2 D oscribing motion

GETTING STARTED
Work in plllrs .

On your own, quickly skotch a distance- tim e graph, perhaps based on your journey to school. Then ask your
portner to wrlto a description of it on a separate sheet of paper. Discuss each other's answers.

Sketch 1.1 speed- tim e graph for a sprinter running th e 100 m in a time of 9 .58 s. Label it with as much
information I.IS you know. Show how your graph could be used to work out the sprinter's acceleration at
tho start of tho race and the distance he travelled . Compare your sketch with your partner's and add to or
correct your own work . Be prepared to share your thoughts with the class .

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

The first known circumnavigation (trip around
the world) was completed by a Spanish ship on 8
September 1522. It took more than three years.
The French writer Jules Verne wrote the book
Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours (which
meons Around the World in Eighty Days) in 1873.
In honour of the writer, the Jules Verne Trophy
is a prize for the fastest circumnavigation by a
yacht, now held by the yacht IDEC Sport, which
did it in just under 41 days in 2017 . In 2002, the
American Steve Fossett was the first to make a solo
circumnavigation in a balloon, without stopping,
taking just over 13 days. In 2006, he flew the
Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer (Figure 2.1). the first
fixed-wing aircraft to go around the world without
stopping or refuelling . It took him just under
three days. Hypersonic jets are being developed
that could fly at 1 .7 km per second so they could
circumnavigate the globe in an incredible six and a
half hours.
Sometimes these epic adventures inspire those who
do them to campaign for a better world . The British
sailor Ellen MacArthur (Figure 2.2) is just such a
person. She held the world record for the fastest
solo circumnavigation, achieved on 7 February
2005. However, she retired from competitive
sailing to set up the Ellen MacArthur Foundation,
a charity that works with business and education
to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
A circular economy would create less waste as
things should be designed to last a long time and
be easy to maintain, repair, reuse or recycle.

Figure 2.2: Ellen MacArthur celebrates after completing

her record solo round the world journey on 7 February
2005 in Falmouth, England .

Discussion questions

What were the speeds of the six journeys

mentioned in the first paragraph? Assume that
the Earth's circumference is 40 000 km.
Figure 2.1: The Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer passes over 2 How could the fastest boat not win a round-
t he Atlas Mountains. the-world yacht race?

19 )
 ) CAMBRIDGE !GCSE™ PHYSICS : COU RSEBOOK

2.1 Understanding speed We cannot say whether 1•t

or if its speed was chang . Was traveliin
I
. Ing.p &at
a stopwatch to time a friend c or_exalllpJe asii,
for example, I 00 metres (s Ychng ove 'Yau \
Measuring speed .
d1stance b . ee F1gu
y time would tell
ra,. ~-•
re 2.3) D:~eq,_,
· h You th · · iv1d1\
If you travel on a major highway or through a large city,
the chances are that someone is watching you. Cameras
h
t ey m1g t have been speedin
the way.
eir avera
g Up or slo .&e s~
W1ngd .;
11
1
by the side of the road and on overhead road signs keep
an eye on traffic as it moves along. Some cameras are Table 2.1 shows the different .
. un11s th
1>\ I
calculat10ns of speed. SI units at lllay be
there to monitor the flow, so that traffic managers can
used in physics. The units mis (are th e standard~ -
take action when blockages develop, or when accidents . metres u~.
occur. Other cameras are equipped with sensors to spot remmd you that you divide a dist Per Sttond""
time (in seconds, s) to find speed a nce (m llletr... 1i .
speeding motorists, or those who break the law at traffic · are used . I n US space progr· 1n Practice, Illa"" ·,~I,-
umts
lights. In some busy places, traffic police may observe the
roads from helicopters.
Eart h are o ften given
. . .
• in feet, whil amrnes
th
e es
' heigh~,,.·
· . ,,,I
1s given m knots (nautical miles per h Pacecraf1•1.,:
In this chapter, we will look at ideas of motion and umts 1 not prevent them from reach'our) · These ~\\
. d "d "'
speed. In Chapter 3, we will look at how physicists came mg thel,jOOn! ·
to understand the forces involved in motion, and how to
control them to make our everyday travel possible.

Distance, time and speed

There is more than one way to determine the speed of a
moving object. Several methods to determine speed rely
on making two measurements:
• the total distance travelled between two points
• the total time taken to travel between these two points.
We can then work out the average speed between the
two points.

KEY EQUATION

d _ total distance travelled Figure 2.3: Timing a cycl ist over a fixed distance. Us,ng
average spee - total time taken
a stopwatch involves making judgements astowhenih•
cyclist passes the starting and finishing lines. This can
introduce an error into the measurements. An automatic

KEYWORDS timing system might be better. --

speed: the distance travelled by an object per Other unitS

unit of time
kilometre, krn I
distance metre, m
average speed: the speed calculated from total
distance travelled divided by total time taken
time second, s
1------1---------:--r;-ki:;:lo:-:m:::,etres per
We can use the equation for speed in the definition speed metres per seco nd , hour, km/h
when an object is travelling at a constant speed. If it mis en•
nits in rneasuren1
travels IO metres in I second, it will travel 20 metres in Table 2.1: Quantities, symbols and u
2 seconds. Its speed is IO mis. of speed.
I
\
20 )

d
 2 Describing motion

WORKED EXAMPLE 2.1 Determining speed in

A cyclist completed a 1500 metre stage of a race in the laboratory
37.5 s. Whal was her average speed?
There are many experiments you can do in the laboratory
Step l: Start by writing down what you know, and if you can measure the speed of a moving trolley or
what you want lo kn ow. toy car. Figure 2.4 shows how to do this using one or
distance = 1500 m two lii:ht ga te, connected to an electronic timer (or to
a computer). The light gate bas a beam of (invisible)
time = 37.5s
infra red radiation.
speed= ?
to timer
Step 2: Now write down the equation . peg START control
speed = distance breaks
l.lme infrared
beam
Step 3: Substitute the values of the quantities on the to timer
right-hand side. STOP
speed = 1500 m
37 . 5 s infrared
beam
Step 4: Calculate the answer.
speed = 40 mis

Answer
The cyclist's average speed was 40 mis.

Questions
STOP
a What was Usain Bolt's average speed when he
START
achieved his 100 m world record of 9.58 s in inte rru pt
2009? card
b How do you know that his top speed must have
been higher than this?
2 A cheetah runs I00 m in 3.1 1s. Whal is its speed?
3 Informati on about three trains travelling between
stations is shown in Table 2.2.

Distance Time taken/

Vehicle minutes
travelled / km

train A 250 120

train B 72 so Figure 2.4: Using light gates to measure the speed of a

moving troll ey in the laboratory.
tra in C 400 150
In the fi rst part of Figure 2.4, the peg attached to the
Table 2.2 trolley breaks the beam of one ligh t gate to start the
timer. It breaks the second beam to stop the timer. The
a Which train has the highest average speed? timer then shows the time taken to travel the distance
b Which train has the lowest average speed? between the two light gates.

