 m
The displacement is negative,
indicating the motion was in
Section 2.1
the negative x direction

Displacement,
Graphical

Section 2.1

Average Velocity

Average velocity

Displaceme nt
Elapsed time

x x o x
v

t to
t
Units for velocity: m/s, MPH, kmPH.

point

x (m)

t (s)

12

10

E
D

(x6, t6 )
B

A
(x1, t1 )
(x0, t0 )

(x2, t2 )

(x5, t5 )
(x4, t4 )

(x3, t3 )

point

x (m)

t (s)

12

10

 the specific features of the motion

of objects are demonstrated by the
shape and the slope of the lines on
a position vs. time graph.
To begin, consider a car moving with a constant, rightward
(+) velocity - say of +10 m/s.

 Now consider a car moving with

arightward (+), changing
velocity- that is, a car that is moving
rightward but speeding up
oraccelerating.

Positive Velocity
Changing Velocity (acceleration)
Constant Velocity
Positive Velocity

Slow, Rightward(+)
Constant Velocity
Fast, Rightward(+)
Constant Velocity
Slow, Leftward(-)
Constant Velocity

Fast, Leftward(-)
Constant Velocity

Acceleration

Acceleration how fast you speed up,

slow down, or change direction; its
the rate at which velocity changes.

Negative Acceleration
A negative acceleration does not
necessarily mean the object is
slowing down
If the acceleration and velocity are
both negative, the object is speeding
up
Deceleration means a decrease in
speed, not a negative acceleration
Section 2.3

Velocity & Acceleration Sign

Chart
VELOCITY

A
C
C
E
L
E
R
A
T
I
O
N

Moving forward;

Moving backward;

Speeding up

Slowing down

Moving forward;

Moving backward;

Slowing down

Speeding up

Acceleration due to
Gravity

Near the surface of the

Earth, all objects
accelerate at the same
rate (ignoring air
resistance).

a = g = -9.8
m/s2

This acceleration
vector is the
same on the way
up, at the top,
and on the way
down!

9.8 m/s2

Interpretation: Velocity decreases by 9.8 m/s each second,

meaning velocity is becoming less positive or more
negative. Less positive means slowing down while going
up. More negative means speeding up while going down.

Kinematics Formula Summary

For 1-D motion with constant acceleration:

Motion Diagram Summary

Section 2.4

Free Fall
A freely falling object is any object moving
freely under the influence of gravity alone
Free fall does not depend on the objects
original motion

All objects falling near the earths surface

fall with a constant acceleration
The acceleration is called the acceleration
due to gravity, and indicated by g

Section 2.6

Acceleration due to Gravity

Symbolized by g
g = 9.80 m/s
When estimating, use g 10 m/s2

g is always directed downward

Toward the center of the earth

Ignoring air resistance and assuming g

doesnt vary with altitude over short
vertical distances, free fall is constantly
accelerated motion

Section 2.6

Combination Motions

Section 2.6

In 1865 Jules Verne proposed sending men to the

Moon by firing a space capsule from a 220-m-long
cannon with final speed of 10.97 km/s.
What would have been the unrealistically large
acceleration experienced by the space travelers during
their launch?
How much time did it took for the capsule to go from
rest to 10.97 km/s
#28 p.51

 A truck covers 40.0 m in 8.50 s

while uniformly slowing down to a
final velocity of 2.80 m/s.
(a) Find the trucks original speed.
(b) Find its acceleration.
#29 p.51

 A Cessna aircraft has a liftoff

speed of 120 km/h.
(a) What minimum constant
acceleration does the aircraft
require if it is to be airborne after
a takeoff run of 240 m?
(b) How long does it take the
aircraft to become airborne?
#31 p.52

 In a test run, a certain car

accelerates uniformly from zero to
24.0 m/s in 2.95 s.
(a) What is the magnitude of the
cars acceleration?
(b) How long does it take the car to
change its speed from 10.0 m/s to
20.0 m/s?
#33 p.52

 A train is traveling down a straight

track at 20 m/s when the engineer
applies the brakes, resulting in an
acceleration of -1.0 m/s2 as long
as the train is in motion.
How far does the train move
during a 40-s time interval
starting at the instant the brakes
are applied?
#37 p.52

 A ball is thrown vertically upward

with a speed of 25.0 m/s.
(a) How high does it rise?
(b) How long does it take to reach
its highest point?
(c) How long does the ball take to
hit the ground after it reaches its
highest point?
(d) What is its velocity when it
returns to the level from which it
started?
#45 p.52

 A baseball is hit so that it travels

straight upward after being struck
by the bat. A fan observes that it
takes 3.00 s for the ball to reach
its maximum height.
Find (a) the balls initial velocity
and
(b) the height it reaches.
#54 p.53