Mo tion

INTRO DUCTIO N
b. Fig. 1.5 You can use a stopwatch to measure
the time taken to run a certain distance.
To study almost anythin g about the world
around us or out into Space, we will ne d
. e to
describ e where things are, where they "'
vvere
and where we expect them to go. It is even
better if we are able to measur e these thin
Only when we h ave an organis . d gs.
e system for
doing this will we be able to look for the
pattern s in the way things move - the laws
of motion - before going a step further and
suggest ing why things move as they do_
using ideas about forces.

Think about being a passen ger in a car travelling at 90 kilome tres per hour.
This, of course , means that the car (if it kept travelling at this speed for 1 hour)
would travel 90 km. During 1 second the car travel s 2 5 me tres, so its speed can
also be describ ed as 25 metres per second . Scienti sts p refer to 1neasure time in
second s and distanc e in metres. So they prefer to 1nczi s ure speed in metres per
second , usually written as mis .
KNOWLEDGE CHECK
✓ Know how to measure distances and times accurately.
✓ Know how to calculate the area of a rectangle and a triangle.
✓ Know how to plot a graph given particular points.
✓ Know how to substitute values into a given formula .

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
✓ Define speed and calculate average speed from total distance/total time.
✓ Be able to plot and interpret a speed-time graph or a distance-time graph.
✓ Recognise from the shape of a speed-time graph when a body is at rest, moving
with constant speed or moving with changing speed.
✓ Be able to calculate the area under a speed-time graph to work out the distance
travelled for motion with constant acceleration.
✓ Demonstrate understanding that acceleration and deceleration are related to
changing speed, including qualitativ~ analysis of the gradient of a speed-time graph.
✓ State that the acceleration of free fall for a body near to the Earth is constant.
✓ EXTENDED Distinguish between speed and velocity.

✓ EXTENDED Define and calculate acceleration using change of velocity/time.

✓ EXTENDED Calculate speed from the gradient of a distance-time graph.
✓ EXTENDED Calculate acceleration from the gradient of a speed-time graph.
✓ EXTENDED Recognise linear motion for which the acceleration is constant.
 leration is not constant.
✓ _· · " ·_, r · · Recognise motion for which the acce
leration.
✓ ~- Understa nd deceleration as a negative acce
. B~ able _~o des_cribe qualitatively the motion
of bodies falling in a
✓ . • resistance (including reference to
unif~, m grav1t~t1onal field with and without air
terminal velocity).

usin g the following formula:

T he spe ed of an obje c t can be calc ulated
dist anc e
spe e d = - - -
tim e
s
v =-
t

\t\1h ere : v = spe ed in mis ,

s = dist anc e in m , and
t = tim e ins .
they travel. An obje ct's
Mo st obj ects spe ed up and slow dow n as
the total dist anc e traveIIed
'ave rag e spe ed' can be calc ulat ed by dividing
by the tota l tim e take n.

REMEMBER
average spe ed. You nee d to
Ma ke sur e you can explain why this is an
ugh out, per hap s giving
talk abo ut the spe ed not bein g con stan t thro
example, you mig ht
spe cifi c exa mpl es of whe re it cha nge d. For
know how long the
con side r a jou rne y from hom e to school. You
e and school. Fro m thes e,
jou rne y take s and the dist anc e betw een hom
the formula. How eve r, you
you can wor k out the average spe ed usin g
el at the sam e spe ed at aII
kno w tha t, in any jou rne y, you do not trav
, or at a road jun ctio n.
tim es. You may hav e to stop to cros s the road
sect ions of the jou rne y or
You may be able to travel fast er on stra ight
rou nd cor ner s.

WO RK ED EX AM PL ES
car that travels 500 met res in
1. Cal cul ate the average spe ed of a mot or
20 sec ond s.
v =s I t
Wr ite dow n the form ula:
v = 500 I 20
Sub stit ute the valu es for s and t:
uni ts: v = 25 mis
Wo rk out the ans wer and wri te dow n the

z
0
l-
o
~

<J Fig. 1.6 Cover speed to find that speed

= distance/time.
I
\
l 2 . t\ horse ca nters at an average speed of 5 m/s fo r 2 minute s .
Cc1 lculatc the distance it trcwels.
W rite down the fo rmul a in terms of s: s = 11 x I
Su bstitute the va lues fo r v nnd l: s = 5 x 2 x 60
Work out the answer and write down the uni ts: s = 600 m

X time
<] Fig. 1.7 Cover distance to find that distance= speed x time.

