NOTE

P H Y S I C S

KINEMATICS
ACCELERATION

What you already know What you will learn

• Problems on average speed and • Instantaneous speed and velocity

average velocity • Acceleration

Distance to Speed to Velocity

Instantaneous speed
The rate of change of distance with respect to time, when the time interval is infinitesimally small,
is known as instantaneous speed.
Let x be the distance travelled by the particle that varies with time t as,
x = f (t)
Let v be the instantaneous speed
dx
x + dx

0 t t + dt x

Let dx be the distance travelled by the particle in time interval t to t + dt

If dt is a very small time interval, then v can be taken as constant over distance dx.
Therefore,
Distance = Speed × Time
dx = v × dt
Hence,
dx
v (t ) =
dt

Example

The displacement of a particle is given by x = 2t2 + 4t, where x is in meters.

(a) Find the average speed in 2 s. (b) Find the instantaneous speed at 2 s.

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 02

Solution

(a) Distance travelled by the particle in time t is x = (2t2 + 4t) m

Given, t = 2 s
⇒ x = 2 × 22 + 4 × 2
⇒ x = 8 + 8 = 16 m

Therefore, the total distance travelled in 2 s is 16 m.

Total distance
Average speed =
Total time
16 m
⇒ Average speed = = 8 ms -1
2s
dx
(b) Instantaneous speed = v ( t ) =
dt
Given, x = ( 2t + 4t ) m
2

d
⇒ v (t ) =
dt
( 2t 2 + 4t )

⇒ v ( t ) = ( 4t + 4 ) ms -1
At givent t = 2 s, the instantaneous velocity is
v ( 2) = 4 × 2 + 4
v ( 2) = 8 + 4 = 12 ms -1

Example

The displacement of a particle is given by x = (3t2 + 2t + 2) m. Find the following:

(a) Velocity as a function of time t. (b) Average velocity in 4 s.

Solution
dx
(a) v ( t ) = (b) t=0s t=4s
dt
x (m)
Given , x = 3t 2 + 2t + 2 0 2 58
56 m
d x = f (t)
⇒ v ( t ) = (3t 2 + 2t + 2)
dt
Displacement of the particle at 0 s is
⇒ v ( t ) = ( 6t + 2) ms -1
x (0) = 3 × (0) + 2 × 0 + 2
3

x (0) = 2m ........ ( i )
Displacement of the particle at 4 s is

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 03

x ( 4 ) = 3 × 42 + 2 × 4 + 2
x ( 4 ) = 58 m
Displacement of the particle between t = 0 s and t = 4 s
= (Displacement of the particle at 4 s) - (Displacement of the particle at 0 s)
= x ( 4 ) - x (0)
From ( i ) and ( ii ) ,
= 58 m - 2 m = 56 m
Therefore, displacement of the particle in 4 s is 56 m
Total displacement
Average velocity =
Total time
56
= = 14 ms -1
4

Example

The displacement of a particle is given by x = (t2 - 6t + 3) m. Find the following:

(a) Velocity as a function of time t. (b) Average speed in 5 s.

Solution

(a) Velocity of the particle is

dx
v (t ) =
dt
Given, x = t 2 - 6t + 3
d
v ( t ) = ( t 2 - 6t + 3)
dt
v ( t ) = ( 2t - 6 ) ms -1

(b) Displacement of the particle at t = 0 s is of the particle will be zero.

x (0) = (0) - 6 × 0 + 3
2
Now,
x (0) = 3 m ...... ( i ) v(t) = (2t - 6) ms-1
Thus,
Displacement of the particle at t = 5 s is
v (t ) = 0
x (5) = 52 - 6 × 5 + 3
⇒ 2t - 6 = 0
x (5) = -2 m ......(ii)
⇒t = 3 s
Since x (5) is negative, this means that the
particle must have turned between t = 0 s and Therefore, the velocity of the particle is zero
t = 5 s. At the time of turning back, the velocity at t = 3 s.

