Ch.

2: Describing Motion:
Kinematics in One Dimension
 Chapter 2 Topics
• Reference Frames & Displacement
• Average Velocity
• Instantaneous Velocity
• Acceleration
• Motion at Constant Acceleration
• Solving Problems
• Freely Falling Objects
 Displacement & Distance
The Distance traveled by an object
¹ The Displacement of the object!
In this figure, the
Distance = 100 m. The
Displacement = 40 m East.

• Displacement º The change in position of an object.

• Displacement is a vector (magnitude & direction).
• Distance is a scalar (magnitude).
 Displacement

t1 t2 ¬ times
¯ ¯

x1 = 10 m, x2 = 30 m
Displacement º ∆x = x2 - x1 = 20 m
∆ º Greek letter “delta” meaning “change in”
 x1 = 30 m, x2 = 10 m
Displacement º ∆x = x2 - x1 = - 20 m
Displacement is a VECTOR
 Vectors and Scalars
• Many quantities in physics, like displacement,
have a magnitude and a direction. Such
quantities are called VECTORS.
– Other quantities which are vectors: velocity,
acceleration, force, momentum, ...
• Many quantities in physics, like distance, have
a magnitude only. Such quantities are called
SCALARS.
– Other quantities which are scalars: speed,
temperature, mass, volume, ...
• The Text uses BOLD letters to denote vectors.
• I usually denote vectors with arrows over the symbol.

• In one dimension, we can drop the arrow

and remember that a + sign means the vector
points to right & a minus sign means the
vector points to left.
 Average Velocity
Average Speed º (Distance traveled)/(Time taken)
A Scalar!
Average Velocity º (Displacement)/(Time taken)
A Vector!
• Velocity: Both magnitude & direction describing
how fast an object is moving. Velocity is a
VECTOR. (Similar to displacement).
• Speed: Magnitude only describing how fast an
object is moving. A SCALAR. (Similar to distance).
Units: distance/time = m/s
 Average Velocity, Average Speed
• Displacement from before. Walk for 70 s.

• Average Speed = (100 m)/(70 s) = 1.4 m/s

• Average velocity = (40 m)/(70 s) = 0.57 m/s
• In general:
t1 t2
¬ times
¯ ¯

∆x = x2 - x1 = displacement
∆t = t2 - t1 = elapsed time
Average Velocity: (x2 - x1)/(t2 - t1)

Bar denotes average

 Example
A person runs from
x1 = 50.0 m to x2 = 30.5 m
in ∆t = 3.0 s. ∆x = -19.5 m.
Average Velocity
(∆x)/(∆t)
= -(19.5 m)/(3.0 s)
= -6.5 m/s
The negative sign
indicates the negative
x direction.
 Instantaneous Velocity
º velocity at any instant of time
º average velocity over an infinitesimally short time
• Mathematically, the instantaneous velocity is
defined by:

º ratio considered as a
whole for smaller & smaller ∆t. As you should
know, mathematicians call this a derivative.
Þ Instantaneous Velocity
v ≡ Time Derivative of Displacement x
 instantaneous velocity =
average velocity
These graphs show
¯
(a) constant velocity ®

and
instantaneous velocity
¹ average velocity
(b) varying velocity ®
The instantaneous velocity is the average
velocity in the limit as the time interval
becomes infinitesimally short.

Ideally, a speedometer would

measure instantaneous velocity;
in fact, it measures average
velocity, but over a very short
time interval.
On a graph of a particle’s position vs. time,
the instantaneous velocity is the slope of the
tangent to the curve at any point.
 Example: Given x as a Function of t.
A jet engine moves along an
experimental track (called the x axis)
as shown. Treat the engine as if it
were a particle. Its position as a
function of time is given by the
equation x = At2 + B, where
A = 2.10 m/s2 & B = 2.80 m.
(a) Find the displacement of the
engine during the time interval
from t1 = 3.0 s to t2 = 5.0 s.
(b) Find the average velocity
during this time interval.
(c) Determine the magnitude of
the instantaneous velocity at Work on the board!
t = 5.0 s.
 Acceleration
• Velocity can change with time. An object with
velocity that is changing with time is said to be
accelerating.
• Definition: Average acceleration = ratio of
change in velocity to elapsed time.
–
aº
a
= (v2 - v1)/(t2 - t1)
– Acceleration is a vector.
• Instantaneous acceleration

• Units: velocity/time = distance/(time)2 = m/s2

Example: Average Acceleration
A A car accelerates along a straight road
from rest to 90 km/h in 5.0 s. Find the
magnitude of its average acceleration.
Note: 90 km/h = 25 m/s
a=
Example: Average Acceleration
A car accelerates along a straight road
from rest to 90 km/h in 5.0 s. Find the
magnitude of its average acceleration.
Note: 90 km/h = 25 m/s
a= = (25 m/s – 0 m/s)/5 s = 5 m/s2
 Conceptual Question
1. Velocity & acceleration are both vectors.
Are the velocity and the acceleration
always in the same direction?
 Conceptual Question
1. Velocity & acceleration are both vectors.
Are the velocity and the acceleration
always in the same direction?
NO!!

If the object is slowing down, the

acceleration vector is in the opposite
direction of the velocity vector!
 Example: Car Slowing Down
A car moves to the right on
a straight highway (positive
x-axis). The driver puts on
the brakes. If the initial
velocity (when the driver hits
the brakes) is v1 = 15.0 m/s.
It takes 5.0 s to slow down
to v2 = 5.0 m/s. Calculate the
car’s average acceleration.
a=
 Example: Car Slowing Down
A car moves to the right on
a straight highway (positive
x-axis). The driver puts on
the brakes. If the initial
velocity (when the driver hits
the brakes) is v1 = 15.0 m/s.
It takes 5.0 s to slow down
to v2 = 5.0 m/s. Calculate the
car’s average acceleration.

a= = (v2 – v1)/(t2 – t1) = (5 m/s – 15 m/s)/(5s – 0s)

a = - 2.0 m/s2
 Deceleration
The same car is moving
to the left instead of to
the right. Still assume
positive x is to the right.
The car is decelerating
& the initial & final
velocities are the same
as before. Calculate the
average acceleration now.