EXTENDED

ARE SPEED AND VELOCITY THE SAME?

We often want to know the direction in which an object is travelling.
For example, when a space rocket is launched, it is likely to reach a speed
of 1000 km/h after about 30 seconds. However, it is extremely important
to know whether this speed is upwards or downwards. You want to know
the speed and the direction of the rocket. The velocity of an
object is one piece of information, but it consists of two
parts: the speed and the direction. In this case, the velocity
of the rocket is 278 mis (its speed) upwards (its direction) .
A velocity can have a minus sign. This tells you that the
object is travelling in the opposite direction. So a velocity
~

~-- +10m/s

of - 2 78 mis upwards is actually a velocity of 2 78 mis

downwards.
6. Fig. 1.8 Both cars have the same
The diagram shows two cars with the same speed but sp.eed. Car A has a velocity of +lO mis
opposite velocitie s. and car B has a velocity of - 1Orn/s.

END OF EXTENDED

~==-=-=-:::::-------=
QUESTIONS
. I. Imagine two cars travelling along a narrow road where it is not
possible to pass each other. Describe what would happen when:
a) both cars have a velocity of + 15 m/s
VI
u b) one car has a velocity of + 15 mis and the other -15 m/s
VI
>-
:r: c) both cars have a velocity of -15 m/s.
Cl.
...J
~
ex:
2. You walk to s~hool and then walk home again. What is your
w average velocity for the whole journey? Be careful 1
zw
I.!)
3. A journey to school is 10 km. It takes 15 minutes in a car. What is
the average speed of the car?
4. How far does a bicycle travelling at 1.5 m/s travel in 15 s?
5. A person walks at 0.5 mis and travels a distance of 1500 m.
How long does this take?

I - i --~ (: \.: 0 j~ j:H~ 5 TO 5 T u Dy MO Tl ON

Journeys can be summarised using graphs . The simplest type is a
distance-time graph where the distance travelled is plotted against
the time of the journey.
At the beginning of any measurement of motion, time is usually given
as O s and the position of the object 0 m . If the object is not moving,
then time increases but distance does not. This gives a horizontal line.
If the object is travelling at a steady speed , then both time and distance
increase steadily, which gives a straight line. If the speed is varying,
then the line will not be straight. You can calculate the speed of the
object by finding the gradient of the line on a distance- time graph.
In Fig. 1.9, which shows a bicycle journey, th e graph slopes when the
bicycle is moving. The slope gets steeper ,vhen the bicycle goes faster.
The slope is straight (has a constant gradien t! when the bicycle's speed
is constant. The cyclist falls off at about 142 me tres from the start.
After this , the graph is horizontal beca use the bicyc le is not moving.
160
140
-·---·~ -
,..; · ·....> ·

120
E 100
.._
Cl)
0
C
80
~
u 60
40
20

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
time/s I
graph curves straight line bicycle bicycle
as bicycle as bicycle speed stops not
speed increases is constant suddenly moving

11 Fig . 1.9 A distance-time graph for a bicycle journey.

EXTENDED

Calculating speed from the gradient of a distance - time graph

Sine~ speed = distance/time, you can calculate the speed from the
gradient of a distance-time graph by working out the gradient.
In Fi?. l_-9, the graph is a straight line between about 20 s and 60 s
In this time the distance increases from about 30 m to 150 m. So the
speed between these points is
150 m/30 s = 5 m/s.

END OF EXTENDED
L ______ ______ ______________ _ __
QUESTION S
l. How can you tell from a distance-time graph whether the object
w as moving away from you or towards you?
2. Very often we use sketch graphs to il lustrate motion . Describe
the main differences between a sketch graph and a graph.
3. Sketch a distance-time graph f o r a bicycle travelling downhill.

18

16 \
14 \
12

a, 10
0
C
.!!! 8
"'
'6
6

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
time from start (s)

a) Calculate the speed for region A .

h) Calculate the speed for region C.
c) Calculate the speed for region B

WHAT IS ACCELERATIO N?
The speedometer of a car displays 50 km/h and then a few seconds
later it displays 70 km/h, so the car is accelerating. When a car is
slowing down , this is called negative acceleration , or deceleration.
Acceleration is a c hange iri speed or velocity. On a distance/time
graph, acceleration is shown by a smooth c urve_.

