Topic 2: Mechanics

2.1

Kinematics

Define displacement, velocity, speed and acceleration.

Distance (scalar) vs displacement (vector)
d; d
Convention that +d represents movement up/to the right
e.g. object with di = -5 m moves right 15 m then left 10 m
total d = ?
total d = ?
Speed (scalar) vs velocity (vector)
v; v

Explain the difference between instantaneous and average values of speed,

velocity and acceleration.
Average velocity = change in the position of an object that occurs in a specific
interval of time (d/t)
Defined in terms of an objects displacement

70 0

60 0

50 0

40 0

30 0

20 0

10 0

0
0

10

15

20

25

30

35

t (seconds)

1. What is the average velocity of the car represented in the graph above, during
the interval from 10 to 25 seconds? (+20 ms-1)
(Because the car moves equal distance in equal time, av. velocity constant =
uniform motion no acceleration)
2. At t1 = 5 s, a car is at x1 = 600 m, and at t2 = 15 s, it is at x2 = 500 m. Find its
average velocity. (-10 ms-1)
90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
0

10

t ( sec onds)

3. A car moves as shown in the figure above. Find its average velocity from t =
0 to t = 1 s and from t = 1 to t = 2 s.

(Because the average velocity is greater in the later time interval, motion is not
uniform; the car is accelerating)
Instantaneous velocity is the velocity at a particular instant in time. (More
specifically, it is the limit of the average velocity v = d/t as t approaches zero;
the derivative of its position with respect to time on a graph, the derivative is
equal to the slope)
Acceleration is the rate at which velocity changes. It can involve a change in
speed or a change in direction or both.
Average acceleration, a, from time t1 to t2, if the velocity changes by v = v2 v1,
is defined by
a = change in velocity = v
v
time elapsed
t

1. A car accelerates from rest to 20 ms-1 in 10 s. What is its average acceleration?

(3 ms-2)
Instantaneous acceleration at time t is the derivative of the velocity with respect to
time at that instant. On a graph of velocity versus time, the instantaneous
acceleration is equal to the slope of the curve at that point.
C
B

A
2. Describe the acceleration in the above graph qualitatively.