Motion

Some Motion Terms

Distance & Displacement

Velocity & Speed
Acceleration
Uniform motion
Scalar .vs. vector
Scalar versus Vector

 Scalar - magnitude only (e.g. volume,

mass, time)

 Vector - magnitude & direction (e.g.

weight, velocity, acceleration)
Pictorial Representation

 An arrow represents a vector

– Length = magnitude of vector
– Direction = direction of vector
Pictorial Representation

 This arrow could represent a vector

of magnitude 10 point to the “right”
 This arrow could represent a vector
of magnitude 5 point to the “left”
Distance & Displacement

 Distance is the actual distance traveled.

 Displacement depends only on Start &

Finish line

 Displacement is the distance traveled , in

a certain direction.
Displacement Isn’t Distance

 The displacement of an object is not the

same as the distance it travels
– Example: Throw a ball straight up and then
catch it at the same point you released it
 The distance is twice the height
 The displacement is zero
Distance & Displacement
Distance & Displacement

B
4m C

3m 5m

You walk from A to B to C.

Your distance traveled is 7m
A Your displacement form A is 5 m
Velocity & Speed

 Velocity is the displacement traveled in

a certain time.

 Speed is the distance traveled in a

certain time.

 Velocity is speed in a given direction.

 Types of Speed
 Instantaneous Speed is the speed at any
specific instance

 Average Speed is the total distance covered

divided by total time
Speed

 The average speed of an object is defined

as the total distance traveled divided by
the total time elapsed
total distance
Average speed 
total time
d
Speed 
t
– Speed is a scalar quantity
Velocity

 The average velocity of an object is

defined as the total displacement traveled
divided by the total time elapsed
total displacement
Average velocity 
total time
 x
 
V
 t
– Velocity is a vector quantity
Speed, cont

 Average speed totally ignores any

variations in the object’s actual motion
during the trip
 The total distance and the total time are
all that is important
 SI units are m/s
Velocity

 It takes time for an object to undergo a

displacement
 The average velocity is rate at which the
displacement occurs
x x f  x i x f  x i
Vaverage   
t t f  ti t
 generally use a time interval, so let ti = 0
Velocity continued

 Direction will be the same as the direction

of the displacement (time interval is always
positive)
– + or - is sufficient
 Units of velocity are m/s (SI), cm/s (cgs)
or ft/s (US Cust.)
– Other units may be given in a problem, but
generally will need to be converted to these
Speed vs. Velocity

 Cars on both paths have the same average velocity

since they had the same displacement in the same
time interval
 The car on the blue path will have a greater average
speed since the distance it traveled is larger
Speed vs. Velocity

 You drive from Yakima to Seattle (140 miles away)

 You stop in Ellensburg for a 2 hr lunch with a friend.
 Your total driving time is 2 hours

140 miles
Average speed 
2 hour  2 hour
140 miles
Average speed   35 mph
4 hours
Uniform Velocity

 Uniform velocity is constant velocity

 The instantaneous velocities are always
the same
– All the instantaneous velocities will also equal
the average velocity
Velocity Example

150 Km/hr
100 Km/hr

50 Km/hr
Velocity again
Wind
35 Km/hr

How fast is the plane

moving in respect to
the ground? 100 Km/hr
Velocity, yet again
Wind
35 Km/hr
How fast is the
plane moving in
respect to the
ground? 100 Km/hr
Velocity (finally)

Wind
How fast is the 35 Km/hr
plane moving in
respect to the Result
ground?
100 Km/hr 65 Km/hr
Velocity again (??)

How fast is
the plane
moving in
respect to the
ground? 100 Km/hr

Wind
50 Km/hr
Velocity - the last time

a2 + b2 = c2
100 Km/hr c2
Resultant b2
Wind
50 Km/hr a2

How fast is the plane moving in respect to the ground?