"O
2!
~
0
Q)
0
C
.;l
'6

0 time 0
time

t::,. Fig . 1.1~ Steady_speed is shown by a straight line. Acceleration is shown by a smooth curve
of increasing gradient.

Imagine that the car is initially travelling at 15 mis, a nd that I second

la ter it has reach ed 17 mis, and that its speed increases by 2 mis each
'- Ccond ~11't cr thJ t. Eac h ~econd its speed increases by 2 metres per
sccnnd . \/\.'e can say th:it its speed is increasing at '2 metres per second
]'t.' r .,ccu111l'. This can be \vri tten, much more conveniently, as an
acceleration of 2 mls 2 .
Our planet Earth attracts all objects towards its centre with the forc e of
gravity.

• · ·r ·o ------- ------- --~

The strength of the force clccrcascs slowly with increasing distance
from the surface oFthe Ea rth , but for objects within a few km of the
surface, all objects th ,H arc foiling freely will have the same constant
acceleration oF just under l O mls2 • If a coconut fa lls from a tree, then
after I s it will be falling at IO mis (though it will only have travelled
5 m because, of course, it started with zero velocity). After 2 s it will be
falling at 20 mis, if it does not hit the ground first.
How much an object's speed or velocity changes in one second is its
acceleration.
Acceleration can be calculated using the following formula :
. change in velocity
acce 1erat1on = . k
time ta en
(v-u)
a=---
t
Where: a = acceleration
v = final velocity in mis
u = starting velocity in mis
t = time ins
If acceleration is negative, then an object is decelerating (slowing down).

REMEMBER
A negative acceleration shows that the object is slowing down.
Make sure that you are clear what the word 'ac~eler~tion' mean_s in
physics. It does not necessarily mean 'gets faster . Neither does 1t
measure how much the velocity changes.
Acceleration measures how quickly the velocity changes, i.e. the rate of
change of velocity.

WORKED EXAMPLE
Calculate the acceleration of a car that travels from O mis to 28 mis in
IO seconds.
Write down the formula: a=(v-u) l t
z
0
Substitute the values for v, u and t : a = 28-0110 ~
0
2
Work out the answer and write down the units: a= 2.8 m/s ~

END OF EXTENDED
\
- - --- - ------- ------- ---
I. As a stone falls, it accelerates from O mis to 20 mis in 2 seconds.
Calculate its acceleration and the state the unit.
----
2. A racing car slows down from 45 mis to O mis in 3 seconds.
Calculate its acceleration and the state the unit.

I:

A velocity-time graph provides inforrnation on speed or velocity,

acceleration and distance travelled. Steady speed is shown by a
horizontal line . Steady acceleration is shown by a straight line sloping up.
You can calculate the acceleration of the object from the gradient of a
velocity-time graph.

2:-
·o
0
ai
>

0 0 0 time
time time

15. Fig. 1.11 Steady speed is shown by a horizontal line. Steady acceleration is shown by a
straight line sloping up. Acceleration that is not constant is shown by a curved line.

In the left-hand graph, the object is already moving when the graph
begins. In the right-hand graph, the object starts with a velocity of zero,
and the line therefore starts from the origin.
Note that the object may not move to begin with. In this case the line
will start by going along the x-axis, showing that the velocity stays at
zero for a while.

QUESTIONS
1. An athlete and a fun runner complete a 400 m race. The athlete
takes 50 s and the fun runner takes 64 s.
a) Calculate the average speed for each runner.
b) Sketch a speed-time graph for the two runners.

V,
Finding distance from a velocity-time graph
V
V, The area under a velocity-time graph gives the distance travelled because
>- distance = velocity x time. Always make sure the units are consistent so
J:
a..
_J when the velocity is in km/h you must use time in hours too. '
<t
c,::
w
zw The graph in Fig. 1.12 shows how the velocity of a car varies as it
I.!) travels between two sets of traffic lights. The graph can be divided into
three regions.
 18
B
16
/
14 B - car reaches speed
limit and travels at a
12 constant velocity of
-!!?. / 16m/s
t
·o
10
A •
/
/

.2
(I)
>
8 ,.
r
6 / '
/
A- car accelerates C-driver uses
brakes and the
car decelerates
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
I
time from start/s
traffic lights change to green red traffic lights
- car moves off - car stops

t:-. Fig. 1.12 The velocity of a car travelling between two sets of traffic lights.