21 )
 iGCSEn• PHYSICS:
co URSEBOOK
I
> CAMBRID GE
Similarly, the crew of an air~ h
. of ca rd called 1 "'a
, f Fi ure 2.4, a piece ' how Iong I' t w,'Ji_ take
. f.or I heir ig to
· aircraft nt 1o1:,
In the second part o g d the trolley. As the two points on Jls /11ght path: tra,,1b, ,
an iu lerrupt ca rd, is mo unle on he leading edge of
tro lley passes through the ga t~ t m 10 start the timer. . distance = :': '
time = speed or 1 ,,
1he inlcrrupl card breaks the ha ate the beam is no
When the trailing edge passes I e gTI faster the trolley
d h llfller stops. 1
longe r broken an t e . f. r which the bea m
is movi ng. the short er the ~,m;th: interrupt card, the
is broken. G iven the Ieng! o A spacecraft is orbiting t~e Earth at a stead,
tro lley's speed can be calculated. of 8.0 km/s (see Figure 2.)). How long Will : 1"'c
complete a single orbit, a dis ta nce of 44
KEYWORDS
d f object passing
light g ates: allow the spee od a~ ron ically
between them to be calculate e ect
f
inte rrupt ca rd: allows the speed o aln
b. ct
d· a :e
passing through a light gate to be ca cu a e ' d
timer starts when the card breaks the beam an
stops when the beam is no longer broken

Rearranging the equation

It is better to remember one version of an equation
and how to rearrange it than to try to remember three
different versions. The equation
--- ----
Figure 2.5
d distance
spee =
Step I: Sta rt by writing down what you kno11. a,/
allows us to calculate speed from measurements of dista nce wh a t you want to know.
and time. This equation can also be written in symbols: speed (v) = 8.0 km/s

V = .:!_ distan ce (s) = 40 000 km

I
time(t) = ?
KEY EQUATION Step 2: C hoose the appropri a te cqua11m1. wi1h1h,
_ dista nce un k nown qu anti ty, time. ~s the snbJc'<tit'l
speed - - -,- -
ume the left-ha nd side).
, __
_s I= ~ ,
I
. I 1 induJ,• un.Li
S trpJ: S ubs titute va lues - 11 can he P 1'
This is sometimes known as 1he insta nta neo us speed,
which is the speed at a part ic ula r instan I or moment in
,=40000 k m
8.0 km/s
time, whereas average speed is worked o ut over a lo nge r
time in terval. Beware, s in ibis equation mea ns distan ce S tep 4: Perform the ca lcul a ti o n .
(o r displacement) a nd no t speed. We ca n rearran ge the
I= 5000s
equation to allow us to calculate distance o r time.
For example, a railway signa ller might know how fast a Answer •\().H
. . . ()()()k 111) ,, ). ,
train is moving, and needs to be able to predict where it T he lime to complete a single orbit <'.:4 ). 1h, s,•.
wi ll have reached after a certa in length of time: 60 9 667
T his is about 92 minutes (5500 - ~. rtli ,,nr< . /
th 1
distan ce= speed x time or s=" spacecmft takes 92 mi nutes lo o rbit e "'

L 22 )

Worked Example 2.2 illustrates the importance of
looking at the units. Because speed is in kmls and
distance is in km, we do not need to convert to mis and
metres. We would get the same answer if we did the
conversion:
time = 40 000 000 m
8000mls
= 5000 s
Questions
4 An aircraft travels 900 metres in 3.0 seconds.
What is its speed?
5 A car travels 400 km in 3.5 hours. What is the speed
of the car in km/h and mis?
6 The Voyager spacecraft is moving at 17 000 mis.
How far will it travel in one year? Give your answer
in km.
ACTIVITY 2.1
Running with the wind behind you
In 2011, Justin Gatlin ran 100 metres in 9.45 seconds
(faster than Usain Bolt's world record by 0.13 seconds).
However, he was pushed along by a 20 mis tailwind
generated by giant fans as part of a Japanese game
show. A 100 m or 200 m sprint record can stand only if
a tailwind does not exceed 2 mis. Why does this rule
not apply to longer events?
First, think about how you might approach
this problem.
The day Roger Bannister ran a mile in four minutes
(6 May 1954) he almost decided not to race because
it was too windy. Imagine there is a tailwind along
the final straight section of a 400 m track which
speeds you up, and a headwind on the opposite
straight section which slows you down. Why do the
effects of the tailwind and headwind not cancel out?
(Hint: you need to think about the time it would take
you to run the straight sections.)
Imagine that you are a 400 m runner who can run
the distance in 40 s (a new world record) at the
same average speed of 10 mis. Assume that the
400 m track is equally divided so that the straight
sections and bends are each 100 m long.
2 Describing motion
7 Calculate how many minutes it takes sunlight to reach
us from the Sun. Light travels at 3 x I08 mis and the
Sun is about 144million km away.
8 A cheetah can maintain its top speed of 31mis
over a distance of 100 metres whi le some breeds of
gazelle, such as Thomson's gazelle, have a top speed
of 25 mis. This question considers how close the
cheetah needs to be to catch the gazelle if they have
both just reached top speed.
a How long does it take a cheetah to cover I00 m?
b What is the closing speed of the cheetah, that
is, what is the difference in speed between the
cheetah and the gazelle?
c How far ahead of the cheetah would the gazelle
need to be to escape? (Hint: you need the time
you calculated in a and the closing speed you
calculated in b.)
d How long would it take the cheetah to catch the
gazelle with the closing speed you calculated in
b and the distance apart you calculated in c?
Plot your time for the 400 m (y-axis) against wind
speed (x-axis). When you are running against the
wind on the straight section opposite the finish
line, subtract the wind speed from your normal
running speed. When you are running with the
wind on the fina l straight section before the
finish line, add the wind speed to you r normal
running speed.
For example, if there is a wind speed of 1 mis,
your speed along the straight opposite the fi nish
line will be 9 mis while it will be 11 mis along the
straight section before the fin ish line. Then you
need to add the times for each straight section
to the 20 s for the bends. Repeat this, increasing
the wind speed by 1 mis each time, until you
reach 10 m/s.
2 Could you have reached the answer without
plotting a graph?
3 Discuss whether it is realistic to add or subtract
the wind speed to your normal running speed.
4 Design an experiment to test how wind speed
affects running speed. You might need to
include equipment that you do not have access
to (such as the giant fans used on the Japanese
game show).
23 )
I ~tWO?.DS
v..a ~,.,.. •,,.,..,, d;e ,are o f ~ c,i an ~ s
.~/
Graphs of different~
--LI,
s,_., _me vav,.,.L -
can s how U.l a lot abo
movcmc:nL_Wa.J it moving~ a Steady ~~ ¾ IA,j,,.i-1
up, or slowing down? Wa~ it moving at air> ' or ~
Pes

