BPS 1153 ENGINEERING SCIENCES

TOPIC 4: LINEAR MOTION

SPEED, VELOCITY & ACCELERATION
CONTENTS
Vector vs. Scalar Quantity
Kinematics Definitions
Speed , Velocity & Acceleration
Linear Motion Equation
Graphing
LEARNING OUTCOME
At the end of this chapter student should be able to:
- Define and calculate speed given distance and time’
- Plot a distance/time graph from given data
- Determine average speed from a distance/time graph
- Define and calculate velocity and acceleration
 VECTOR VS. SCALAR QUANTITY
Vector - quantity with both magnitude (size) and direction
Scalar - quantity with magnitude only

Vectors: Scalars:
• Displacement • Distance
• Velocity • Speed
• Acceleration • Time
• Momentum • Mass
• Force • Energy
 VECTORS
Vectors are represented with arrows
The length of the The arrow points in
arrow represents the the directions of the
magnitude (how far, force, motion,
how fast, how strong, displacement, etc. It
etc, depending on the is often specified by
type of vector). an angle.

5 m/s
42°
KINEMATICS DEFINITIONS

Kinematics – branch of physics;

study of motion
Position (x) – where you are located
Distance (s ) – how far you have
traveled, regardless of direction
Displacement (∆x) – where you are in
relation to where you started
 DISTANCE VS. DISPLACEMENT
You drive the path, and your odometer goes up
by 8 miles (your distance).
Your displacement is the shorter directed
distance from start to stop (green arrow).
What if you drive in a circle?

start

stop
OVERVIEW OF SPEED,
VELOCITY, & ACCELERATION
Speed (v) – how fast you go.
Ave speed = distance(m) / time(s)

Velocity (v) – how fast you go & which way

Ave velocity = displacement(m) / time(s)

Acceleration (a) – how fast you speed up, slow

down, or change direction; the rate at which
velocity changes.
a = change in velocity(m/s)/ time(s)
SPEED
Speed has the following conditions:

Speed (Instantaneous): current speed of an object at a point of time

Constant speed : no change in motion

Average speed : two ways to determine the “mean” movement

• Total distance / Total time distance s
v= =
time t
• Sum of the individual speeds / number of speed measurements
100 km/h 98 km/h
 SPEED/ TIME GRAPH
s

Each has area of height × width.

The height is in m/s; width is in seconds.
Therefore, area is in meters!

Total area under the graph = total distance traveled.

VELOCITY

Velocity also has the following conditions:

• Velocity (Instantaneous)
• Constant velocity
• Average velocity
displacement ∆x
v= =
time t
 VELOCITY/ TIME GRAPH
v

Each has area of height × width.

The height is in m/s; width is in seconds.
Therefore, area is in meters!

Total area under the graph = total distance traveled.

v (m/s)
12 AREA UNITS
t (s)

Imagine approximating the area

under the curve with very thin
12 m/s rectangles.
Each has area of height × width.
0.5 s The height is in m/s; width is in
seconds.
Therefore, area is in meters!
 SPEED VS. VELOCITY
20 mph

A B

Speed is a scalar
(how fast something is moving regardless of its direction).
Ex: v = 20 mph.
The symbol for speed is v.

Velocity is a combination of speed and direction.

Ex: v = 20 mph at 15° east.
The symbol for velocity is type written in bold: v or
hand written with an arrow: v

** Speed is the magnitude of velocity.

SPEED VS. VELOCITY

The person, according

to a pedometer has
walked a total of 12m.
That is the distance
traveled.
The person walking
starts where she stops,
so her displacement is
zero.
SAMPLE PROBLEM # 1

If a car is traveling at an average speed of 24

meters per second for 3 seconds, and 48
meters per second for 3 seconds. What is the
average speed for the entire 6 seconds?
Formula : V = V1+ V2
2
Substitution of units: V = 24m/s+48m/s
2
Solution V= 72 m/s /2 = 36 m/s
SAMPLE PROBLEM # 2

A train travels between the 100 meter marker and the 250
meter marker in 10 seconds. What is the train’s average
speed?
Formula : V= d/t
Substitution of units:V= 150m / 10s

V = 15 m/s
EXERCISE 1
1. A train covers a distance of 96 km in 1 h 20 min.
Determine the average speed of the train (a) in km/h
and (b) in m/s.
2. A horse trots at an average speed of 12 km/h for
18 minutes; determine the distance covered by the
horse in this time.
3. A ship covers a distance of 1365 km at an average
speed of 15 km/h. How long does it take to cover this
distance?
ANSWER
1. a) s = 96 km, t = 1 h 20 min
v = 96 km ÷ (1+20/60) h
= 72 km/h

b) (72 x 1000) m ÷ (60 x 60) s = 20 m/s

2. v = 12 km/h, t = 18 min

1st way, t = 18/60 = 0.3 h 2nd way, 12km / 60min = 0.2 km/min

s = 12 km/h x 0.3 h = 3.6 km s = 0.2 km/min x 18 min = 3.6 km

3. s = 1365 km, v = 15 km/hr

v = s / t rearrange t = s / v = 1365 km / 15 km/hr = 91 h = how many days?