In region A, the car has constant acceleration (the line has a constant
positive gradient). The gradient is 16140 so the acceleration is 16140 mls
2

in region A. The distance travelled by the car can be calculated as

follows:
average velocity in region A= ( 16 + 0) I 2 = 8 mis
time= 40 s
so distance = v x t = 8 x 40 = 320 m
This can also be calculated from the area under the line:
½ base x height = ½ x 40 x 16 = 320 m
In region B, the car is travelling at a constant velocity (the line has a
gradient of zero). The distance travelled by the car can be calculated:
velocity in region B = 16 mis
time= 30 s
so, distance = v x t = 16 x 30 = 480 m
This can also be calculated from the area under the line
(base x height = 30 x 16 = 480 m).
In region C, the car is decelerating at a constant rate (the line has a
constant negative gradient). The distance travelled by the car can be
calculated:
average velocity in region C =
(16 + 0) 12 = 8 mis
time= 30 s
so, distance = v x t = 8 x 30 = 240 m
This can also be calculated from the area under the line: z
0
½ base x height = ½ x 30 x I 6 = 240 m j::
0
Total distance travelled in I 00 s = 320 + 480 + 240 = 1040 m :z
 QU ES TI( lNS
J~ Explain how to calc ulat e the accelera
tion f~om a velocity -~
gra ph.
2.. Exp lain how t o calc ulat e t he distance t
rave lled from a velo city -
t ime gra ph.
3. Two run ners complet e a 400 m race . Ath
lete A take s 50 san d
at hlet e B takes 64 s.
a) Calculate the average speed of each
run ner.
b) Sketch a spe ed- time gra ph for each run
ner.
4. How cou ld you sho w from the gra ph tha
t the r unners b oth cov er
400 m?
5. From the gra ph, calculate the distance trav
elle d bet wee n 2 and
12 seconds .

0 10 12 t(s)

EXTENDED
Velocity -~im e grap~s can tell us muc h informa
tion abo ut the spe ed,
acc elerat10n and distanc e of an object whe n
it is travellin g.
50.0
.. ~ - ::=- _:-
- -...: ..
45.0 - -
-
40.0

35.0

30.0
~ H
~
0 25.0
52
G>
>
20.0

15.0
V,
V,
u u
vi 10.0
vi >
> ::c:
::c: a.
a. ...J
5.0
...J
ct ct ...
c:: c::
UJ
UJ
z ·-· .~-=- - ~:: ·.
z UJ
2.0
UJ \!) 3.0 4.0 5 .0
\!) . 7~ .'
time/s · 90 10.0
· 11 .0 12.0

-
Use the velocity- time graph to a nswer the questions below:

J. What is the speed of the object at 1 s?

2. What can you say about the speed betwee n points B and C?
3. Betwee n which points is the re the greatest acceleration?
4. \,\!ha t is happe ning to the object betwee n points E and F?
5. What is the distance trave lled between points D and E?
6. Calculate the acceleration of the object be tween points A and B.
In the earlier worked example the acceleration and deceleration were
constant and the lines in regions A and C were straight. This is very often
not the case. You will probably have noticed that a car can accelerate
much more quickly when it is travelling at 30 km/h than when it is
travelling at 120 km/h.
A people-carrying space rocket does exactly the opposite. If you watch one
being launched you can see that it has a small acceleration as it leaves the
ground. As it is burning several tonnes of fuel per second, it quickly
becomes less massive and its acce lerati on inc reases.

END OF EXTENDED -- ·-- · -- -- - ----=--------~

.R ~ I
/:1 Fig. 1. 13 Apparatus needed for the investigation.

A student investigated the motion of a trolley rolling down a ramp.