, j-O-r.f me ~ <A a n ~ in a stzted do-"edioo FiguTe 2.11 represents ~ tra!n journey. -~ , ..

fouT scctiom. Each section lllUSITates a dilf,Y-% " ..
,~~,,,, ,::,c/4--:hr hi» boltl (we) and trtn1
• A; Jloping upwaTds, so the speed incr Jl<~
train is accelerating ea\e\ iU,J -::,
1/~U r '=A_.,.:. f K W.-neming thzt has magnillJde
b,_;t no cw~ B: horizontal, so the speed is con$lant afld
is travdling at a ~'leady speed th, ,.,
• C: sloping down wa Tds, so the speed d«-r
Speed-time g raphs the train is decelc:rating ea\C\ i::t.
• D: horizontal, so the speed has d«-realled 10 .
hm ~'Ke ~ ,epre,au lhe motion of a moving object and the tm in i.s .stationa ry. ltfi,
"1 a diNana--time vaph, ~-e can abo ,q,raent it by a
~

:,aph by Joo',;ini; at lhe a-

-lime vaph, A spttd-time gJaph I OO'NJ how the
ot,jta'f jJlttd dtant,e, at it tnO\-U A lways dit(.-k any
ID Jtt the labeb.
A tp«d-ume ,,-aph bai fpttd on the vertical a"iJ and
ume on the fww,ooial iui.i..
B

D
P'ltlJre 2, 1(1 IOO'Nf a spttd-ume g1aph (or a but. The
vlifil1frequently dro,n w u m 1-.iw;e the buJ stops to ·, ry
let P"..opk oo and o(f. 'fben the line 11opt;f up, as the buJ
~/lU>J _,.,,. from the stop, To-Hardt the end of itJ Figure 2.11 : An e-,<ampfe c,f .; " e d-time graph for a ··,
journ,:y, the bw it moving ai a flt'.ufy t pced (horizontal during part of iu journey.
v avhJ, a.-J it Jon not rnwe w stop. Finally. 1he y aph
duYmwardt IO 7.UO again a, the buJ pull, into the The fact that the graph line; , r · c urved in sections,\
terminu1 aruJ .wrn, and C tell~ us that the train \ .,,,t.:clcra ti on was changJn
If its •JY'
..cd had chang.cd al a \ lca dy rate, these lines
The $1,_,pe of the i pud time vaph tell• u1 about the
!'Nj'.f ~ a i i ,m; wo uld have been stra ight.
• the uaper the ~lope, the g,cater the ac«lc:ration
• a ne-t,t1i•1c i lope me--an• a de«leration (1lowing Questions
down, 11 Two students live in the sa m e apa rtment block
• a /wr'Y.mntal l!fi1P'1 <,lope = OJ mean, a ccn.nant in Hometown a nd attend the sa me school in
tP"AI, Schooltown, as shown in Fi gure 2.12. Fo r this
q uestion , work in km a nd hours.
Homole'rm Schoolt(J',I

apartment
/),
block school ~

I\ 'l,mq
o} rn
station
Flg11rt12,10: /, !;(Jt,t11)>11 rw, (Jfo(,h k,1 o Iiu§ r,n O bur;,; rCMt/,
I•• t,,~1, ,1 I,;,,; tlJ linlt lrw1111mtly 1H I,u~ ~to~ . T•Mo rd§ tht/
,,,.,,if,f MI' 11/fll't'J, ,, !nhlr,lh,n~ Ii w,w1y ~rt/'ld
"·~ ' "''117t;jf
''" n
train
I;; W1m·, ,,,:,r,..1
,,,,,,,~1,,r
_ ~
"" . uunf •fn Hmf"l"'J'
22 km
,

Figura 2, 12

l '/ /, I
 2 Describing motion

a Arun gcLB a lift lo achool in his mother's car. 14 a Copy Table 2.3 and sketch the motion graphs
The traflk is heavy so the average speed for the for each mot ion descri bed.
journey is 40 k.m/h. How rnany minutes does it
tu kc /\run to get lo school'/
Motion of Distance-time Speed-time
b Sofia leaves hornc ut the sarne lirne aa Arun body graph
graph
but she wa lk8 the OJ krn to Hometown station,
wai ts 3 mi nutes (0.05 hour) for the trai n, travels at rest
on the train to Schooltown stat ion (journey
distance 22 krn) ;ind walks the 0.7 krn from moving at
Schoo ltown station to the school. The train constant speed
averages 88 km/h and Sofia walks at 5 km/h .
How many mi nu tes docs it take Sofia to get to constant
school? acceleration
c How many mi nutes shorter is Sofia's journey (speeding up)
tirnc than Aru n's?
constant
d Draw a speed- time graph fo r thei r journeys deceleration
on th e sarne axes but assume that any (slowing down)
ch ange in speed is insta nt (do not show the
acceleratio n). Table 2.3
12 Look al the speed- time graph in Figure 2.13.
\
b Copy Table 2.4 and sketch the speed- time
(
D graphs for each acceleration described.

t Motion of
body
constant
acceleration
inaeasing deaeasing
acceleration acderation

accelerating
H
decelerating
G
10 Tabl e 2 .4

O0 10 20 30 4/ 50 60 70 80
Time / minutes
Figu re 2.13
Name the sections that represent:
a steady speed
b speedin g up (accelerating)
c bein g stationary
d slowin g down (dccclcrnti ng).
13 A car is travelli ng al 20 mis. The driver secs a .
ha zard . After a reacti on ti me of 0.7 s, she performs
an emergency stop by applyin g the brakes. The car
takes a further 3.3 s to co me to a stop. Sketch a
speed- time graph for her journey from th_e momen t
she secs the haza rd 10 the rnomcn l she bnngs her car
to " stop. Label the graph with as rnany details as
yo u can.
Finding distance travelled
A speed- time graph represents an object's movement.
It tells us about how its speed changes. We can also use
the graph to deduce (work out) how far the object travels.
To do this, we have to make use of the equation:
distance = area under speed- time graph
The area under any straight-l ine graph can be broken
down into rectangles and triangles. Then you can
calculate the area using:
area of rectangle = wid th x height
area of a triangle = _I_ x base x height
2
To understand th is equation, consider Worked Examples
2.3, 2.4 and 2.5.