 (Last) Velocity…
How fast is the plane moving in respect to the ground?

a2 + b 2 = c 2
100 Km/hr c2
Resultant b2
Wind
50 Km/hr a2
R2 = (100)2 + (50)2 R2 = 10,000 + 2500 R2 = 12,500
R = 111.8 Km/hr
Acceleration

 Change in velocity divided by

the change in time

V
a
t
Acceleration

 Changing velocity (non-uniform) means an

acceleration is present
 Acceleration is the rate of change of the
velocity

 Units are m/s2 (SI), cm/s2 (cgs), and ft/s2

(US Cust)
Average Acceleration

 Vector quantity
 When the sign of the velocity and the
acceleration are the same (either positive
or negative), then the speed is increasing
 When the sign of the velocity and the
acceleration are in the opposite directions,
the speed is decreasing
Instantaneous & Uniform Acceleration

 The limit of the average acceleration as

the time interval goes to zero
 When the instantaneous accelerations are
always the same, the acceleration will be
uniform
– The instantaneous accelerations will all be equal
to the average acceleration
Relationship Between Acceleration & Velocity

 Uniform velocity (shown by red arrows

maintaining the same size)
 Acceleration equals zero
Relationship Between Velocity & Acceleration

 Velocity and acceleration are in the same direction

 Acceleration is uniform (blue arrows maintain the
same length)
 Velocity is increasing (red arrows are getting
longer)
 Positive velocity and positive acceleration
Relationship Between Velocity & Acceleration

 Acceleration and velocity are in opposite

directions
 Acceleration is uniform (blue arrows maintain the
same length)
 Velocity is decreasing (red arrows are getting
shorter)
 Velocity is positive and acceleration is negative
Kinematic Equations

 Used in V f  V0  at
situations
with uniform
acceleration V  V  2ax
f
2
0
2

x  x 0  V0 t  1 at 2
2
Kinematic Equations - Ex #1

 A car traveling with an initial velocity

of 6 m/s, accelerates at 2 m/s2, for 6
seconds. What is the car’s final
velocity?
Kinematic Equations - Ex #1 - Ans

 A car traveling with an initial velocity

of 6 m/s, accelerates at 2 m/s2, for 6
seconds. What is the car’s final
velocity?

V f  V0  at
m m m
V f  6  2 2  6s  18
s s s
Galileo Galilei

 1564 - 1642
 Galileo formulated the
laws that govern the
motion of objects in
free fall
 Also looked at:
– Inclined planes
– Relative motion
– Thermometers
– Pendulum
Free Fall

 All objects moving under the influence of

gravity only are said to be in free fall
– Free fall does not depend on the object’s
original motion
 All objects falling near the earth’s surface
fall with a constant acceleration
 The acceleration is called the acceleration
due to gravity, and indicated by g
Acceleration due to Gravity

 Symbolized by g
 g = 9.81 m/s2
 g is always directed downward
– toward the center of the earth
 Ignoring air resistance and assuming g
doesn’t vary with altitude over short
vertical distances, free fall is constantly
accelerated motion
Free Fall – an object dropped

 Initial velocity is zero

Let up be positive
vo= 0

 Use the kinematic equations
– Generally use y instead of x
since vertical a=g
 Acceleration is g = -9.81 m/s2
Free Fall – an object thrown downward

 a = g = -9.81 m/s2
 Initial velocity ≠ 0
– With upward being vo 0
positive, initial
velocity will be a=g
negative
Free Fall - example

 If a rock is dropped from a

building, and it takes 18
seconds to reach the ground,
how tall is the building?
Free Fall - answer

•What do we know? V0  0
m
s
V f  ??
x  ??
m
a  9.81 2
s
t  18sec
Free Fall - answer

1 2
x(t)  x  V t  at
0 0 2
1 m 2
x(t)  0  0  (-9.81 )(18 sec)
2 s2
x(t)  1587.6 meters  0.986 miles
Motion

 The End