To measure the distance travelled by the trolley at different times, she used
a ticker timer and ticker tape. A ticker timer has a moving arm that bounces
up and down 50 times each second. When the arm moves down and hits
the tape it makes a small dot on the tape.
The student attached the tape to the trolley and released the trolley to roll
down the ramp.
 . ,. .
.. . lo\n.,;;;1
·
~

.. . .•. f.fflj • · r.Pi'h.iiiJ~ ,

t1·1a1:

50clo ts,~r secona ttiis meant tnat a f,V • 0 0 8 • 0 •

.• , f -~ .:

8 -e--~ ~=
. .

w~~~
~J~~~j~m . ..
• • C
S ·0 .... ... ···-. , .-~---~ · ::i;~~- .
."..·:k.~
.. ..
· covere. ~verage speed
_ _ _ _,1!'.11 s ,or, last
O. sii.mls

0.2 3.1
;::~l-0::::··: :.3__ __ _+ - - - - - - - - t=::5;::;.2~
~5 ~0:.:...4:___ _ _ _ ~- --- --t =~==--
0.5

·,,~;_t·. _:(:·-· ·~:'

Using and organising techniques, appa~~,us~~~f
0 Suggest how using this meth od mig~ t chang~_tg~~ oti°'Qo
~~!~f~lf
1 l(:~
it rolls down the ramp. · - ·•· · · J.:~}
~ . ·. ..-,
i~~·-;_)'
8 How else could the student measure the position of -~-th~~tfolle. y .. ;~~,:.": '
e--·~':. ..
1• · ,•·
~~:~~-.A~. -;:-··

Observing, measuring and recording

@ Copy the table and complete the second colLi~ _
n,·shc;>,
:~: · . ;:·· -.<~j~
~ ihg~tfie to:c-a1 _f ·.: •-
I ·•'ilf:>
distance travelled up to that time. - · - ··:>. ~="-
-.
8 Draw a distance- time graph using the data in the first two cotGnihs:olJ,
se
your graph to describe the motio n of the trolley.
···,(~:~Edf'
0 Use the equation speed = distance/time to complete the final:c~lum
~.
......: ··:,•,;
0 Draw a spee d-tim e graph using the data in the first and fourt h. .colum _· .•

ns.
Does this graph supp ort the description of the motio n you
ga~~-in
ques tion 4? Explain your answer.

Handling experimental observations and data

@Th e student thoug ht she had made a mistake in measuring
Is .,,,
r·

the strips.
there any evidence for this on eithe r of the graphs?
VI
u
vi
>- Planning and evaluating investigations
::c
a.
~
<( 0 Woul d repea ting the experimen t make the data more reliable? Justif
a::
w answer. y you r
z
w
C,
 e of
c t it fo ils to w ards th e ground. Th e forc
obje
\ \ h~n ' ou dr op a n ce le rate.
ac ls o n th e obje ct .:i nd ca us es it to ac
~r.i, II~ nwards
e ;:rcr e le ra tio n du e to gravity ac ts dow
Th
prox im at ely JO m/s
2.
Jn d has a valu e of ap

' ..
will
iv e r ju m ps fr om a p la ne, th e weigh t
.-\ s a sk yd ca us ed
uc h gr ea te r th an th e oppos111g force
be m of
ir res is ta nc e is a form
by air re sist a nc e. A lly sh e
c on Forces ). f nitia s on the skydiver are
friction (s ee th e topi I:. Fig. 1. 14 The force
is the terminal velocity
.
m ,·a rd s at l 0 m/s .
2
balanced so the speed
will ac ce le ra te do w
---------
-EX-TE-ND-ED
ed by th e
ill in cr ea se ra pi dl y - an d th e force ca us e
dw eases. Eventually th
~h e S~')'diver's. sp ee yd iv er's sp ee d in cr
se s as th e sk nc ed
ai r re si st an ce m cr ea at ch th e w ei gh t, th e forces w ill be ba la
exactly m
re si st iv e forc e ,vill wi ll re m ai n co ns ta nt. Th is sp ee d is
e skyd iv er
an d th e sp ee d of th km/h.
as th e te rm in al ve lo ci ty, typically 180
kn ow n
ydiver ha s he r ar m s
In Fi g. 1. 14 , th e sk is
ts tr et ch ed so th e ai r re si st an ce force
ou f
ydiver m akes he rs el
fairl y high. If th e sk r
g he ad first , with he
s tre am lin ed by goin
en th e ai r re si st an ce
ar m s by he r si de, th
d an d sh e will cu t
fo rc e will be re du ce en r
e easily. Sh e will th
th ro ug h th e ai r m or
til th e force of ai r
ac ce le ra te again, un
s again to equal he r
re si st an ce in cr ea se os t
gh t. Sh e w ill no w be travelling at al m
w ei
300 km/h .
ea
very l_a rg e su rf ac e ar
A pa ra ch ut e ha s a so
large resistive force,
an d pr od uc es a very
of a pa ra ch ut is t is this parachutist
th e te rm in al velocity I:. Fig . 1. 15 The terminal velocity of
lo w. Th is m ea ns th at he or sh e ca n is qu ite low so he will be able to
land safely.
qu ite
.
la nd relativel y safely