27 )
ra ) CAMBRIDGE !GCSE™ PHYSICS : COU RSEBOOK

WORKED EXAMPLE 2.3

Calc ula te the dista nce you travel when you cycle for Step J: D istance travelled is the sa
a rea under the grap h . This me as the shact
20 s at a constan t speed of IOm/s (sec Figure 2. 14) . 'd d O . rectan I ,,
w1 e a n I mis h igh, so its _g e is 20
20 s = 200 m . a rea ,s 1otn1, '.
shaded area
= distance travelled Step 2: C heck using the equation:

-i"'
dista nce travelled = speed x time
" 10 -1-- - - -- -1-- - - = l Om!s x 20 s-
Q) - 200 "'
a.
V1
Answer
Yo u wo uld travel 200 m etres.
0 + - - - - - - - - - ~-
0 20
Time I s

Figure 2.14: Speed-time graph for Worked Example 2.3.

WORKED EXAMPLE 2.4

You set off down a steep sk i slope. Your initial speed is area of a t riangle = ½x base x height
0 mis. After IO s yo u are travelling at 30 mis (see Figure
l
2.1 5). Ca lculate t he d istance yo u travel in this time. x !O s x 30m!s
2
30 shaded area
= 150 m
= d istance tra velled Step 2: Check using the cq w .• o n:
ini~ •1e!ocity + final veloci1
average sp eed = -
2
"a.
Q)
Q)
= Om1. 30 mls
V1 2
= !S m/.-,
0 -JL-- - -- - - - - - distance travelled = average speed x time
0 10 = 15 mis x !O s
Time/ s
= 150 m
Figure 2. 15: Speed-time graph for Worked Example 2.4.
Answer
Step 1: Dista nce travelled is the same as the shaded Yo u travel 150 metres.
area under the graph. The shape is a triangle
with a height of 30 mis a nd base of 10 s.

28 )
 2 Describing motion

WORKED EXAMPLE 2.5

A train's motion is represented by the graph in Figure Step 3: Find the area of the orange triangle. It has a
2.16. Calculate the distance the train travels in 60 s. base of 40 sand height of 14.0 mis - 6.0 mis
14.0 = 8.0m/s
area of a triangle = ½x base x height
E = ½ 40
X 8. 0 mis
S X
.....
-0
= 160m
Q.
V) (Note: this tells us the extra distance travelled
by the train because it was accelerating.)
Step 4: Add these two areas to find the total area
20 60 and, therefore, the total distance travelled:
Time/ s
total distance travelled = 360 m + 160 m
Figure 2.16: Speed-time graph for Worked Example 2.5. =520 m

Step l : Distance travelled is the same as the shaded
areas under the graph. This graph has two
shaded areas: the pink rectangle and the
orange triangle.
Step 2: Find the area of the pink rectangle.
It is 60 s wide and 6.0 mis high, so its area =
60 s x 6.0 mls = 360m
(Note: this tells us how far the train would
have travelled if it had maintained a constant
speed of 6.0 mis.)
Step 5: Check using the equation
distance travelled = average speed x time
The train travelled for 20 s at a steady speed
of 6.0 mis, and then for 40 s at an average
speed of 10.0mls. So:
distance travelled = (6. 0 mis x 20 s) +
(10 .0m/s x 40s)
= 120m x 400m
= 520m
Answer
In 60 s, the train travelled 520 metres.

Question
15 a Draw a speed-time graph to show a car that accelerates uniform ly from 6 mis for 5 s then travels at a steady
speed of 12 mis fo r 5 s.
b On your graph, shade the area that shows the distance travelled by the ca r in 1Os.
c Calculate the distance travelled in this time.

ACTIVITY 2.2

The 4 x 100 metre relay

The purpose of this activity is to apply what you have learned about motion (and particularly sketching
speed-time graphs) to a real problem. If you get the chance to take th is activity out onto a running track, you
will need to take time and distance measurements (something you learned about in Chapter 1).

Success in a 4 x 100 m relay race depends both on the speed ofthe runners and effective baton exchange
between the runners. The baton must pass between runners within a 30 m changeover (or passing) zone,
which includes a 1Om acceleration (or fly) zone. Figure 2.17 shows the first of these three passing zones.

29 )
 ) CAMBRIDGE IGCSE™ PHYSICS: CO URSEBOOK

CONTINUED

ideul exchange
point for buton In what hand will runners rec .
baton on su bsequent legs? e1ve and carry the

---,=ib/""'"';~,,. J 100mmark
What are the_advantages of passin
to the opposite hand? g the baton
Ideally, during the baton exchan e t
of the runners should be the sa g Tihe speeds
changeover zone
this the outgoing runner starts hme. 0 achieve
. . IS run wh
1ncom1ng runner reaches a check mark. en the

1 How would you work out where to

4 Even at Olympic finals teams can be disqualified
Figure 2.17: The first bend of a 400m athletics track.
5 Imagine you are the school's athletics coach.
Each athlete actually sprints for more than 100m,
as shown in Table 2.5. By planning for the baton to
exchange between runners at the beginning or end
of the changeover box, you can adjust the distance
each runner runs. You might have a slightly shorter
distance for a 60 m sprinter and a lengthened
distance for a 100 m runner who also runs 200 m,
which also makes them used to running bends.
Usually, each runner keeps the baton in the same
hand and passes it to the opposite hand of the
next runner to exchange the baton. Usually, the first
runner carries the baton in their right hand.
1
check mark? (Hint: it might help if ypo acke the
cJ- · Usetch
spee time graphs on the same axes for bot!,
runners, starting when the runner receivin th
baton starts running.) What other info 9 e
rmat1on
wou Id you need to make this accurate?
(stopped fro": taking part) if they drop the baton
or pass 1t outside of the changeover zone Wh
does this happen so often ? · y
Table 2.5 lists the times for runners who often
compete in the senior 4 x 100 m relay.
Use this information to seie· your team and
decide which leg each run ,. r should run and
enter their names on the te,,--., sheet. Do you
have a strategy for decidinq nhich athlete
runs which leg? What othe( ",iormation might
you want to gather before making a decision?
For example, Sajjan suggests that he is the best
starter. Some athletes are better at running
bends. Some are better at passing or receiving
the baton.

