(GIC)IGCSE Tr Moe(Physics)

Motion

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Speed
The speed of a body is the distance that it has travelled in unit time. When the distance
travelled is s over a short time period t, the speed v is given by
𝑠
v=
𝑡
v = speed, s = distance travelled, t = time taken
Key definition Speed distance travelled per/ in unit time

➢ If a car travels 300km in five hours, its average speed is 300km/5h = 60 km/h.
➢ The speedometer would certainly not read 60 km/h for the whole journey and
might vary considerably from this value. That is why we state the average speed.
➢ If a car could travel at a constant speed of 60 km/h for 5 hours, the distance
covered would still be 300 km. It is always true that

𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒 (𝑠)

Average speed = (or) average speed =
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 (𝑡)

The average speed of the car during the journey is the total distance travelled,
divided by the time taken for the journey.
If you look at the speedometer in a car you will see that the speed of the car
changes from instant to instant as the accelerator or brake is used. The speedometer
therefore shows the instantaneous speed of the car.
The speed is in metres per second (m/s), kilometres per hour (km/h), centimetres
per second (cm/s), miles per hour (mph),

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distance moved, s = average speed, v x time, t
𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒 (𝑠)
time taken(t) =
𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 (𝑣)

Velocity
➢ Speed is the distance travelled in unit time; velocity is the distance travelled in
unit time in a given direction.
➢ If two trains travel due north at 20m/s, they have the same speed of 20m/s and the
same velocity of 20m/s due north.
➢ If one travels north and the other south, their speeds are the same but not their
velocities since their directions of motion are different.

𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

velocity =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
= speed in a given direction

Key definition Velocity change in displacement per unit time

velocity is the distance travelled in unit time in a stated direction.

➢ The velocity of a body is uniform or constant if it moves with a steady speed in a

straight line.
➢ It is not uniform if it moves in a curved path. Why? The units of speed and
velocity are the same, km/h, m/s.

Distance moved in a stated direction is called the displacement.

Velocity may also be defined as
𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡
velocity =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛

Speed is a scalar quantity and velocity a vector quantity. Displacement is a vector,

unlike distance which is a scalar.

Acceleration
➢ When the velocity of an object changes, we say the object accelerates.
➢ If a car starts from rest and moving due north has velocity 2m/s after
1second, its velocity has increased by 2m/s in 1s and its acceleration is 2m/s
per second due north. We write this as 2m/s2.
Acceleration is defined as the change of velocity in unit time,
𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 ∆𝑣
Acceleration = =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 ∆𝑡

Key definition Acceleration change in velocity per unit time

Acceleration is the change of velocity in unit time,

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For a steady increase of velocity from 20m/s to 50m/s in 5s

(50−20)𝑚/𝑠
acceleration = = 6 m/s2
5𝑠

➢ Acceleration is also a vector and both its magnitude and direction should be stated.
➢ However, at present we will consider only motion in a straight line and so the
magnitude of the velocity will equal the speed,
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➢ and the magnitude of the acceleration will equal the change of speed in unit time.
The speeds of a car accelerating on a straight road are shown below.

Time/s 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Speed/m/s 0 5 10 15 20 25 30

➢ The speed increases by 5m/s every second and the acceleration of 5m/s2 is constant.
➢ An acceleration is positive if the velocity increases, and negative if it decreases.
➢ A negative acceleration is also called a deceleration or retardation

Equations for constant acceleration

Problems involving bodies moving with constant acceleration in a straight line can often
be solved quickly using some equations of motion.

First equation
If an object is moving with constant acceleration a in a straight line and its speed
increases from u to v in time t, then
𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑣−𝑢
a= =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑡
at = v-u (or) v = u + at ------------------- (1)
Note that the initial speed u and the final speed v refer to the start and the finish of the
timing and do not necessarily mean the start and finish of the motion.

Second equation
The speed of an object moving with constant acceleration in a straight line increases steadily.
Its average speed therefore equals half the sum of its initial and final speeds, that is,
𝑢+𝑣
average speed =
2
If s is the distance moved in time t, then since average speed = total distance/total time =
s/t,
𝑠 𝑢+𝑣 𝑢+𝑣
= or s=( ) t ----------------- (2)
𝑡 2 2
Third equation
From equation (1), v = u + at
𝑠 𝑢+𝑣
From equation (2), =
𝑡 2
𝑠 𝑢+𝑢+𝑎𝑡 2𝑢+𝑎𝑡
= =
𝑡 2 2
1
= u + at
2
1 2
And so , s = ut + at ---------------- (3)
2
Fourth equation
This is obtained by eliminating t from equations (1) and (3).
Squaring equation (1) we have
v2 = (u + at) 2
∴ v2 = u2 + 2uat + a2t 2

