Bombay Scottish School, Mahim

Grade 8 - Physics
Chapter 3 - Motion in One Dimension
REST AND MOTION
A body is said to be at rest if it does not change its position with respect to its
immediate surroundings, while a body is said to be in motion if it changes its
position with respect to its immediate surroundings.
For example: A stone lying on the ground is at rest because the stone does not
change its position with respect to us. But when we see a train leaving the
station, we say the train is in motion because it is continuously changing its
position with respect to us.
SCALAR AND VECTOR QUANTITIES
The quantities which we can be measured are called as the physical quantities.
The physical quantities are classified into two broad categories:
(1) Scalar quantities or Scalars
(2) Vector quantities or vectors
(1) Scalar quantities or scalars:
These are the physical quantities which are expressed only by their magnitude.
E.g. The mass of a body is 5.0 kg,
The normal body temperature of human being is 36.90C
These sentences have a complete meaning and we are completely expressing
the mass of the body and temperature respectively.

Examples: Mass, length, time, distance, density, volume, speed, temperature,

energy, pressure etc.
Scalars can be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided by the simple
arithmetic methods.
(2) Vector quantities or vectors:
The quantities which require magnitude as well as direction to express them
are termed as vector quantities.
E.g. Saying “displace a particle from a point by 5 m” is incomplete
comprehension. But if we say that displace a particle from a point by 5 m
towards east it has a complete meaning.
Examples: Displacement, velocity, acceleration, force, weight etc.
Vectors follow different algebra for their addition, subtraction and
multiplication.
ONE DIMENSIONAL MOTION
When a body moves along a straight-line path, its motion is said to be one
dimensional motion. It is also called motion in a straight line or rectilinear
motion.
DISTANCE AND DISPLACEMENT
Consider a body moving from a point A to a point B along the path shown in
the figure. Then total length of path from A to B is called distance moved by the
body, while the length of straight-line AB in direction from A to B (shown by the
dotted line) is called the displacement of the body.
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Distance
The total length of path through which a body moves, is called the distance
travelled by it.
Units: S.I. – „m‟, C.G.S. – „cm‟
Displacement
The shortest distance from the initial to the final position of the body, isthe
displacement.
Units: S.I. – „m‟, C.G.S. – „cm‟

SPEED AND VELOCITY

Speed
The speed of the body is the rate of change of distance with time. Numerically it
is the distance travelled t=by the body in 1 s.
Units: S.I. – m/s or m s-1, C.G.S. – cm/s or cm s-1.
𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑆
Formula: Speed (v) = 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡

Uniform speed:
A body is said to be moving with uniform speed if it covers equal distance in
equal intervals of time.
Non-uniform or variable speed:
A body is said to be moving with variable speed if it covers unequal distances in
equal intervals of time.
Instantaneous speed:
It is the ratio of the distance travelled in a very short time interval to the time
interval.
The speedometer of a vehicle measures the instantaneous speed.

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Average speed:
The ratio of the total distance travelled by the body to the total time of journey
is called its average speed.
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑
Formula: Average Speed = 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛

UNDERSTANDING:
In case of a body moving with uniform speed, the instantaneous speed and the
average speed are equal (same as uniform speed).
VELOCITY
The velocity of a body is the distance travelled per second by the body in a
specified direction.
[OR]
The rate of change of displacement of a body is called the velocity.
Units: S.I. – m/s or m s-1, C.G.S. – cm/s or cm s-1.
𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑆
Formula: Velocity (v) = 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡

Uniform velocity:
If a body travels equal distances in a particular direction in equal intervals of
time, the body is said to be moving in uniform velocity.
Examples:
(1) Two bodies moving with the same speed in the same direction.
(2) A falling rain drop when reaches closer to the surface of the earth.
(3) A body on a frictionless surface.
Non-uniform or variable velocity:
If a body moves unequal distances in a particular direction in equal intervals of
time or it moves equal distances in equal distances of time, but its direction of
motion does not remain the same, the velocity is said to be variable (or non-
uniform).
Examples:
(1) Motion of a freely falling body closer to the earths surface
(2) The motion of a body in a circular path even with uniform speed is with
variable velocity because in a circular path, the direction of motion of the body
continuously changes with time.

Instantaneous velocity:
For a body moving with variable velocity, the velocity of the body at any
instance „t‟ is called its instantaneous velocity.
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Average velocity:
The ratio of displacement to the time taken during the entire journey is called
the average velocity.
𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡
Formula: Average Velocity =𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛

ACCELERATION AND RETARDATION

For motion only in a straight-line path, there is no change in direction of
motion and the change in velocity is only due to change in speed. In such a
case, the velocity of the body increases or decreases with time and the motion
is said to be accelerated or decelerated (or retarded) respectively.
Definition: Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.
Units: S.I. – m/s2 or m s-2, C.G.S. – cm/s2 or cm s-2.
(𝑣−𝑢)
Formula: Acceleration a = , v = u + at
𝑡

Uniform acceleration:
When equal changes in velocity takes place in equal intervals of time the
acceleration is said to be uniform.
Example:
Free fall of a body.
Variable acceleration:
When change in velocity is not the same in the same intervals of time, the
acceleration is said to be variable.
Example:
The motion of a vehicle on a crowded road.
Acceleration due to gravity:
When a body falls freely under gravity, the acceleration produced in the body
due to earth‟s gravitational attraction is called the acceleration due to gravity.
It is denoted by letter „g‟.
When a body falls down, its velocity increases uniformly with time, so the
acceleration is +g, while if the body moves vertically upwards, its velocity
decreases uniformly with time, the acceleration is -g (or retardation is g).
The average value of g is 9.8 ms-2.
NOTE:
(1) The value of g does not depend on the mass of the body. Hence if two bodies
of different masses are simultaneously dropped form a height, both will reach
the ground simultaneously in vacuum because then there is no effect of friction
due to air.
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(2) On the earth surface, g is maximum at the poles and minimum at the
equator.
(3) The value of g decreases with altitude and also with the depth from the
earth‟s surface.
EQUATIONS OF UNIFORMLY ACCELERATED MOTION
For motion of a body moving with a uniform acceleration, the following three
equation give the relationship between initial velocity (u), final velocity (v),
acceleration (a), time of journey (t) and distance travelled (S):
(1) v = u + at
1
(2) S = ut + 2 𝑎𝑡2

(3) v2 = u2 + 2aS
Numericals:
(1) A body starts from rest with a uniform acceleration 2 ms-2. Find the
distance covered by the body is 2 s.
(2) The velocity of an object increases at a constant rate from 20 ms-1 to 50
ms-1 in 10s. Find the acceleration.
(3) A pebble thrown vertically upwards with an initial velocity 50 ms-1 comes to
a stop in 5s. Find the retardation.
(4) A car starting from rest acquires a velocity 180 ms-1 in 0.05h. Find the
acceleration.
(5) A car is moving with a velocity 20 ms-1. The brakes are applied to retard it
at a rate of 2 ms-2. What will be the velocity after 5s of applying the brakes?
(6) A bullet initially moving with a velocity 20 ms-1 is brought to rest after
penetrating a distance 10 cm in the target. Calculate the retardation caused by
the target.
(7) A body moving with uniform acceleration travels 84 m in the first 6s and
180m in the next 5s. Find: (a) the initial velocity and (b) the acceleration of the
body. (Hint: To solve this sum, Use solving of equations using Simultaneous
linear equations)