100m 200m Right-handed, left-handed,

Athlete name personal personal or ambidextrous (happy Good bend runner
best/ s best Is using either hand)
Sajjan Sidhu 12.1 25.8 right
prefers bends
Gar Psi Ho 11.8 24.3 right, ambidextrous prefers bends
Andrew Kerr-Chin 11 .1 24.4 ambidextrous prefers straights but
good at both
Tom Schofield 11.7 25.1 right, ambidextrous better at straights
Oliver Hudson 12.6 26.3 ambidextrous happy to run bends
Table 2.5

30 )
 2 Describing motl<m

CONTINUED

6 CoZect dr.a frc.n )<:ur c..n 9'0llP- Use dis to select a 4 "' lOOm team and decioo who should run each log.
uipy and aimp'e::-e lh,s team~
Teammeet
leg ljpicaldstarlCl!~run / m Athlete- 100m penooal be$t
1 105
2 125
3 125
4 120

SELF-ASSESSMENT WORKED EXAMPLE 2.6

kl science it is often helpful to w;ualise tasb.. Use the gradient of the graph in Figure ~.IS to
Fa cpestion 3, <id you have a clear idea of how to calculate the car's speed on the open road .
work out whera to place the medc marks? Did the
idea of sketdw,g the speed---time graphs for the Dislance trawled / bn Tune taken / h
R.nlerS help? (The cifference in the area 1me<: the
two g,aphs up to the mornem of baton ex.change 0 0.0
should tell you how far in front of the acceleration 10 0.4
zone to place the checlc made).
20 0.8
What other information cfid you need before
decicfing whlch runner should run each leg? 100 1.8
110 2.3
Table 2.7: Data for a car journey.
2.4 Calculating speed
120
and acceleration E
100
From a distance-time graph, we can find bow fast ] 00
something is moving. Figure 2.18 shows information
about a car journey between two cities. The car travelled l ro -:ao1cm
''
more slowly at some times than at othen. It is easier to 3 40
sec this if we present the information as a graph.
C
:'
5
20 --------'
1.0h
From the graph, you can sec that the car travelled slowly
at the start of its journey, and also at the end, when 11 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5
was travelling through the city. The graph is steeper in Time taken / h
the middle section, when it was travelling on the open
Figure 2.18: Distance-time graph for a car journey.
road between the cities.
The graph also shows how to use the gradient to
calculate the car's speed on the open road:
speed = gradient of distance-time graph
More detail is given in Worked Example 2.6.

31 >
 ) CAMBRIDGE IGCSE™ PHYSICS: COURSEBOOK

CONTINUED Calculating
. acc~ r .
:elerati 1"\
0 1
Picture an express train setti '
speed = gradient of distance- time graph . ng Off fr
long, straight track. It may take
300
111 °
a stati
0
Step 1: Identify the relevant straight section of the of JOO km/h along th e track Its s to reach non .
km/ · veloc·t a '
graph. Here, we are looking at the straight I h each second, and so we sa h I Yhas inc ve1%
section in the middle of the graph, where the I km/h per second. y t at Its ace t a~(
c Cration,
car's speed was constant.
These are not very convenient u ·t i
th0
help lo make it clear what is hap; s,_al ugh th
Step 2: Draw horizontal and vertical lines to
complete a right-angled triangle. about acceleration. To calculate a enibng When w/tYIJJal
'n o 1ect' alk
we nee d to know two things : s acee1e .
Step 3: Calculate the lengths of the sides of the ration
triangle. • its change in velocity (how much . ·
1t speeds
Step 4: Divide the vertical height by the horizontal • the time taken (how long it takes t Up)
. o speed Up)
width of the triangle ('up divided by along') . The accelerat10n of the object is defined ·
vertical height = 80 km . ' I . . as the ch
an o b1ect s ve oc1ty per umt time. ange or
horizontal width = I .0 h
acceleration = change in velocity
gra d"1en t = l.()h
80km time taken
We can write the equation for acceleration in
= 80km/h · h • ti h · I • symbols
wit uv or c _ange m ve oc1ty and /1t for time taken.
Answer So we can wnte the equat10n for acceleration like this:
The car's speed was 80 km/ h for this section of its a = 11v
j ourney. /J.t
Note: It helps to include units in the calculation
. .,
KEY EQUATION
because then the answer will automatically have the
correct units, in this case, km/h . . change in velocity
acceleration = - -- -- - - - -
tirri~ 1.ken f

_ 11v
a--
11!
Question
16 Table 2.8 shows information. about a train j ourney. Alternatively, because ther, , ,: two velocities, we
could use two symbols: u = 1r1 tia l velocity and 1• = final
Distance velocity. Now we can write the equation for acceleration
Station travelled/ km like this:
Hornby 0 0 v - II
a=--
Kirby Lonsdale 10 30 11!
The advantage of this - 1-st 11at 1·f th e fina' l .velocitv·
. equat10n
Ingleton 20 45
is less than the initial velocity, the answer is negauve.
Dolphinholrne • 46 60 This tells you that the acceleration is negative (1.c. th at
Galgate 56 80 the object is decelerating).
In the example of the express train , we have in itia~ t"rne
Table 2.8
velocity 11 =0 km/h , final velocity v = 300 km/h an
1

Use the data in Table 2.8 to plot a distance-time taken I = 300 s.

graph for the train. Find the train's average speed . 300 km/h - 0 km/h = I km/h per
between Kirby Lonsdale and Dolphinholme. Give So, accelerat1on a =
300s d d
your answer in km/h. stan ar
second. Worked Example 2. 7 uses the more
velocity units of mis.

32 >
 2 Describing motion

Units of accelerat ion a = .!'...:..:". = IOO m/s - 300ml, -~ mis'

I 100s
In Worked Example 2. 7, the writs of acceleration are
This is becallSC accelerauon 15 a vector quanury:
given as m/s1 (m_etres per second squared). These are
it has a direction. It can be forwards (posime) or
the standard umts of acceleration . The calculation
backwards (negati~e). So II is important always 10 think
shows that the aircraft's velocity increased by 2 mis
about velocity rather than speed when working out
every second, or_by 2 metres per second per second. h
accelerations. because vcloc11y ts also a vecto r quanuty.
1s sl!Ilplest to ~vnte this _as 2 m/s2, but you may prefer to
think _of 11 as - mis per , econd, as this emphasises the
meamng of acceleration.
Questions
WORKED EXAMPLE 2.7 17 Which nf the following could not be a unit of
acc~leration'
An aircraft accelerates from 100 mis 10 300 mls in kmfsl mph/s bn/s m/s'
100 s. What is its acceleration?
18 A car sets off from traffic lighl.$. I I reaches a speed
Step I: Start by writing down what you know, and of 21 m/s in 10 s. \Vhat is its accderation'.'
what you want to know.
19 A train, initially mming at 15 mis.. speeds up to
initial velocity u = IOOm/s
39 mis in 120s. \\'bat is its acceleration'.'
final velocity a = 300 mis
20 The speed of a car increases from 12 m/s to '.!0 mis in
timer = 100s
4 seconds.
acceleration a =
a Sketch the speed-time graph.
S tep 2: Now calculate the change in velocity. b Calculate the acceleration_
change in velocity = 300 mis - 100 mis c Use the graph to work ou1 the distance 00\-ered
= 200m/s in those 4 s..-conds.
d Calculate the distance tra\l!lled.
Step 3: Substitute into the equation.
e If your answers 10 parts c and d are not tM
acceleration = change in velocity same. then work out where you b:n-e ma~ a
time taken mistake_
= 200m/s
100s
= 2_0m/s ' Acce leration from
Alternatively. you could substitute the values speed-time graphs
of u. • and t directly into the equation.
v- u A speed-time graph v.;th a Sleep slope silo\\, that the
a =-- speed is changing rapidly - the acceleration is ereai.er
~t
It follO\\, that "-e can find the acceleration of obj=
_ 300 - 100
-~ by calculating the gradimt of its speed-~ graph:

