Physics for Engineers

MOTION IN ONE DIMENSION PART 2

Instructor: Engr. Aquim P. Bordomeo, CIT University

 What is the most common example
of motion with (nearly) constant
acceleration?

ANSWER
a body falling under the influence of the
earth’s gravitational attraction
 FREE FALL
Free fall is the motion of an object
under the influence of only gravity.

In the figure, a strobe light flashes

with equal time intervals between
flashes.

The velocity change is the same in

each time interval, so the
acceleration is constant.
Who formulated the laws that govern the
motion of objects in free fall?

ANSWER
Galileo Galilei
 Throwback…

14th century BC
Aristotle thought that heavy bodies fall faster than light
bodies, in proportion to their weight.

Nineteen centuries later

Galileo argued that a body should fall with a downward
acceleration that is constant and independent of its
weight.
The acceleration due to
gravity is a constant, g.
g = 9.81 m/s2
g = 32 ft/s2
For free falling objects,
assuming your x axis is
pointing up,
a = g = -9.81 m/s2
 Free-fall must exclude air resistance

An object falling in air is subject to air resistance

(and therefore is not freely falling).
 Basic Equations

∆𝑦 1 2
𝑣𝑎𝑣𝑒 = ∆𝑦 = 𝑣𝑖𝑡 + 𝑔𝑡
∆𝑡 2
𝑣 = 𝑣𝑖 + 𝑔𝑡 𝑣2 = 𝑣𝑖2 + 2𝑔∆𝑦
Up and down motion in Free Fall
 Free Fall – an object dropped

• Initial velocity is zero

• Let up be positive vi = 0
➢Conventional a=g
• Use the kinematic equations
➢Generally use y instead of x
since vertical
• Acceleration is g = -9.81 m/s2
 Free Fall – an object thrown downward

• a = g = -9.81 m/s2
• Initial velocity  0
➢With upward being
positive, initial velocity
will be negative
 Free Fall – object thrown upward

• Initial velocity is upward, so

v=0
positive
• The instantaneous velocity Actually
at the maximum height is straight back
zero down

• a = g = -9.81 m/s2
everywhere in the motion
 Free Fall – object thrown upward

• The motion may be

symmetrical
➢Then tup = tdown
➢Then v = -vo
 Free Fall – object thrown upward
• The motion may not be
symmetrical
• Need to divide the motion into
segments
• Possibilities include
➢Upward and downward portions
➢The symmetrical portion back to
the release point and then the
non-symmetrical portion
 EXAMPLE1

Suppose you drop a rock off a cliff and

listen for it to hit. If it took 3.5 seconds to hit,
how high is the cliff?
 EXAMPLE2

Bob throws a ball off the top of the school

building. It has an initial velocity of 7 m/s.
The building is 20m tall. How long till it hits
the ground?
 EXAMPLE3

A stuntman is designing a movie scene. The

actor will “fall” from a radio tower. He needs
to know how fast the actor will be moving
after falling from the 30m tower to provide
the proper airbag for safety. How fast will he
be falling?
EXAMPLE3
 EXAMPLE4

A stone is thrown from the top of a building

with an initial velocity of 20.0 m/s straight
upward, at an initial height of 50.0 m above
the ground. The stone just misses the edge
of the roof on its way down.
Determine
EXAMPLE5
(a)the time needed for the stone to
reach its maximum height,
(b)the maximum height,
(c) the time needed for the stone to
return to the height from which it
was thrown and the velocity of the
stone at that instant,
(d) the time needed for the stone to
reach the ground, and
(e) the velocity and position of the
stone at t = 5.00 s.
 ACTIVITY #3

1. A brick is dropped from the roof of a building. The

brick strikes the ground in 2.50 s. You may ignore air
resistance, so the brick is in free fall.
(a) How tall, in meters, is the building?
(b) What is the magnitude of the brick’s velocity
just before it reaches the ground?
 ACTIVITY #3

2. If a flea can jump straight up to a height of 0.440 m,

(a) what is its initial speed as it leaves the ground?
(b) How long is it in the air?
3. A ball is thrown vertically upward with a speed of
25.0 m/s.
(a) How high does it rise?
(b) How long does it take to reach its highest point?