Republic of the Philippines

EASTERN VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Tacloban, City College of Arts
and Sciences
Natural Sciences Department

Instructional Materials in Physics

Physics 124 (Mechanics & Heat)

Module II
Motion Along Straight Line
Motion in two or three Dimensions

Ma. Cristita O. Elmido, LPT

Instructor
Natural Sciences Department
Eastern Visayas State University
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COPYRIGHT 2020
EASTERN VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY
SALAZAR ST., DOWNTOWN, TACLOBAN CITY
6500 LEYTE, PHILIPPINES
Unit II: Motion Along Straight Line

This module focuses on kinematics-the study that deals with the descriotion of motion. Kinematics uses the following
basic concepts of motion: distance, displacement, speed, velocity, and acceleration. Kinematics describes the position
and motion of an object as a function of time, but does not include the cause or factors that affect the motion. The two
methods by which the motion of an object can be described are those using mathematical equations and graphical
analysis.

A. Motion involves the displacement of an object from one place in space and time to another. The displacemnt ∆x
of an object is defined as its change in position and is given by

∆ =xf – xi

Where xi is the coordinate of the initial position of the car and xf is the coordinate of the car’s final position. (The indeces
I and f stand for initial and final respectively.)

SI unit meter(m).

Average speed of an objects over a given time interval is the length of the path it travels divided by the total elapsed
time.

Average speed= path length

elapsed time
SI unit: meter per second (m/s)

The average velocity v during a time interval ∆t is the displacement ∆ divided by ∆t.
→
V=∆ = xf – xi
∆t tf-ti

SI unit: meter per seconds (m/s).

B. Instantaneous velocity v is the limit of the average velocity as the time interval ∆t becomes infinitesimally
small.

v=lim ∆
∆t
→ 0 ∆t
SI unit: meter per second (m/s)

C. Average instantaneous acceleration

The average acceleration a during the time interval ∆t is the change in velocity ∆v divided by ∆t:

A= ∆ = vf – vi
∆t tf-ti

SI unit: meter per second (m/s2)

Instantaneous acceleration a is the limit of the average acceleration as the time interval ∆t goes to zero.

a=lim ∆
∆t →0 ∆t
 D. One-Dimensional Motion with Constant Acceleration
When an object moves with constant acceleration, the instantaneous acceleration at any point in a time
interval is equal to the value of the average acceleration over the entire time interval.
The most useful equations that describe the motion of an object moving with constant acceleration along the x-
axis are as follows:
Equation Information Given by Equation
V=v0+at velocity as function of time
∆ = v0t+1/2 at2 Displacement as a function of time
2 2
V =v0 +2a∆ Velocity as a function of displacement
Note: Motion is along the x-axis. At t= 0, the velocity of the particle is v0.

E. Free falling bodies

An object falling in the presence of the Earth’s gravity exhibits a free-fall acceleration directed toward Earth’s center.
If air friction is neglected and if the altitude of the falling objects is small compared with earth’s radius, then we can
assume the free-fall acceleration g=9.8 m/ s2 is constant over the range of motion.

Because a=-g for free fall and we use y instead of x, we have the following.

Sample problem:

1. Ms. Bernadette is riding a scooter at a velocity of 80 km/hr, when she sees his classmates named Mr. Saavedra
crossing the road 45 m away. She immediately steps hard on the brakes to get the maximum deceleration of 7.5
m/s2 . How far will she go before stopping? Will she hit Mr. Dee?
Given: vi=80 km/hr or 22.22 m/s
Vf= 0
a=-7.5 m/s2
Find: d

Solution:
d=vf2 -vi2
2a
=0 - (22.22 m/s)2
2

2 (-7.5 m/s)2

=-493.73m2/s2
-
15 m/s2
d=32.92m
2. The time a male bungee jumper is freely falling is 1.5 seconds.
a. What is the velocity of the jumper at the end of 1.5 seconds?
b. How far does he fall?

Find: a. vf b. d
 Solution:

a.vf=vi+gt

=0+ (9.8m/s2) (1.5s)

Vf=14.7 m/s or 15m/s

b. d=vit+gt2
2
=0+1/2(9.8 m/s2)(1.5s)2

=0+1/2 (9.8m/s2)(2.25s2)

d=11.025m or 11 m

SELF-CHECK

1. Mrs. Cristy car starts from rest and attains a speed of 50 m/s in 15 seconds. How far has the car traveled in 15
seconds?
2. Mr. Ritchard is driving his sports car at 30 m/s when he sees a dog on the road ahead. He slams on the brakes and
comes to stop in 3.0 seconds. What is the acceleration of Michael’s car?
3. A race car starting from rest accelerates at a constant rate of 5.00 m/s2. What is the velocity of the car after it has
traveled 1.00x102 ft? (b) How much time has elapsed? (c) Calculate the average velocity two different ways.
4. A carpenter on the roof accidentally drops a nail that hits the ground after 2.5s.(a) how high is the roof? (b)What is
the velocity of the nail just hit before hitting the ground?
5. A juggler tosses three balls alternately vertically upward. Each ball has an initial velocity of 5 m/s. How high does
each ball rise? How long does each ball remain in the air?
6. A turtle crawls along a straight line, which we will call the x-axis with the positive direction to the right. The
equation for the turtle’s position as a function of time is x(t)=50.0 cm+(2.00cm/s)t-(0.0625 cm/s2)t2. (a) Find the
turtle’s initial velocity, initial position, and initial acceleration. (b) At what time t is the velocity of the turtle zero?
(c) How long after starting does it take the turtle to return to its starting point? (d) At what times t is the turtle a
distance of 10.0 cm from the starting point? What is the velocity (magnitude and direction) of the turtle at each of
these times?(e) Sketch graphs of x versus t,vx, versus t, and ax versus t, for the time interval t=0 to t=40s.
7. Sally is driving along a straight highway in her classic 1965 Mustang. At time t=0, when sally is moving at 10 m/s
in the positive x-direction, she passes a signpost at x=50 m. Her x-acceleration is a function of time: (a) find her x
velocity and position as functions of time. (b) When is her x-velocity greatest? (c)What is the maximum x-velocity
? (d) Where is the car when it reaches the maximum x- velocity?
Unit III: Motion in Two or Three Dimensions

