Describing Motion: Kinematics in One Dimension: Distance vs. Displacement

Chapter 2 Distance vs.
Displacement
Describing Motion: Kinematics in We make a distinction between distance and
displacement.
One Dimension vector scalar
Displacement (blue line) is how far the object is
from its starting point (including a direction),
regardless of how it got there.
Distance traveled (dashed line) is measured along
the actual path.
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.
Displacement
Class Think
The displacement is written:
Here are three pairs of initial and final
Left: Right: positions, along an x-axis. Which pairs give
Displacement is positive. Displacement is negative. a negative displacement?
a) -3 m, +5 m
b) -3 m, -7 m
c) 7 m, -3 m
Adapted from Halliday and Resnick’s Fundamentals of Physics
For 1D motion, + and – give direction

1
Average Velocity (vector quantity) Average speed (scalar quantity)
The average velocity of an object is the ratio of Average speed is a different way of
the displacement, ∆x, that occurs in a time describing “how fast” an object is going.
interval ∆t to that interval:
It involves distance rather than

displacement, so average speed is a
scalar quantity:
Standard
symbol for • There is no sign, no direction
average ∆

∆ Do the average speed and the average
velocity have the same magnitude?
Average Velocity Instantaneous Velocity

On a graph of a particle’s position vs. time, the The instantaneous velocity is the average
average velocity between two times is the slope of velocity in the limit as the time interval becomes
the straight line that connects those two points. infinitesimally short.
∆

∆
Letting
∆t →0
Average velocity
Instantaneous Velocity
2
Instantaneous Velocity vs. Instantaneous Example 1
Speed (From Halliday and Resnick Fundamentals of Physics, SP 2.01)
You drive a beat-up pickup truck along a straight road for 8.4 km at 70
The instantaneous speed is the magnitude of the km/h, at which point the truck runs out of gasoline and stops. Over the
instantaneous velocity next 30 minutes, you walk another 2.0 km farther along the road to a
gasoline station.
a) What is your overall displacement from the beginning of your drive
to your arrival at the station?
b) What is the time interval ∆t from the beginning of your drive to your
arrival at the station?
c) What is your average velocity from the beginning of your drive to
A velocity of + 5 m/s and one of – 5 m/s both have your arrival at the station? Find it both numerically and graphically.
an associated speed of 5 m/s. d) Suppose that to pump the gasoline, pay for it, and walk back to the truck
takes you another 45 minutes. What is your average speed from the
beginning of your drive to your return to the truck with the gasoline?
Would it be the same as the magnitude of the average velocity over this
time period?
Acceleration
Example 2
Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.
An automobile is moving to the left along a
straight highway, which we choose to be the
x axis. Then the driver puts on the brakes. If
the initial velocity (when the driver hits the
∆ brakes) is v1 = -15.0 m/s, and it takes 5.0 s
to slow down to v2 = -5.0 m/s, what was the
∆
car’s average acceleration? Do the signs
make sense?
⁄
Standard units of acceleration:
·
3
Connecting p-t, v-t and a-t graphs Class Think – positive and negative
Consider East to be positive and West to be negative.
Example 3:
Let’s look at “Moving Man” simulation to: 1. A kayak is travelling East in white water as the current
– Connect graph shapes to motion picks up and takes it East at a faster pace.
a) Is the velocity positive or negative?
– Shapes of graphs b) Is the acceleration positive or negative?
– Signs
2. A bullet is travelling West as it becomes lodged in a target.

a) Is the velocity positive or negative?
b) Is the acceleration positive or negative?
Instantaneous Acceleration
Class Think: Acceleration
The instantaneous acceleration is the average
(a)If the velocity of an object is zero, does it acceleration in the limit as the time interval
mean that the acceleration is zero? Can you becomes infinitesimally short.
think of an example?
(b) If the acceleration is zero, does it mean that

the velocity is zero? Can you think of an
example? What does this
mean graphically?
4
Class Think
Example 4 This figure shows the position vs. time graph for
(Adapted from Ex 2-3 and Ex 2-7) A jet engine moves along two bicycles, A and B.
an experimental track (which we call the x axis) as shown.
We will treat the engine as if it were a particle. Its position
as a function of time is given by the equation x = At2 + B, Is there any instant at
where A = 2.10 m/s2 and B = 2.80 m (a) Determine the which the two
displacement of the engine during the time interval from t1 bicycles have the
= 3.00 s to t2 = 5.00 s. (b) Determine the average velocity same velocity?
during this time interval. (c) Calculate the instantaneous
velocity as a function of time and sketch it. (d) Determine At what time does
the speed at t = 5.00 s. (e) Calculate the instantaneous bicycle B pass
acceleration as a function of time and sketch it. bicycle A?
Class Think Class Think