END OF EXTENDED

rces th at lead
k ca re fu lly ab ou t th e two opposing fo or
M ak e su re you th in e ca us in g th e m ot io n (s uc h as gravity
Th e fo rc e drag
to te rm in al velocity. us ua lly re m ai ns co ns ta nt . It is th
z
0
r en gi ne ) e velocity
th e force from a ca si st an ce ) th at in cr ea ses as th
w at er re nt .
force (s uc h as ai r or la nc ed an d th e velocity st ays co ns ta
two ar e ba
in cr ea se s, un til th e
 ' _,-., • -· "-" - . - -r------' .... r:Jo-W?--.-,•~-~ ~ · ~ ~ - - - - - -

' Develo.pi-ng lnvestigative::Ski.iJs. ., ·:.-:J~,--:•.·{[j~~~ .·

- _- - - . ~ - -l·_,.;--.;:i,~~~-~---·:•_~_,:-;:·---- ~~,
Two students are investigating termina_l vel~~~~y.,lihe Y, ~?:a_ .
tall tube filled with wallpaper paste and droJ?:a 1
steeh~alb
----::1. --~ ~ ...~--►,:..;_
nto .it. ~4

The weight of the ball pulls it down throuQ~--~~~_eis~e. As it~· · · .. ,

gets faster, the drag from the paste incre~~~_s'.Hnt~4~~e two.. _,_.f~3
forces are balanced. · . ·- :, •'.· · .·_ - -::;,'i/f!.·, -
The students mark every 10 cm along the tube usiri"g':t~pe:-
- . ., ,,.. ·jr·~· .

One of the students releases the ball carefully from the surfa~~M
of the paste. ·-- · .
At the same time, the other student starts a stopclock. . ,
As the ball passes each mark, the first student calls o~t"~QStthe
second student makes a note of the time.
.
· >,/~•-\~, ..·-
- ;\~".~.- ·~-~--
Since the marks on the tube are 10 cm apart, the stusf~nts c-anf,.:.,:. . b. Fig. 1.16 Droppin-J ··
into the tall tube fill~c :. .
calculate the speed of the ball in each section of the·tuoe. · w allpaper paste.
Their results are shown in the table.
..
Distance fallen through Time/s ·-
~cm/s
paste/cm

Using and organising techniques, apparatus and materials -· ·

0 What advantage is there for the students to work together.on this
investigation?
f} What factors should the students keep constant during this investigation?

Observing, measuring and recording

€) Draw a g ra ph of speed agai nst time for this experiment. Describe the
patte rn (if any) in the results.
0 Add a second line to your graph to indicate the expected results for a
slightly larger ball with a slightly higher mass.
V\
u
V\
>-
Planning and evaluating investigations
:I:
0.
0 Suggest how the method could be improved to gain more accurate
measurements.
QUESTIONS
1. W hat is terminal velocity?
2. A skydi ver j umps from a plane . How fast will he be trave lling
after 1 s?
x v2•
3. The air resist ance force on the skydiver in question 2 = 0.15
after 1 s?
Wha t will the magn itude and direc tion of this force be
and
4. The skydiver has mass 60 kg. Wha t will be the magn itude
direc tion of the resultant force on him after 1 s?
5. tXT:-.. _ Graphs can be draw n to show how the force,
The
accel erati on and velocity of a fallin g object vary with time.
the
two graphs in Fig. 1.17 show two of these variables but
the
labels have been missed from the y-axis in each case. State
.
correct label for each y-axis. Explain the curve of each graph

time time

b)
a)

velocity of falling objects

I)Fig. 1.17 Graphs can be used to show how force, acceleration and
vary with time.

z
0
l-
o
!?
 End of topic checklist

I Key terms
acceleration, distance-time graph, gravity, speed, term inal velocity, velocity,
velocity- time graph

During your study of this topic you should have learned:

0 How to define speed and calculate speed from total distance- total time.

0 How to plot and interpret a speed- time graph or a dista nce-time graph.

0 How t o recognise from the shape of a speed-time graph when a body is:

• at rest
• moving with constant speed
• moving with changing speed.