= 2m/s2 acceleration = gradient of speed-time graph

Three points should be noted:
AIISl\er
The object must be travelling in a straight line: its
The aircraft's acceleration is 2.0 mJs'
\'clocity is changing but its direction is not.
If the speed-time graph is curved (rather than a
If you are wo rking out the acceleration of an object that straight line). th.e acceleration is changing.
is slO'\\ing dm-11, then this alternative =tbod sho"'n in If the graph is sloping downward£. the object is
Worked Example 2.7 will gi,-e a ne.gative answer. If the
d=lerating. The gradient of the graph is negativ.:_
aircraft was slO'\\ingdo-..n from 300m/s to IOOmis then So a d=leration is a negati.,..e aettleration.
its acceleration would be:

33 )
 > CAMBRIDGE !GCSE™ PHYSICS: COURSEBOOK

1
A 1.rain uavels slowly as i1 climbs up a lo ng hill . Then T he slo ping sectio n shows that
ii speeds up as i1 travels down 1he o ther side. Table 2. 9 then accelerating. the train
~·a1
shows how il5 speed changes. Draw a speed- um e graph
Jc:.-,
10 show 1.his dara. Use the graph to calculate the !rain 's - -14.0 . -
I accdera1.ion d uring the second half of its journey.
-'-12.0-
Tune/s Speed /mis ~ -10 ;()..-~-,-..--
I 0 6.0
~ - 8.0 ·
1 - 6 ,0 ;-- - - - - ,0 -
10 6.0
~~ 0± -=-=f=-,=-'---"'-ccL.::.J.--'=:-:=-c!..:::::::'
-·
20 6.0
30 8.0
40 10.0
--------
.=-t=;+-----=i-"f-_ t -___:- ! - -
50 12.0
60 14.0 Figure 2.1 9: Speed-ti me gra p h for Wo rked Example 2.8.

Ta ble 2 .9 : Speed of a train.

Step 2: D raw in a triangle 1.0 ca lcu late the slope of
the graph , as she., n o n Figure 2.19. This
Before staning to d raw the graph, it is won h lookin g gives us th e ace, , · ~tion.
at the data in the table. The values of speed are given v- u
at eq ual intervals of time (every 10 s). Th e speed is a = --
61
constant al fi rst (6.0m/s) . Then it increases in equal
steps (8.0, 10.0, and so on). In fact, we can see that the 14 .0m/s- 6 ,J;
speed increases by 2.0 mis every IO s. This is enough to 60 s - 20.
tell us that tbe train's acceleration is 0.2 rn/s2• H owever,
= 8 . 0m/s
we will follow thro ugh the detailed calculation to
40 s
illustrate how to wo rk out acceleration from a graph .
= 0. 20 m/s 2
Step I: D raw 1.he speed- time graph using the data in
Table 2.9; this is shown in Figure 2. 19. Answer

The ini tia l horizontal section shows that the The train's acceleration down the hill is 0.20mls'.
!rain's speed was constant (zero acceleration).

Altho ugh Worked Example 2.8 uses the equation fo r 60

accelerat ion, you arc fi nding the gradient of the slope in
Figure 2. 19.

-1"'
_! I
40 -•-1
Figure 2.20 shows the speed- time graph for a skydiver I'
-0 30
fro m 1.he moment she leaves an aircra ft. She j um ps '
from 5000 m and opens her parach ute when she reaches a- 20 ;f· T:
1500 m, 60 s after she j umps. You have already learned
that you can fin d th e acceleration from the gradient of a
10
,T
speed- time graph. However, there are places where the 0
0 1CXJ
gradient of I.he graph is changing (when I.h e graph is not so
a straight lineJ. To fi nd 1. he acceleration at any moment in Time / s
lime, a tan~ nl lo I.he graph is drawn. This wo rks fo r any F" . shoviin9
•gure 2.20: The speed-time graph for a skydiver,
graph ; straight or curved . the first 105 s of the jump. ---------

34
j
/
 2 Describing motion

WORKED EXAMPLE 2.9

Look :11 Fi~ll l'I: ~.l O. \\lh111 is 1hc , kydivcr', Pnri h
i\i.'t-el.:rn ttnn nt :
n Os S1t.· 1, l: Draw a 1:111gcnt lo the gra ph at r = 5,5'.'!,
(shown below by 1hc blue line).
b 55 ,'!
S1rp 2: Draw in a lri nnglc to calculate the slope of
P~1rt 11
\he graph (shown below by 1hc dashed lines).
S1~11I : On," ll tange nt to the grn ph at t = Os (~hO\\ n
bdo11 bi 1hc blue line) . 70
60
Ste1• l: Dnm in n triangle tsh1)\\ n ht·lo,, b) th t:
d ashed lint•s ). so
i, 40
70 "O
30
60 a.
Vl 20
so
10
E 40
'"O
30 10 15 20
a.
Tune / s
"' 20
10 Stet) J: C.iluil.11c th e: ,J. .,pt' nf th t.' gr,1ph This gi vl's us
thl' ,11 L'l'.h:r,llh'll
10 15 20 ,\n,,\ cr
T,me / s The p .11 ,h.·hut1.1 h •1 u 1,•1 H1l'll ol lr\:c-f.111
(9.R m/.,~J th1: r 1 ,,n •11, l'llt ,,r the a1rcrn ft
S tr p J: C:1kul.1h.· the ~1. .,pc of !ht grnph n u~ g1, t:, (ut r = 0 1;) ,inJ lwr ,,11 dtltc,1,t·, \\1th time
u:- th e al'l'clcr:1t1on. until '- ht.' r\~11cht·, ,I ·011,1.1111 'IX •d \!tcr 5.5 hl.'r
acccll-r,,t1t,n ,, lX m/~-

