Mechanics

3.1-3.4 Displacement, velocity, acceleration and graphs of motion

Key terms
1. Scalar 6. Velocity
2. Vector 7. Acceleration
3. Distance 8. Rate of change
4. Displacement 9. Gradient
5. Speed 10.Tangent
 Speed vs
Velocity
ν= UNITS ms-1

denotes a change in a quantity

Average speed = total distance travelled
                total time taken (i.e. final – initial)
NOTE: SPEED is a SCALAR
quantity it has no particular VELOCITY is rate of change
direction. It is possible to travel of displacement and is a
at constant speed along a
circular path. vector.
 Acceleration

a= UNITS ms-2

denotes a change in a quantity (i.e. final – initial)

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.

 A Displacement – Time Graph

Displacement
 Distance-time graphs

The gradient at any

speed =
s
t
point of a distance–
s
time graph is equal to
the speed at that
t
point.
0
0
time t

constant speed
 s
speed at P =
t
Speed from a P
curved distance- s

time graph
t

0
0
time t

increasing speed
 Average and Instantaneous Speed
Averag e an d i nstan tan eo us sp eed

40

T he gradi ent of the

30 tangent half an hour
after the start of the
journey tells me m y
instantaneous speed:
20 13 miles / 0.2 h
13 mi les = 65 mp h

10

0.2 h

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4
time / hours

40

T he gradi ent of a chord

30 gives me m y average
speed between 0.4 h and
0.6 h after the start of my
journey:
20 11 miles / 0.2 h
= 55 mp h
11 miles
10
0.2 h

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4

time / hours

Aver age and instan taneous speed can bo th be calculated from the gradien t
of a straig ht line
 Average and Instantaneous Speed
Averag e an d i nstan tan eo us sp eed

40

T he gradi ent of the

30 tangent half an hour
after the start of the
journey tells me my
instantaneous speed:
20 13 miles / 0.2 h
13 mi les = 65 mp h

10

0.2 h

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4
time / hours

40

T he gradi ent of a chord

30 gives me m y average
speed between 0.4 h and
0.6 h after the start of my
journey:
20 11 miles / 0.2 h
= 55 mp h
11 m iles
10
0.2 h

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4

time / hours

Aver age and instantaneous speed can bo th be calculated from the gradien t
of a str aig ht line
 Using an ultrasonic motion sensor and data logger

motion sensor

30 cm

Graph
Draw a s-t graph for:
• A stationary object
• Constant positive velocity.
• Constant negative velocity.
• Constant positive acceleration.
• An object thrown up into the air and returning to its starting point.
Draw a v-t graph for:
• Constant positive velocity.
• Constant positive acceleration.
• Constant negative acceleration.
• Increasing velocity with decreasing acceleration.
• Decreasing velocity with decreasing acceleration.
• Increasing velocity with increasing acceleration.
• An object thrown up into the air and returning to its starting point.
 Switching between graphs
Displacement-time graph to velocity time graph
Switching between graphs
A tricky problem
A runner runs one lap of a track at track at a
speed v1.
How fast would they have to run the second
lap so that their average speed is 2v1?
• The answer