This velocity vs. time graph represents the motion This figure shows the velocity as a function of time
of an object. for two cars accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in a
time of 10.0 s. Compare (a) the average
acceleration; (b) instantaneous acceleration; and
(c) total distance traveled for the two cars.
a) When does the object have zero acceleration?

b) When does the object have constant non-zero
acceleration?
c) When is the object stationary?
d) Is the object ever moving in the negative
direction?
5
Motion at Constant Acceleration Motion at Constant Acceleration
The average velocity of an object during a time In addition, as the velocity is increasing at a
interval t is For time t=0 constant rate, we know that
The acceleration, assumed constant, is Why? What does v-t graph look like for
constant a?
Motion at Constant Acceleration Motion at Constant Acceleration
Combining these last three equations, we find: We now have all the equations we need to solve
constant-acceleration problems.
We can also combine these equations to

eliminate t:
6
Example 5 Example 6
(Ex 2-9) You are designing an airport for Calculate the total stopping distance for a
small planes. One kind of airplane that car with an initial velocity of 14 m/s and an
might use this airfield must reach a speed acceleration of -6.0 m/s2 . (Assume the car
before takeoff of at least 27.8 m/s (100 is travelling in the positive direction; the
km/h), and can accelerate at 2.00 m/s2 (a) If minus sign on the acceleration appears
the runway is 150 m long, can this airplane since the car is slowing down.) The driver’s
reach the required speed for takeoff? If not, reaction time is 0.50 s.
what minimum length must the runway
have?
Freely Falling Objects

Near the surface of the Earth, all objects
Example 7
experience approximately the same acceleration Robert takes his physics textbook for a hot air balloon ride. He waits until
the book is 35.0 m above ground and the balloon is travelling upward at a
due to gravity, 9.80 m/s2. speed of 3.5 m/s. Then he lets his physics textbook go over the edge of
the basket (he was a bit frustrated).
This is one of the most
a) Sketch the path the book will take.
common examples of motion b) What are the position and velocity of the book after 0.15 s?
with constant acceleration. c) After how many seconds does the book reach its maximum
In the absence of air height?
resistance, all objects fall d) At its maximum height, how many metres is the book above the
ground?
with the same acceleration, e) At what speed will the book hit the ground?
although this may be tricky f) How many seconds elapse before the book is 25.0 m above the
to tell by testing in an ground?
environment where there is
air resistance. Moon
7
Example 8 Example 9
You are going to Toronto for the weekend and
decide to take the GO. Unfortunately, you are late A ball is thrown with an upward velocity of 5
finishing your math exam, so you arrive late at the m/s from the top of a 10-m high building.
Kitchener train station. You run as fast as you can, One second later another ball is thrown
but just as you reach the platform your train vertically from the ground with a velocity of
departs, 30.0 metres ahead of you down the 10 m/s. At what time do the balls meet?
platform. You can run at a maximum speed of 8.0 Determine the height from the ground where
m/s and the train is accelerating at 0.80 m/s2. You
the two balls meet.
can run along the platform for 50.0 metres before a
barrier prevents you from going further. Will you
catch your train?
One last thing to remember: Reference frames

We have been a little lazy about reference frames
Any measurement of position, distance, or speed
must be made with respect to a reference frame.
So far, we have assumed that all measurements
are made relative to the Earth.
Next week, we will discuss motion relative to a moving
frame of reference… How fast is the passenger walking?
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Describing Motion: Kinematics in One Dimension: Distance vs. Displacement

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Chapter 2 Distance vs.

Adapted from Halliday and Resnick’s Fundamentals of Physics

For 1D motion, + and – give direction

It involves distance rather than

Average Velocity Instantaneous Velocity

2. A bullet is travelling West as it becomes lodged in a target.

(b) If the acceleration is zero, does it mean that

Class Think Class Think

a) When does the object have zero acceleration?

Motion at Constant Acceleration Motion at Constant Acceleration

We can also combine these equations to

Freely Falling Objects

One last thing to remember: Reference frames

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

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