Perlrnp:: . ~tl ll r an ulrc-i1d) cxpl.1 111 \\h) her acwkra t1on
rharn:.1.·:s ti:::. !!! hi.' fo ils but it " ill be c, pkiincd m
Chnl;tcr J. Can yuu !)CC \\ht·n she opi:ns her par-..11.:ht1t l.'
in Fiuun- 2.:?.0? Rccnlh m?. hu\, to \\ Ork out disllln n: on
n Spi.~ d timt· gmph . ca,; )O U \\ Or k o ut how far : :. he ha,
foll t·n whl' n sht· opctb her p.1111 L' hutt•'! Cn n )O U \\ ork out
1h~11 she la nds 160 s aft i:r : :, ht· !)Jarts h1..· r jump?
Question
21 A rar drivl'r has to do an l.' merb1..' 1u.:y stop. This is
when 1h1.·. driw r nC'L'dS to stop the cn r in th e short es t
possiblt- stoppi ng Jisrn ni:c. Thi.'~ is n ckla) between
s~inc. u ha2.ar<l um\ npplyi ng the brakes. This is due
10 th; n::.1cti on timl' or the d rivl' r. soml' timl.'s calkd
the th inki ni:. time. T he distance the car moves in 1hh
time l\, hl.' n. . lhl.' 1.·. nr has nllt chan gl.'d spl.'t.:d) is thl'
1h1n kmg. U1s1anci..'. Th1.·. dis1,111c1..· 1h1..· rn r m0\1.'S 011\.'L'
the brnkr, M l.' ,1ppltcd an d unlll th e car co mes to a
, 1op 1,; lh L' hmk mg d1,tn nrL'. The slopping db l31\CC
= 1hrnkmg di ~t!HIL'l' + brak ing dist:tlll'I.',
A rnr I'> tr.1\ el\1ng al 20 ml, \\ht'll thl' dm cr Sl'l.:S ,1
ha ,.,nl. She h,1, ;1 rl'.t<.: lilrn time of 0. 7 , nncl bri ng:::.
her ca r to fl stop 1t.0 s after seeing the danger,
o Dmw n speed ti mc grn ph to rcp rcsc 11t th e car's
motio n durin g. th e 4.0 s dc~c ribcd . Ass ume
tlmt the llcccle r:1t ilm (n cgat1 vc ni:cch!nuion ) is
i. '.O nstant .
b u~c the gra ph to dcch1t(' (work out) th..: ca r·~
d1.·l·ckration 11 -; il slows do,\ n.
Us.: the grap h 10 d1..·dt11.:c how for the cn r tnl\ l' b
during th l' 4.0s ctc~cribcd .

35 )
 ~)__~_ •_SRt
_ DG
_ £_1G_cs
_ E""
_ P_HYS
__,cs
_"_
oo__
uR_s_E_a_o_o_K________

Using ticf<er tape to find the acceleration of a

trolley down a ramp
4 Use- the gradient from the
)bu are going to investigate the- motion of a trolley 9 "'Ph to taltt
accelera tion .
chm a ramp. Some tidce-r tape is attached to the ,-,,
trolley - and a tidce-r timer marks the- paper SO times Alternative approach
a second (Figure 221 ). As the- trolle y accelerates. the-
distance between the dots increases. Every fifth dot has been numbered Th·
to the d istance travelled every 0. 1 ; _ 15 co~
The tidce-r timer marks the- paper SO times a
second. What interval o f time does each gap 1 Cut a copy _o f the the ticker tape into
represent? corresponding to every fifth dot (O 1
intervaQ. · 15 t in,
To find the speed at a particular dot. you ne-e-d
to measure the distance cove-red over a short 2 Stick the lengths side by side (like a hist
interval o f time centred on the dot. Measure the onto graph paper, with the bottom of "J:>-
d -.s tance between the preceding (previous) dot on the horizontal axis. ea !:'t
and succeeding dot (the one that follows). For
example, to find the speed at dot 15, we ne-e-d 3 Draw a line through the dot at the top of ,
to find the distance covered between dot 14 strip (or the middle of the top of each st,t:>,
and dot 16 (13 mm) and then divide by the time dot is missing). ,, .,
taken to cover this d istance (2 x 0.02 s = 0.04 s),
4 Werle out the sca le for each axis. The width ,
using the equation: 0
each strip is equa I " ' a time interval of 0.1s.
speed= d istance-= 13mm = 0 _32Sm/s
time 0 .04s 5 Worlc out the gra- • of the speed-time 9.,,.
you have constrv
2 Copy and complete Table 2. 10, using the ticker
tape to he-Ip you.
-
Dot number TTme since tape started I s Distance covered ,' 1,1 m Speed /mis
0 0.0
5 0.1
10 0.2
15 0.325
13
20
-
25
30 -
Table 2.10

2...~. . ,.o 15 20

Figure 2.21: Ticker tape.

36 )

PROJECT
Your teacher will decide whether you will work on
your own, i_n pairs or as part of a small group, Your
task is to plan a three-part revision lesson on the
material in this chapter for the rest of your class,
particularly the link between motion graphs and the
equations of motion . Write down a plan to show
what you would do and what resources you would
use. If you have time, you can produce and teach
the lesson to sm all groups of your classmates or the
whole of your class. The following points will help
you as you plan the revision lesson .
You need to be able to answer questions on
motion graphs and equations of motion so that
you can then use them as a basis to write your
own own questions.
You need to produce model answers for your
questions or come up with a better way of
getting the ideas across.
Insist that your classmates show their working.
You need to label what parts of your questions
are supplementary.
Here are some suggested questions which you can
use in your plan for the lesson :
Part 1, How to Interpret motion graphs
Question for your classmates to answer. 'Copy and
complete the table by stating what feature of the
motion graph can be used to obtain the variable
listed in the left-hand column. The first cell has
been done for you.'
Speed-time
Distance-time
graph graph
read off the
distance verti cal axis
speed
accelera tion
You might want to suggest that your classmates
colour code the table in some way.
Can you think of a better way of getting Information
from motion graphs?
2 Describing motion
Part 2: Linking motion graphs to equations
of motion
Question for your classmates to answer: 'A body
moving at 2 m/s accelerates for 2 seconds until
it reaches a speed of 4 m/s. Show that the body
2
travels a distance of 6 m and accelerates at 1 m/s .'
You need your classmates to get the same answer
for the question you produce using two different
methods.
Method 1: Use the relevant equations (for
acceleration and distance)
Some of your classmates will get the distance wrong
because they do not use the average speed in the
equation for distance .
Method 2: Sketch the motion graph
Your classmates should use the gradient of the
graph to find the acceleration and the area under
the curve to find the distance. However, some of
your classmates will sketch the motion from the
origin (instead of from 2 mis) and will work out
the area of a triangle (instead of a triangle plus a
square) so will get a distance travelled of 2 metres.
Others will measure the horizontal and vertical
distances with a ruler to work out the gradient
instead of using the scale on the axes to work out
the changes in the speed and time to work out
the gradient.
You need to come up with similar questions
(different numbers) and their model answers.
Perhaps try your question on a few of your fri ends
to check that it is clear and to pick up common
mistakes. You could provide your question and a
wrong solution and ask other members of your class
to spot and correct the mistakes.
Part 3: Putting learning into practice
Questions for your classmates to answer:
Bloodhound LSR is being developed to achieve a
new land speed record of 1000 mph. The vehicle
will be timed over a 'measured mile' half-way down
a 12 mile long salt pan in South Africa .
If Bloodhound achieves 1000 mph, how long
would it take to complete the 'measured mile'?
37 >
 _)_CAM
__s_R,_D_GE_,_G_cs_E_'"_P_H_Ys_,cs_ : c_o_u_R_sE_s_o o_ K_ __ _ _ _ _