VELOCITY

Example: If a plane flies from place O to place A, a distance of

300 kilometres in one hour, A being due north of O, It then flies
from A to B, a distance of 400 kilometres during the second hour
of flight, B being due east of A. Its average velocity for the two
hour flight is??
EXAMPLE
If a plane flies from place O to place A, a distance of 300
kilometres in one hour, A being due north of O, It then flies from
A to B, a distance of 400 kilometres during the second hour of
flight, B being due east of A. Its average velocity for the two hour
flight is?
 60 km/h 65 km/h

ACCELERATION
2.5 s

∆v v f − vi Change in velocity
a = acceleration = =
t t over time.
• ∆delta. Either hitting the gas
• Means “change in” or hitting the break
and is calculated by counts as
subtracting the initial acceleration.
value from the final Units are m/s2
value.
 SAMPLE PROBLEM # 3
Acceleration – how fast you speed up, slow down, or change
direction; it’s the rate at which velocity changes. Two examples:

t (s) v (mph) t (s) v (m/s)

0 55 0 34
1 57 1 31
2 59 2 28
3 61 3 25

a = +2 mph / s m/s
a = -3 s = -3 m/s 2
VELOCITY
ACCELERATION + Speeding up
_ Slowing down
SAMPLE PROBLEM # 4

In 2.5 s a car increases its speed from 60 km/h to 65

km/h while a bicycle goes from rest to 5 km/h. Which
undergoes the greater acceleration? What is the
acceleration of each vehicle?

60 km/h 65 km/h Acceleration of the car = (65

km/h - 60 km/h)/2.5 s = 2
km/h·s.
2.5 s Acceleration of the bike= (5
km/h - 0 km/h)/2.5 s = 2
km/h·s.
VELOCITY VS. TIME GRAPHS

Velocity is
determined by
reading the graph.
Acceleration is
determined by
reading the slope of
the graph (slope
equation will give
units of m/s2).
 EXERCISE

What is the
acceleration of
the object at
6s?
EXERCISE

The speed of a car travelling along a straight road changes uniformly from
zero to 50 km/h in 20 s. It then maintains this speed for 30 s and finally
reduces speed uniformly to rest in 10 s. Draw the speed/time graph for this
journey.
For the speed/time graph
shown in Fig, find the
acceleration for each of the
three stages of the journey.
OA:? 0.694 m/s2
AB: ? No change in speed (0)
BC: ? -1.39 m/s2 deceleration
LINEAR MOTION EQUATION

We always assume that acceleration is

constant.
We always use instantaneous velocities,
not average velocities
SUMMARY

v f = vi + at s = 1 (vi + v f )t
2

s = vi t + 1 at 2 2 2
v = v + 2as
2 f i
DERIVATIONS
a = ∆v/∆t (by definition)
a = (vf – vi)/t
⇒ vf = vi + at

s = v t = ½ (vi + vf) t = ½ (vi + vi + a t) t

1
⇒ s= vi t + a t 2
2

(cont.)
DERIVATIONS
vf = vi + at ⇒ t = (vf – vi)/a
1
s = vi t + at 2
2
1
⇒ s=vi [(vf – vi)/a] + a[(vf – vi)/a] 2
2
⇒ vf2 – vi2 = 2a∆x
Note that the top equation is solved for t and that
expression for t is substituted twice (in red) into the
s equation. You should work out the algebra to prove the
final result on the last line.
HIDDEN VARIABLES

Starting from rest corresponds to a vi=0

SAMPLE PROBLEM # 5

A car going 15m/s accelerates at 5

m/s2 for 3.8s. How fast is it going at
the end of the acceleration?

First step is identifying the variables in

the equation and listing them.
SAMPLE PROBLEM # 5

A car going 15m/s accelerates at

5m/s2 for 3.8s. How fast is it going
at the end of the acceleration?
t=3.8s
vi=15m/s
a=5m/s2
vf=?
ANSWER
vf = vi + at
Vf = 15 m/s + (5 m/s2 x 3.8 s)
= 34 m/s
EXERCISE 3
1. A coach increases velocity from 4 km/h to 40 km/h
at an average acceleration of 0.2 m/s2. Find the time
taken for this increase in velocity.

