Review:

Kinematics
28 August 2012
 Kinematics:
Straight Line Motion
(GLB & GLBB)
Kinematics is the part of mechanics that describes the motion of
physical objects.
 the moving objects are “particles”
 (objects for which all the points move in the same way)
 The causes of the motion will not be investigated.
 Objects move along a straight line.
Position and Displacement

x  x2  x1 [m]

Note: The actual distance for a trip

is irrelevant as far as the
displacement is concerned
Velocity vs. Speed: Average

x  x x savg 
total distance
vavg  2 1  [m/s]
t2  t1 t t
Velocity vs. Speed: Instantaneous

x dx
v  lim 
t dt
t  0
Average Acceleration

v2  v1 v
aavg   Units: m/s2
t2  t1 t

Instantaneous Acceleration

v dv dv d  dx  d 2 x
a  lim  , a    2
t dt dt dt  dt  dt
t  0

Note: The human body does not react to velocity

but it does react to acceleration
Motion with Constant Acceleration

• Motion with a = 0 is a special case but it is rather

common so we will develop the equations that
describe it.

v  v0  at (eqs.1)
at 2
x(t )  xo  vot  (eqs.2)
2

(2-8)
 at 2
v  v0  at (eqs.1) ; x  xo  vot  (eqs.2)
2
If we eliminate the time t between equation 1 and equation 2 we get:
v 2  vo2  2a  x  xo  (eqs.3)
Below we plot the position x(t), the velocity v(t) and the acceleration a versus time t

at 2
x  xo  vot 
2
The x(t) versus t plot is a parabola that
intercepts the vertical axis at x = xo

v  v0  at
The v(t) versus t plot is a straight line with
Slope = a and Intercept = vo

The acceleration a is a constant

(2-9)
Graphical Integration in Motion Analysis (non-constant acceleration)

1 t 1 t 1 t 1 t
dv
a  dv  adt   dv   adt  v1  vo   adt  v1  vo   adt
dt to to to to
t1

 adt   Area under the a versus t curve between t o and t1 

to

1 t 1 t
dx
v  dx  vdt   dx   vdt 
dt to to
t1 t1

x1  xo   vdt  x1  xo   vdt
to to
t1

 vdt   Area under the v versus t curve between t o and t1 

to