0 How to work out the distance travelled from a speed- time graph by calculating
the area under the speed-time graph for motion with constant acceleration.

0 That acceleration is related to changing speed and how to analyse speed-time

graphs.

0 That the acceleration of free fall for a body near the Earth is constant.

0 EXTENDED How to distinguish between speed and velocity.

O EXTENDED How to define and calculate acceleration using change of velocity/

time.

O EXTENDED How to calculate speed from the gradient of a distance-time graph.

O EXTENDED How to calculate acceleration from the gradient of a speed-time
graph.

O EXTENDED How to recognise linear motion for which the acceleration is constant
and calculate the acceleration.
0 EXTENDED How to recognise motion when the acceleration is not constant.

0 EXTENDED That deceleration is a negative acceleration.

V,
>-
0 EXTENDED How to describe the motion of bodies falling in a uniform gravitational
:c field with and without air resistance (including reference to terminal velocity).
c..
 End of topic questions

Note: The marks awarded for these questions indicate the level of detail required in the
answers. In the examination, the number of marks awarded for questions like these may
be different.
1. A student's journey to school takes 10 minutes and is 3.6 kilometres. What is his
average speed in km/min? (1 mark)

2 . a) A runner runs 400 metres in 1 minute 20 seconds. What is her speed in m/s?
(1 mark)

b) At one point she is running due west at 6 m/s. Later she is running due east at
4 mis. How could we write her velocities to show that they are in opposite
directions? (2 marks)

3 . A train moves away from a station along a straight track, increasing its velocity
from Oto 20 m/s in 16 s. What is its acceleration in m/s2 ? (1 mark)

4. A rally car accelerates from 100 km/h to 150 km/h in 5 s. What is its acceleration in:
a) km/h per second (1 mark)

b) m/s 2? (1 mark)

5. a} On a distance/time graph, what does a horizontal line indicate? (2 marks)

b) A car is travelling at constant speed. What shape would the corresponding

distance-time graph have? (2 marks)

6. a} EXTENDED Describe the difference between speed and velocity. (2 marks)

b) Explain the significance of a positive or negative sign for a velocity. (2 marks)

c) Define acceleration. (2 marks)

d) State an everyday name for negative acceleration. (1 mark)

e) Explain how to calculate the distance travelled f~om a velocity-time grap~.

(3 marks)

7. A student cycles to his friend's house. In the first part of his journey, he rides 200 m
from his house to a road junction in 20 s. After waiting for 10 s to cross the road, he
cycles for 20 sat 8 mis to reach his friend's house.

a) What is his average speed for the first part of the journey? (3 marks)

b) How far is it from the road junction to his friend's house? (2 marks)

c) What is his average speed for the whole journey? (2 marks)

z
0
 End of topi c que stio ns con tinu ed
1200
8 . The graph shows a distan ce- time graph for a
1000
car journ ey.
E 800
a) What does the graph tell us about the speed of
<U
0
I
C 800
the car betwe en 20 and 60 secon ds? (2 marks ) C1l
vi I
u 400
/
, 250
b) How far did the car travel betwe en 200
/

20 and 60 secon ds? (3 marks )

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
c) Calculate the speed of the car betwe en 20 and
time/s

60 secon ds. (3 marks )

d) What happe ned to the car betwe en 80 and 100 secon ds? (2 marks)

9. Look at the veloc ity-tim e graph for a toy tracto r.

1.5
-!!!
E
z:-1 .0
·g
Q)
>o.5

0 .5 1.0 1.5
time/s
2 .0 2.5 3 .0
~
l 600N

a) Calcu late the total distan ce travel led by the tracto r

from A to C. (3 marks ) ~600N
2

b) Calcu late the accele ration of the tracto r betwe en l 600N

A and B. (1 mark)
1000N

c) Calcu late the decel eratio n of the tracto r betwe en

Band C. (1 mark)
3
10. EXTENDED The diagr am show s the stage s in the desce nt of
a
skydi ver.
a) Descr ibe and expla in the motio n of the skydiver at each
stage . (10 marks )

b) In stage 5, expla _in why the parac hutist does not sink into
the groun d. (2 marks)
4