2. A ship changes velocity from 15 km/h to 20 km/h in

25 min. Determine the average acceleration in m/s2 of
the ship during this time.
ANSWER Note: to change from km/h to m/s, divide by 3.6

1. Vi = 4 km/h, vf = 40 km/h, a = 0.2 m/s2

Vf = vi + at
40 km/h = 4 km/h + 0.2 m/s2(t)
t = [(40 km/h – 4 km/h) ÷ 3.6 ] m/s ÷ 0.2 m/s2
t = 50 s

2. Vi = 15 km/h, vf = 20 km/h, t = 25 min

a = [(20 km/h – 15 km/h) ÷ 60] km/min ÷ 25 min
= 𝟎𝟎. 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒌𝒌𝒌𝒌/𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝒎𝟐𝟐

0.0033333333 𝑥𝑥 1000
a= m/s2
60 𝑥𝑥 60
= 0.0009259 m/s2 = 9.26 x 10-4 m/s2
EXERCISE 4
A typical jetliner lands at a speed of 260
km/h and decelerates at the rate of 20 m/s2.
If the plane travels at a constant speed of
260 km/h for 1.00 s after landing before
applying the brakes, what is the total
displacement of the aircraft between
touchdown on the runway and coming to
rest?
ANSWER Note: to change from km/h to m/s, divide by 3.6

S1 = (260/3.6) m/s x 1 s
= 72.22 m

v 2f = vi2 + 2as

(0)2 = (72.22 m/s)2 + 2 (-20 m/s2)S2

40 S2 = 5215.73
S2 = 130.39 m

Total displacement = S1 + S2
St = 202.61 m
 GRAPHING !
POSITION VS. TIME GRAPH
x
Increasing
Decreasing t

Increasing means moving forward (positive direction).

Decreasing means moving backwards (negative
direction).
x
POSITION VS. TIME GRAPH
B
A
t

A … Starts at home (origin) and goes forward slowly

B … Not moving (position remains constant as time
progresses)
C … Turns around and goes in the other direction
quickly, passing up home
x POSITION VS. TIME GRAPH

CONCAVITY
Concave up means positive acceleration.
Concave down means negative acceleration.
x POSITION VS. TIME GRAPH
Q
P R
t
S

SPECIAL POINTS
Inflection Pt. P, R Change of concavity
Peak or Valley Q Turning point
Time Axis Times when you are at
P, S
Intercept “home”
x
ALL 3 GRAPHS
t

t
SAMPLE PROBLEM #6

The Speed of a car travelling along a straight

road changes uniformly from zero to 50km/h in
20s. It then maintains this speed for 30s and
finally reduces speed uniformly to rest in 10s.
Draw the speed/time graph for this journey.
 find the acceleration for each of the three
stages of the journey.

ANSWER
x GRAPHING TIPS
t

• Line up the graphs vertically.

• Draw vertical dashed lines at special points except intercepts.
• Map the slopes of the position graph onto the velocity graph.
• A red peak or valley means a blue time intercept.
 GRAPHING TIPS
The same rules apply in making an acceleration graph from a
velocity graph. Just graph the slopes! Note: a positive constant
slope in blue means a positive constant green segment. The
steeper the blue slope, the farther the green segment is from the
time axis.
v

t
 REAL LIFE
Note how the v graph is pointy and the a graph skips. In real
life, the blue points would be smooth curves and the green
segments would be connected. In our class, however, we’ll
mainly deal with constant acceleration.

t
 GRAPH PRACTICE
Try making all three graphs for the following scenario:
1. Schmedrick starts out south of home. At time zero he’s
driving a cement mixer north very fast at a constant speed.
2. He accidentally runs over an innocent moose crossing
the road, so he slows to a stop to check on the poor moose.
3. He pauses for a while until he determines the moose is
squashed flat and deader than a doornail.
4. Fleeing the scene of the crime, Schmedrick takes off
again in the same direction, speeding up quickly.
5. When his conscience gets the better of him, he slows,
turns around, and returns to the crash site.
x

1 2 3 4 5 t

t
1 2 3 4 5

t
1 2 3 4
5
EXERCISE 5
V=0
An object moves in a straight line with a
uniform acceleration. If it starts from rest and
takes 12 s to cover 100 m, what is the
acceleration? If it continues with the same
acceleration, how long will it take to cover the
next 100 m and what will be its velocity after
the 200 m? t

vi vm vf
 ANSWER
vi = 0 m/s, t = 12 s, s = 100 m 200 m = 0 + ½ (1.39 m/s2) t2

t2 = 287.77
s = vi t + 1 at 2 t = 16.96 s
2 ~ 17 s
100 m = 0 + 1/2a(12 s)2
t for next 100 m is 17 s – 12 s = 5 s
= 72a s2
a = 100 m ÷ 72 s2
= 1.39 m/s2

vi vm vf
a = 1.39 m/s2, t = ? , s = 100 m, vf = ?
vi = 0
Vf2 = vi2 + 2as
= 0 + 2(1.39)(200)
= 560 m2/s2
Vf = √560
= 23.66 m/s

vi vm vf
Another way to find the t,
Find the vm
Vm2 = vi2 + 2as
= 0 + 2(1.39)(100)
= 278 m2/s2 vi vm vf

Vm = √278
= 16.67 m/s

vf = vm + at
23.66 = 16.67 + 1.39t
t~5s