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1
= u2 + 2a(ut + at2)
2
1
But s = ut + at2
2

v2 = u2 + 2as
If we know any three of u, v, a, s and t, the others can be found from the equations.
Worked example
A sprint cyclist starts from rest and accelerates at 1m/s2 for 20 seconds. Find her final
speed and the distance she travelled.
Since u = 0, a = 1m/s2, t = 20 s
Using v = u + at, we have her maximum speed
v = 0 + 1m/s2 × 20s
= 20m/s
and distance travelled
𝑢+𝑣
s=( )t
2
( 0+20)𝑚/𝑠
s= x 20 s= 200 m
2

Summary
𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑
❖ average speed = or average speed =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
distance moved in a stated direction 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
❖ velocity = or velocity =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
change of velocity 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑣−𝑢
❖ acceleration = or a= =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑡
𝑢+𝑣 𝑢+𝑣
❖ average speed = or average velocity =
2 2
❖ v = u + at
𝑢+𝑣
❖ s=( )t
2
1
❖ s = ut + at2
2
❖ v2 = u2 + 2as
❖ Speed is a scalar quantity and velocity a vector quantity
❖ Distance is a scalar and displacement is a vector quantity.
❖ The velocity of a body is uniform or constant if it moves with a steady speed in a
straight line. It is not uniform if it moves in a curved path.
❖ The units of speed and velocity are the same, km/h, m/s.
❖ An acceleration is positive if the velocity increases and negative if it decreases. A
negative acceleration is also called a deceleration or retardation.

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Test yourself
1. What is the average speed of
(a) a car that travels 400m in 20s
(b) an athlete who runs 1500m in 4minutes?
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 400 𝑚
(a) Average speed = = = 20 ms-1
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 20 𝑠
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 1500𝑚 1500 𝑚
(b) Average speed = = = = 6.25 ms-1
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 (4 𝑥 60) 𝑠 240 𝑠

2. A motorcyclist starts from rest and reaches a speed of 6m/s after travelling
with constant acceleration for 3s. What is his acceleration?
u = 0 (rest), v = 6m/s , t = 3s , a = ?
𝑣− u 6−0
a= = = 2ms-2
𝑡 3

3. A motorcyclist starts from rest and reaches a speed of 6 m/s after travelling with uniform
acceleration for 3 s. What is his acceleration?
u = 0, v = 6m/s , t = 3s, a = ?
𝑣−𝑢 6−0
a = == = 2ms-2
𝑡 3

4. If a bus travelling at 20 m/s is subject to a steady deceleration of 5 m/s2, how long will it
take to come to rest?
u = 20m/s, v = 0 m/s, a = -5m/s2, t = ?
v = u + at
0 = 20 + (-5) x t
-20 = -5t
t=4s

5. An athlete accelerates from rest at a constant rate of 0.8m/s2 for 4s. Calculate the final
speed of the athlete.
v = u + at

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v = 0 + 0.8 x 4
v = 3.2 m/s

6. Calculate the distance moved by a car accelerating from rest at a constant rate of 2m/s2
for 5s.
1
s = ut + at2
2

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Velocity–time graphs
➢ If the velocity of a body is plotted against the time, the graph obtained is a velocity–
time graph. It provides a way of solving motion problems.

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➢ The area under a velocity–time graph measures the distance travelled.

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In Figure 3.1, AB is the velocity–time graph for a body moving with a uniform velocity of 20
m/s.
Since distance = average velocity × time, after 5 s it will have moved 20 m/s × 5 s = 100 m.
This is the shaded area under the graph, i.e. rectangle OABC.

➢ In Figure 3.2a, PQ is the velocity–time graph for a body moving with uniform
acceleration.
➢ At the start of the timing the velocity is 20 m/s but it increases steadily to 40 m/s after
5 s. If the distance covered equals the area under PQ, i.e. the shaded area OPQS, then

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Speed/ (m/s) 0 17.5 23.0 26.0 28.5 30.0

Time (s) 0 1 2 3 4 5
You can use the data to plot the speed–time graph. Join up the data points on the graph
paper with a smooth curve as shown in Figure 1.2.3c.

Figure 1.2.3c shows a speed–time graph for a changing acceleration. The curved shape OX
means that the gradient of the graph, and hence the acceleration of the object, change over
time period OY – the acceleration is changing.
Note that an object at rest will have zero speed and zero acceleration; its speed–time graph
Is a straight line along the horizontal axis.

Using the gradient of a speed–time graph to

calculate acceleration
The gradient of a speed–time graph represents the acceleration of the object. In Figure 1.2.2,
the gradient of AB is zero, as is the acceleration.

