PHYS*1300 Fundamentals of

Physics
Week#1, Lecture#3
Maher Bakri-Kassem, PhD, PEng
Today’s material (Fri Sept 17)
Acceleration
• Average acceleration
• Instantaneous acceleration
• Kinematics equations for constant acceleration

Reference:
➢ Textbook sections 2.3 and 2.4

NEXT LECTURE:
• examples of constant acceleration problems
(textbook section 2.4)
• acceleration due to gravity (section 2.5)

2
Concept question:
For the following graph of displacement vs.
time, what is the corresponding velocity vs.
time graph?
parabolic parabolic
linear linear linear
Displacement (m)

Time (seconds)
3
Velocity (m/s)

Time (seconds)

a)

Velocity (m/s)

Time (seconds)

b)

Velocity (m/s)
Time (seconds)

4
c)
Acceleration

In non-uniform motion – object’s velocity changes

in time (by definition) which means
acceleration

Acceleration – time rate of change of velocity

Is acceleration a scalar or a vector?

5
Acceleration

v v2 − v1
aav = =
t t 2 − t1

Units of acceleration?

m
s
=m 2
s s

6
Determining acceleration from v vs. t
graph
Calculate average acceleration over a finite period,
from t1 to t2 by:

Calculating the slope of the line connecting

the two points on the curve at t1 and t2

Calculate instantaneous acceleration at one value of t

by:
Calculating the slope of the tangent line at
that point. The values used to calculate
the slope of the tangent are not
necessarily on the curve itself.

7
Example
From the following plot of velocity versus time, determine:
a) The magnitude of the average acceleration between
2 and 16 s.
b) The magnitude of the instantaneous acceleration at
13.5 s.
60

50

40

Velocity
30
(m/s)

20

10

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time (s)
8
Graphical representation of motion

In summary:

Graph Slope Area under curve

Displacement vs. time Velocity
Velocity vs. time Acceleration Displacement

9
Calculating acceleration

A person is walking with a velocity of 2.0 m/s east.

5.0 seconds later, the person’s velocity is 3.0
m/s west. What is the person’s average
acceleration during this 5.0 second time
interval?
a) 0.20 m/s2 west
b) 1.0 m/s2 east
c) 1.0 m/s2 west
d) 0.60 m/s2 west
e) 0.20 m/s2 east

(Hint – choose either east or west as positive)

10
Special case:
constant acceleration
Acceleration does not change over time

 aav = ainst = a
v
a=
t
v2 − v1
a=
t 2 − t1

11
Constant acceleration - notation
Set t1 = 0, then t2 can be replaced by t
Replace v1 with vo, representing the initial velocity at time t = 0
Replace v2 with v, representing the final velocity at time t
Then:

v2 − v1 v − vo
a= becomes a=
t2 − t1 t
or
v = vo + a t

i.e. We can calculate the final velocity after time t if we

know the initial velocity and the (constant) acceleration.

12
Constant acceleration equations
The parameters we need to describe how an object
moves in 1D when it has constant acceleration:
- initial velocity (v0)
- final velocity (v) v = vo + a t
- initial position (x0) x = xo + 1 2 ( vo + v ) t
- final position (x) x = xo + vot + 1 2 a t 2
- acceleration (a) v 2 = vo2 + 2 a ( x − xo )
- time (t)

(see pages 38 to 40 for the full derivation of these equations) 13

 These equations are
v = vo + a t mathematical descriptions
x = xo + 1 2 ( vo + v ) t of:
- how these parameters
x = xo + vot + 1
2 at 2
change over time
v 2 = vo2 + 2 a ( x − xo ) - how these parameters
are interrelated

WARNING!!
These equations can ONLY be used when the
object has constant acceleration over the time
period under consideration.

(yes these equations will be given to you for quizzes and the final)14
Example
The (Brampton) Batmobile, travelling at 65 km/h on
the entrance ramp to the QEW, accelerates uniformly
to 145 km/h in 52 s. How far (in kilometers) did the
Batmobile travel in that time?

15
Example
You are a forensic scientist investigating a traffic
accident. From the skid mark, you see that the
driver took 47 m to stop the car. You know that
the car has a maximum acceleration of
magnitude 5.0 m/s2 when slamming on the
brakes. If the speed limit is 50 km/h, was the
driver speeding at the time of the accident?

16
Example
Tom is taking a nap. Jerry runs past at
constant velocity with magnitude 1.0 m/s.
Tom wakes up and chases Jerry. If Tom
catches Jerry after 10.0 s, what was the
magnitude of the acceleration of the cat?
Assume that Jerry maintains a constant
velocity while being chased.

17
Acceleration
Which one of the following is not necessarily consistent
with a car that is accelerating?
a) A car is moving with an increasing speed.
b) A car is moving with a decreasing speed.
c) A car is moving with a high speed.
d) A car is changing direction.

18
1D kinematics

If an object is moving eastward and slowing

down, then the direction of its velocity vector
is:
a) Eastward
b) Westward
c) Neither
d) not enough information

19
1D kinematics

If an object is moving eastward and slowing

down, then the direction of its acceleration
vector is:
a) Eastward
b) Westward
c) Neither
d) not enough information

20