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t=3s t=5s t=0s

x (m)
-6 -2 0 3 x = f (t)
As shown in the figure, the particle moved in a negative x - direction between t = 0 s and t = 3 s.
After t = 3 s, the particle turned back and started moving in the positive direction.
Displacement of the particle at t = 3 s is
x (3) = 32 - 6 × 3 + 3
x ( 3) = - 6 m ........ ( iii )
Distance travelled by the particle between t = 0 s and t = 3 s is
= |(Displacement of the particle at t = 3 s) - (Displacement of particle at t = 0 s)|
From (i) and (iii)
= x ( 3) - x ( 0 )
=-6 -3
= 9m ........(iv)
Distance travelled by the particle between t = 3 s and t = 5 s is
= |(Displacement of the particle at t = 5 s) - (Displacement of particle at t = 3 s)|
From (ii) and (iii)
= x ( 5) - x ( 3)
= -2 - ( -6 )
= 4m .......(v)
Total distance travelled by the particle is
= (Distance travelled by the particle between t = 0 s and t = 3 s) + (Distance travelled by the
particle between t = 3 s and t = 5 s)
From (iv) and (v),
= 9m + 4m = 13m .....(vi)
Total distance
Average speed =
Total time
From ( vi) ,
13
Average speed =  ms -1
5

BOARDS
Acceleration

Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity with respect to time.

SI unit : ms-2

Average acceleration Instantaneous acceleration

The rate of change of velocity averaged The rate of change of velocity with respect to time
over a defined time interval when the time interval is infinitesimally small.
    
 v f - v i ∆v   ∆v  dv
a= = a = lim   =
∆t →0 ∆t
t f - t i ∆t   dt

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 05
Acceleration of the particle is
dv
a (t ) =
dt
1. On differentiating velocity v(t), with v ( t ) = (to
Givenrespect 2
+ t ) we
2ttime, ms -1get acceleration.
d ( 2t 2 + t )
2. On integrating acceleration a(t),a (with
t ) =respect to time, we get velocity.
dt
d d
a (t ) = 2 (t2 ) + (t )
dt dt
Example a ( t ) = ( 4t + 1 ) ms -2
....(i)
At given t = 2 s
Velocity of particle in rectilinear motion is given
Fromas v = (2t( i2)+, t) ms-1. Find the following:
equation
(a) Acceleration at 2 s. (b) Average acceleration in 2 s.
a ( 2) = 4 × 2 + 1
a ( 2) = 9 ms-2
Solution Therefore, acceleration of the particle at t = 2 s is 9 ms-2
∆v v f - v i
(a) Acceleration of the particle is (b) Average acceleration = =
∆t tf - ti
dv
a (t ) = v ( t ) = ( 2t 2 + t ) ms -1
dt
Given v ( t ) = ( 2t 2 + t ) ms -1 v f = v ( 2) = 2 × 22 + 2 = 10 ms -1
d ( 2t 2 + t ) v i = v ( 0) = 2 × 02 + 0 = 0 ms -1
a (t ) = t f = 2 s, t i = 0 s
dt
d 2 d 10 - 0
a (t ) = 2
dt
( t ) + (t )
dt
Average acceleration =
2-0
= 5 ms -2

a ( t ) = ( 4t + 1 ) ms -2
....(i)
At given t = 2 s
From equation ( i ) ,
a ( 2) = 4 × 2 + 1
a ( 2) = 9 ms-2
Therefore, acceleration of the particle at t = 2 s is 9 ms-2
∆v v f - v i
Average acceleration = =
∆t tf - ti
v ( t ) = ( 2t 2 + t ) ms -1
v f = v ( 2) = 2 Displacement [x(t)]
× 22 + 2 = 10 ms -1 Displacement [x(t)]
d x (t)
v i = v ( 0 ) = 2 × 02 + 0 = 0 ms -1
dt ∫ v (t) dt
t f = 2 s, t i = 0 s
Velocity [v(t)] Velocity [v(t)]
10 - 0
Average acceleration = d v (t)= 5 ms -2
2-0
dt ∫ a (t) dt
Acceleration [a(t)] Acceleration [a(t)]

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