A. Projectile Motion

A projectile is any body that is given an initial velocity and then follows a path determined entirely by the effects of
gravitational acceleration and air resistance. A battled baseball, a thrown football, a package dropped from an airplane,
and a bullet shot from riffle are all projectiles. The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.

There is one set of three equations for each direction, with the initial velocities modified. In the x-direction, with ax
constant, we have

Vx=vox + axt 3.11a

∆x=vox t+ ½ axt2 3.11b

Vx2=v0x2+2ax∆x 3.11c

Where vox =vo cos 0. In the y-direction, we have

Vy=voy+ayt 3.12a

∆ =voyt+½ ayt2 3.12b

Vy2=v0y2+2ay ∆ 3.12c

Where v0y = v0 sin and ay is constant. The object’s speed v can be calculated from the components of velocity using the
Pythagorean theorem:
2 2
V=√ x +vy

The angle that the velocity vector makes with the x-axis is given by
vy
=tan-1
vx

The kinematics equations are easily adapted and simplified for projectile’s close to the surface of the Earth. In that case,
assuming air friction is negligible, the acceleration in the x-direction is 0 (because air resistance is neglected.) This means
that ax=0, and the projectile’s velocity component along the x-direction remains constant. If the initial value of the
velocity component in the x-direction is v0x =v0 cos 0, then this is also the value of v-at any later time, so

Vx=v0x=v0cos 0=constant 3.13a

Whereas the horizontal displacement is simply

∆x=v0xt=(v0cos 0)t 3.13b

For the motion in the y-direction, we make substitution ay=-g and voy=v0 sin 0 in equations giving
 Vy=v0 sin 0 -gt 3.14a

∆ =(v0sin 0)t-1/2 gt2 3.14b

Vy2=(v0sin 0)
2
-2g∆ 3.14c

The important facts of projectile motion can be summarized as follows:

1. Provided air resistance is negligible, the horizontal component of the velocity vx remains constant because there
is no horizontal component of acceleration.
2. The vertical component of the acceleration is equal to the free-fall acceleration -g.
3. The vertical component of the velocity vy and the displacement in the y-direction are identical to those of freely
falling body.
4. Projectile motion can be described as a superposition of two independent motions in the x-and y-directions.

Sample problem:

1. An Alaskan rescue plane drops a package of emergency rations to stranded hikers. The plane is travelling
horizontally at 40.0 m/s at a height of 1.00x102 m above the ground. (a) Where does the package strike the
ground relative to the point at which it was released? (b) What are the horizontal and vertical components of
the velocity of the package just before it hits the ground? (c) Find the angle of the impact.

Solution:

(a) Find the range of the package. ∆ =(v0sin 0)t-1/2 gt2

Use equation 3.14b to find the displacement: y=-(4.90m/s2)t2=-1.00x102m

Substitute y0=0 and v0y=0, and set y=-1.00x102 m, t=4.52 s

the final vertical position of the package of the

package relative to the airplane. Solve for time:
∆x=v0xt=(v0cos 0)t
Use equation 3.13b to find the x-displacement:
∆ = − 0 =v0xt
Substitute x0=0, v0x=40.0 m/s, and the time:
X=(40.0 m/s) (4.52s)=181 m
(b) Find the components of the package’s velocity at
impact:
Vx=v0cos =(40.0m/s) cos 00=40.0 m/s
Find the x-component of the velocity at time of
impact:

Find the y-component of the velocity at the time of Vy= v0sin -gt=0-(9.80m/s2)(4.52s)=-44.3 m/s
the impact:

=tan-1 vy
(c) Find the angle of the impact vx
=-44.3m/s
Write equation and substitute values:
40.0 m/s
Apply the inverse tangent functions to both sides: = -1.11
=tan-1 (-1.11)=-48.0°
 SELF-CHECK

1. The speed of a trained is reduced uniformly from 15 m/s to 7.0 m/s while travelling a distance of 90 m. (a) Compute
the acceleration (b) How much farther will the train travel before coming to rest, provided the acceleration remain
constant .
2. A stone is thrown straight upward and it rises to a height of 20 m. With what speed was it thrown?
3. A baseball is thrown with an initial velocity at 100 m/s at an angle at an angle of 30.00 above the horizontal, as
shown in Fig.2-7. How far from throwing point will the baseball attain its original level?

4. As shown in Fig. 2-5 , a projectile is fired horizontally with a speed 0f 30 m/s from the top of a cliff 80 m high
(a)How long will it take to strike the level ground at the base of the cliff? (b) How far from the foot of the cliff
will it strike? (c) with what velocity will it strike?
 5. A stunt flier is moving at 15 m/s parallel to the flat ground 100 m below, a shown in the Fig. 2.6 . How large must
the distance x from the plane to target be if a sack of flour released from the plane is to strike the target?

Prepared by: Ma. Cristita O. Elmido-Matchino, LPT For online submission: google classroom account
Natural Sciences Dept. Faculty For queries: 09272247235
Eastern Visayas State University cristymatchino1108@gmail.com;
macristita.elmido@evsu.edu.ph