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In Figure 1.2.3a, the gradient of PQ is QR/PR = 20/5 = 4: the acceleration is constant at

4m/s2. In Figure 1.2.3c, when the gradient along OX changes, so does the acceleration

➢ An object is accelerating if the speed increases with time and decelerating if the speed
decreases with time, as shown in Figure 1.2.3b.

Distance–time graphs
➢ An object travelling with constant speed covers equal distances in equal times. Its
distance–time graph is a straight line, like OL in Figure 1.2.4a for a constant speed of
10m/s.
➢ The gradient of the graph is LM/OM = 40m/4s = 10m/s, which is the value of the
speed.

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➢ The following statement is true in general: The gradient of a distance–time graph

represents the speed of the object. Values for the distance moved by the object
recorded at 1s intervals are given in Table 1.2.4. The data shows it moves 10m in
every second so the speed of the object is constant at 10m/s.

➢ Figure 1.2.4b shows the shape of a distance–time graph for an object that is at rest
over time interval OA and then moves at a constant speed in time interval AB. It then
stops moving and is at rest over time interval BC before moving at a constant speed in
time interval CD.
➢ The speed of the object is higher when the gradient of the graph is steeper. The object
is travelling faster in time interval AB than it is in time interval CD; it is at rest in
time intervals OA and BC when the distance does not change.

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➢ When the speed of the object is changing, the gradient of the distance–time graph
varies, as in Figure 1.2.5, where the upward curve of increasing gradient of the solid
green line shows the object accelerating. The opposite, upward curve of decreasing
gradient (indicated by the dashed green line) shows an object decelerating above T.
➢ Speed at any point equals the gradient of the tangent. For example, the gradient of the
tangent at T is AB/BC = 40m/2s = 20m/s. The speed at the instant corresponding to T
is therefore 20m/s.

Area under a speed–time graph

The area under a speed–time graph measures the distance travelled.

➢ In Figure 1.2.2, AB is the speed–time graph for an object moving with a constant
speed of 20m/s.
➢ Since distance = average speed × time, after 5s it will have moved
20m/s × 5s = 100m.
➢ This is the shaded area under the graph, i.e. rectangle OABC.

➢ In Figure 1.2.3a, PQ is the speed–time graph for an object moving with constant
acceleration.
➢ At the start of the timing the speed is 20m/s, but it increases steadily to 40m/s after 5
s. If the distance covered equals the area under PQ, i.e. the shaded area OPQS, then
distance = area of rectangle OPRS + area of triangle PQR
1
= OP × OS + × PR × QR
2
1
(area of a triangle = base × height)
2
1
= 20m/s × 5 s + × 5s × 20m/s
2
= 100m + 50m = 150m

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1 (a) not moving , (b) A and B (c) B and C , (d) 4 ms-1, (e) 60 m , (f) 3 ms-1
1
2. (a) 30 ms-1, (b) 3 ms-2(30/10) , (c) 6 ms-2 (30/5), (d) 150m( bh) , (e) 525 m, (trapezium)
2

(f) 25 s, (g) 21 ms-1( s/t=525/ 25 =21)

Notes
➢ The gradient of a speed–time graph represents the acceleration of the object.
➢ The area under a speed–time graph measures the distance travelled.
➢ The gradient of a distance–time graph represents the speed of the object.

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Test yourself
1.

(a) Distance- time graph (draw yourself)

(b) Constant
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 18 𝑚 3+6+9+12+15+18 63 𝑚
(c) Average speed = = = 3m/s (or) = = 3m/s
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 6𝑠 1+2+3+4+5+6 21 𝑠
2.

(a) Speed- time graph ( draw yourself)

(b) constant , positive
𝑄𝑅 16
(c) gradient of PQ = = = 4: the acceleration is constant at 4m/s2.
𝑃𝑅 4
Area under the graph = area of triangle PQR
1
= × PR × QR
2
1
= × 4s × 16m/s
2
= 32 m
(d) The bus travel 32m in 4s.

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3.

(a) Stationary (b) Constant speed (c) Constant speed

(d) Constant acceleration (e)Constant deceleration ,
(f) Constant acceleration constant speed Constant deceleration stop
1(A) acceleration
2(C) speed
3(B) distance travelled

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4. The distance–time graph for a girl on a cycle ride is shown in Figure 3.5.
(a) How far did she travel?
(b) How long did she take?
(c) What was her average speed in km/h?
(d) How many stops did she make?
(e) How long did she stop for altogether?
(f) What was her average speed excluding stops?
(g) How can you tell from the shape of the graph when she travelled fastest? Over
which stage did this happen?

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