• “Deceleration”: A word which means “slowing down”. We

try to avoid using it in physics. Instead (in one dimension),
we talk about positive & negative acceleration.
• This is because (for one dimensional motion) deceleration
does not necessarily mean the acceleration is negative!
 Conceptual Question
2. Velocity & acceleration are vectors.
Is it possible for an object to have a zero
acceleration and a non-zero velocity?
 Conceptual Question
2. Velocity & acceleration are vectors.
Is it possible for an object to have a zero
acceleration and a non-zero velocity?
YES!!

If the object is moving at a constant

velocity, the acceleration vector is zero!
 Conceptual Question
3. Velocity & acceleration are vectors.
Is it possible for an object to have a zero
velocity and a non-zero acceleration?
 Conceptual Question
3. Velocity & acceleration are vectors.
Is it possible for an object to have a zero
velocity and a non-zero acceleration?
YES!!

If the object is instantaneously at rest (v = 0) but

is either on the verge of starting to move or is
turning around & changing direction, the
velocity is zero, but the acceleration is not!
One-Dimensional Kinematics Examples
As already noted, the instantaneous acceleration
is the average acceleration in the limit as the time
interval becomes infinitesimally short.

The instantaneous slope

of the velocity versus
time curve is the
instantaneous
acceleration.
Example : Acceleration given x(t). A particle moves in a straight
line so that its position is given by x = (2.10 m/s2)t2 + (2.80 m).
Calculate: (a) its average acceleration during the time interval from t1
= 3 s to t2 = 5 s, & (b) its instantaneous acceleration as a function of time.

In this case, position vs Velocity vs time Acceleration is

time curve is a parabola curve is a straight line constant here!
¯ ¯ ¯

position vs time curve velocity vs time curve acceleration vs time curve

Example : Acceleration given x(t). A particle moves in a straight
line so that its position is given by x = (2.10 m/s2)t2 + (2.80 m).
Calculate: (a) its average acceleration during the time interval from t1
= 3 s to t2 = 5 s, & (b) its instantaneous acceleration as a function of time.
In this case, position vs Velocity vs time Acceleration is
time curve is a parabola curve is a straight line constant here!
¯ ¯ ¯

position vs time curve velocity vs time curve acceleration vs time curve

Velocity v(t) = time derivative of position x(t): v(t) = = (4.2)t. Acceleration a(t) =
time derivative of velocity v(t): a(t) = = 4.2 m/s2 . So, answer to part (b): 4.2 m/s2
(Note: Acceleration is the 2nd derivative of the position!) Solution to (a): At t1 = 3 s ,
v1 = (4.2)(3) = 12.6 m/s. At t2 = 5 s , v2 = (4.2)(5) = 21 m/s. So, average acceleration
a= = (21 m/s – 12.6 m/s)/(5 s – 3 s) = 4.2 m/s2. It makes sense that the average
& instantaneous accelerations are the same, because the acceleration is constant!
Conceptual Example: Analyzing with graphs: The figure
shows the velocity v(t) as a function of time for 2 cars, both
accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in a time 10.0 s. Compare (a) the
average acceleration; (b) the instantaneous acceleration; & (c) the
total distance traveled for the 2 cars.
 Conceptual Example: Analyzing with graphs: The figure
shows the velocity v(t) as a function of time for 2 cars, both
accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in a time 10.0 s. Compare (a) the
average acceleration; (b) the instantaneous acceleration; & (c) the
total distance traveled for the 2 cars.
Solution: (a) Ave. acceleration: a =
Both have the same ∆v & the same ∆t
so a is the same for both.
(b) Instantaneous acceleration: a =
= slope of tangent to v vs t curve. For
about the first 4 s, curve A is steeper
than curve B, so car A has greater a
than car B for times t = 0 to t = 4 s.
Curve B is steeper than curve A, so car
B has greater a than car A for times t
greater than about t = 4 s.
(c) Total distance traveled: Except for t = 0 & t = 10 s, car A is moving
faster than car B. So, car A will travel farther than car B in the same time.
Example (for you to work!) : Calculating Average Velocity & Speed
Problem: Use the figure & table to find the displacement & the
average velocity of the car between positions (A) & (F).
 Example (for you to work!) : Average & Instantaneous Velocity
Problem: A particle moves along the x axis. Its x coordinate varies
with time as x = -4t + 2t2. x is in meters & t is in seconds. The
position-time graph for this motion is in the figure.
a) Calculate the displacement
of the particle in the time
intervals t = 0 to t = 1 s &
t = 1 s to t = 3 s
(A to B & B to C)
b) Calculate the average
velocity in the time
intervals t = 0 to t = 1 s &
t = 1 s to t = 3 s
(A to B & B to C)
c) Calculate the instantaneous
velocity of the particle at
t = 2.5 s (point C) .
Example (for you to work!) : Graphical Relations between x, v, & a
Problem: The position of an object moving along the x axis varies
with time as in the figure. Graph the velocity versus time and
acceleration versus time curves for the object.
Example (for you to work!) : Average & Instantaneous Acceleration
Problem: The velocity of a particle moving along the x axis varies in
time according to the expression v = (44 - 10t 2), where t is in seconds.

a) Calculate the average

acceleration in the
time interval t = 0 to t
= 2.0 s.
b) Calculate the
acceleration at t = 2.0 s.