Course Code: AS111

Course Title: PHYSICS I

Class Day: WED Timing: 12:30 – 2:00

Lecture / Week No. 1

Instructor Name: Waheeduddin Hyder

Department of Computer Science

Contents

1. Displacement

2. Velocity

3. Acceleration

4. Sound Wave Intensity

Reference No 1 Displacement
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• If a particle is moving, we can easily determine its change in position.

The displacement of a particle is defined as its change in position.
• As it moves from an initial position xi to a final position xf, its
displacement is given by xf - xi
• We use the Greek letter delta (∆) to denote the change in a quantity.
• Therefore, we write the displacement, or change in position, of the
particle as
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• Displacement is an example of a vector quantity.

• Many other physical quantities, including velocity and acceleration,
also are vectors.
• In general, a vector is a physical quantity that requires the
specification of both direction and magnitude.
• By contrast, a scalar is a quantity that has magnitude and no
direction.
• In this chapter, we use plus and minus signs to indicate vector
direction.
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• We can do this because the chapter deals with one-dimensional

motion only; this
means that any object we study can be moving only along a straight
line.
• For example, for horizontal motion, let us arbitrarily specify to the
right as being the positive direction.
• It follows that any object always moving to the right undergoes a
positive displacement , and any object moving to the left undergoes a
negative displacement x.
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Reference No 1 Velocity

• The average velocity ‘v’ of a particle is defined as the particle’s

displacement ∆x divided by the time interval ∆t during which that
displacement occurred:
Reference No 1 Speed

• In everyday usage, the terms speed and velocity are interchangeable.

• In physics, however, there is a clear distinction between these two
quantities.
• Consider a marathon runner who runs more than 40 km, yet ends up at his
starting point.
• His average velocity is zero! Nonetheless, we need to be able to quantify
how fast he was running.
• The average speed of a particle, a scalar quantity, is defined as the total
distance traveled divided by the total time it takes to travel that distance:
Avg Speed = Total Distance/Total Time
Reference No 1 Instantaneous Velocity & Speed

• The instantaneous velocity vx equals the limiting value of the ratio ∆x/ ∆ t
as ∆ t approaches zero

• The instantaneous speed of a particle is defined as the magnitude of its

velocity.
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Reference No 1 Acceleration

• The average acceleration of the particle is defined as the change in

velocity ∆vx divided by the time interval ∆t during which that change
occurred:
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References / Resources

• 1 - University Physics, Sears and Zemansky, Pearson Education

• 2 -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_interference#/media/File:Interference_of_two_waves.svg
• 3 - https://www.britannica.com/science/light/Youngs-double-slit-experiment