What is the total time i h

• . or t e 12rriiJ .
What 1s the acceleratio eJot,1
. norde I lk
th e vehicle and how do h· ce erati ·,.1
est ,s on
acce Ieration of freefall (9 compare 01
. ·81mls1?· lo~
First, you need to answer th ·
e question Y
When you set your question d .d ourself.
, ec, ewh
to convert the data in the que t· ethe,
s ion to Si
or get your classmates to do it th Uni~
(1 mph= 0.447 mis; 1 mile= 161;m)selves
m.
Figure 2.22: Bloodhound LSRduring a practice run on You could introduce the question . h
. b w,t ash 0
the Hekslceenpan in South Africa. cI1p a out the vehicle. Adapt the . n,;~
question '- "'l
an d pro duce a model answer 50 th t sa.,,,,
a yourp
Sketch a speed-time graph for its journey. can chec k and correct their solution F eers
you could flip the question by tellings. or examp1,
Label it with significant speeds and times. . yourpe '
the maximum acceleration and decele . ers
Assume that Bloodhound accelerates uniformly .I d ration of•
until it reaches the 'measured mile' and then ve. h,c e anh get
,
them to work out the m· . "•
, in1mum
d,stance t e track needs to be, or you could
decelerates uniformly so that it comes to rest
12 miles from the start (and before the end of
change the data wh,le keeping it realistic.
the salt pan).

SUMMARY
'
·-
Speed is distance divided by time. -. ..
Average speed is total distance divided by total time.
Light gates and interrupt cards can be used to measure speed in the laboratory.
.. I
The equation that relates speed, di.1tance and time can be re-arranged to find any one o; the variables, given ill
I
values of the other two.
The gradient (slope) of a distance-time graph represents speed.
Acceleration is a change in speed.
The greater the gradient (slope) of a speed-time graph, the bigger the acceleration. -
Distance travelled can be calculated (worked out) from the area under a speed- time graph. -th
Speed can be calculated from the gradient of a distance-time graph and acceleration can be calculated from e
I gradient of a speed- time graph.

I
Speed is a scalar and velocity is a vector.
th
Acceleration can be calculated from the change of speed divided by time and a negative acceleration is csame
-- I
as a deceleration. I
---- I

38 )
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p !he ,101,tnii line Ill lhil end
3 A 11111 11 lukc, pnrl In o 61111 11 rocc, The Nnnll complelcti the 180 cm courNe In
7,0111i11u1c1. Whm l1 the 11pprox l11111Lc nvcroiic speed of 1110 fi nnil? (1 ]
A Q.43 111/1 B 26 mi• C 0.26 111/1 D 0.0043 m/J
4 1 ho volocl1 y 111110 ar111lh ahow1 1110 perrormunce of II Pormu l11 I"' rucing co r us
It 11ccclcri11c1 rro111 nm for 7.33 accond~nml 1hcn br11 kcN, coming 10 11 Hlop in
2,69 ~cconu,. h coven n dl1111 11cc or520 111c1res.

50
J

T11 no / ,

Whnl I• the n11rroxlmu10111oxlmum volochy or tho enr'I (1 )

A ! Om/• a 75 m/• C IO! m/1 0 175 111/•

39 )
 / CAMBRIDGE IGCSE'" PHYS ICS: COURSEBOOi<

CONTINUED

The lllble 1how1 UAin Bolt', split time, from bif -.,,td ncord fOOm nm in
fktll11 In 1009. Eacb .split~ 11 tor a lOm~ ot lhe lOOm dillaucc.
The lime for tbe!i.ist IOm incl~hi, ~timeof0.146s bdorc beldt
bis bkx:b

0 0
"'
0 0 0 0 0 0 g
..,;!
0
c!,
...
c!, c,.
"
6-0 c!, Jc,.
"' "' " a)

1.89 0.99 0.90 0.86

0.83 0.82 0.81 0.82 0.83 0.83
a , al<-ulall the time that Usain Bolt taus to nm tbe first 10 metm from
the moment be mns moving.
[1 )
b Calculate Usain Boll's average speed c,ver the lint JO mems from tbe
mOTT!fflt he starts moving. [2)
c Calculate U saln Bolt's maximum spced cmt fbefirR JO metres. e xp la in: s.-::: c .-:
Ignore his reaction time and assume his acceleration is constant (2) purpo= o·
reasons; rn c<-=-
d Calculate Usain Bolt's acceleration c,ver the firR 10 i:netRa. the refa·tion.s..~·::; ~
Ignore his reac:tion time and assume his aoceleratioo is constant. (2) between thircs
• Calcula te Usain Boll's top speed in the race. Show )'Ollr working. (2) evide nt; pro/::'=
why and/or ho,, , · :
suppo rt ·w i~n ~e -=- . ::-:
CTotal: SJ evide nce
6 An aircraft happened to be flying oear a vokaoo when it aupled. The co-pilot
took tome video footage. He handed the loota,e om: ro ICientists for anaJya
The lcientlsu spotted a huge boulder tbat was .moving at a oonstant speed
boriwntalJy (sideway,) in the first frame and falling in ~ t frames of the
video, Tiiey wanted to work out bow far lbeai,ii and Rd: would spread.
a .Plot a graph of the position of the bouJcb at inlenals oC S ICCODds.
Plot the vertical height of the bouJcb (ffltQI axis) against the
horizontal di$tance travelled Choriz.ontaJ axis). (3)

0 0 4420
5 525 4292
10 1050 3924
15 1580 3311
20 2100

_ _______________
2453
25 2630 1349
30 3150
.__ b _;..
J,>! pl:d11 tbethape of the graph.
0
(1 J

'° >
L
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u.:!ll..:c?l:l>"IU£:l1b,e....te:i,,_~.aeJC-atJail~Ca~ ::'~~;a:-~'"!.
~ i n ~ o:;zo-(5vmnm>C•~i!z.MW'e:--...&5-ll:Jll:!l'.c.t --~--;...-~
.=.c. ;,mm: lhx ._ wn 111uu2:;u1:,'1JQl:Z1'.m.it=,tmlCIIL
l.t,!ll!r~ln ~:U.fc:rur;t..:.i.:tr~:ir ::fie
~;JJC:c;.-lic:Jt:-~ ~7?~=:~
-=,:.--= - :;:t',e'
• ~~;,:w7VIC!fm=t.ai.dz:iam=. IA) -::: - -::,-....::=
: ~ "IIO:f'Sl&::z:alJStt..a:a:t~Qlle::'"2~201i.aa._JS.&.:::Eee '.:i..r.:r~
all~i:!=:lQlr~~~ c;' =..:::n:

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