Introductory Physics

Chapter 2 – Part 2
Instantaneous velocity; acceleration; equations of
motions for constant acceleration

Lecture 5 – September 21
Outline – Chapter 2
• Position and displacement
• Average velocity
• Speed and velocity
• Graphs of motion
• Instantaneous velocity
• Average acceleration
• Instantaneous acceleration
• Motion with constant acceleration
Free fall
• Integrals and motion
 Velocity and the slope of the tangent
Instantaneous Velocity at a given time –
slope of the tangent to the curve at that time

x
Positive Slope
Positive Velocity
Negative Slope
Negative Velocity

t
 Equations of motion

𝑥2− 𝑥1
𝑣 𝑎𝑣𝑒 = (definition of average velocity)
Δ𝑡
𝑥2− 𝑥1
𝑣 𝑎𝑣𝑒 = (take t1=0))
𝑡
𝑥 2=𝑥1 + 𝑣 𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡 (valid for any type of motion)

This equation provides the position of the moving object at any

time t if one knows:
• initial position, x1
• average velocity, vave

This is an example of an equation of motion.

 Equations of motion
(definition) • Motion along a straight line
Constant velocity (constant direction)
• Constant magnitude

Consequences:
1. The average velocity is equal to instantaneous velocity

2. The speed equals to the magnitude of the velocity

Equation of motion for motion with

𝑥 2=𝑥1 + 𝑣𝑡 constant velocity.
 Differentiation review and example
More derivatives of
x  bt m
(b, m constants) common functions:
𝑑 1
ln ( 𝑥 )=
dx m 1 𝑑𝑥 𝑥
v  mbt 𝑑
dt 𝑑𝑥
𝑠𝑖𝑛 ( 𝑥 )=cos ⁡( 𝑥)
dv
a  m  1m b t m2 𝑑
𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( 𝑥 )=− sin ⁡(𝑥)
dt 𝑑𝑥
Numerical example

( )
𝑥 𝑡 =5+ 4 𝑡 +3 𝑡
2
𝑣 ( 𝑡 ) =4 +6 𝑡
 Acceleration – Average and Instantaneous

𝐶h𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦
Average acceleration¿
𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑝𝑠𝑒𝑑𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒
v v2  v1
aave  
t t 2  t1
Instantaneous acceleration (or simply “acceleration”) is

 v dv
a  Lim 
 t0 t dt
 Instantaneous Acceleration
2
dv d  dx  d x
a    2 Second Derivative
dt dt  dt  dt

Numerical example

𝑥 ( 𝑡 )=5+ 4 𝑡 +3 𝑡
2
𝑣 ( 𝑡 ) =4 +6 𝑡
2 𝑑
𝑑
2 𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝑣
𝑎 (𝑡 )= =6
𝑑𝑡
 Motion with Constant Acceleration
Equations of motion

1. Equation for velocity

v v2  v1 v2  v1
a  aave    (Usually we can
t t  t0 t take to=0)

v2  v1  at Initial velocity
(v at t=0)
v(t) = v1 + at
 Motion with Constant Acceleration
Equations of motion

2. Equation for position

 x x2  x1 x2  x1 x2  x1  vavgt
vave   
t t  t 0 t
Since the velocity varies linearly with time (constant
acceleration),we can write:

vavg  v1  v2 
1
2
Note: this “trick” is valid only
for constant acceleration!!!
You will see why this is so in the next lecture.
 Motion with Constant Acceleration
Equations of motion

vavg  12 v1  v2  x2  x1  vavgt

v2 = v1 + at Equation for velocity

vavg  12 v1  at  v1   v1  12 at

x2  x1  vavg t  x1  v1t  at 1
2
2
Motion with Constant Acceleration
Equations of motion

x2 = x1 + v1 t + ½ at 2 Equation for position

v2 = v1 + at Equation for velocity

• These two can be used to solve any problem regarding motion with
constant acceleration.
• A third equation is sometimes useful. It reduces the number of steps to
solution.
• However, the “third” equation is not a new, independent equation.
Alternate notation:
use zero for all “initial” values and no subscript for “final”.
 Motion with Constant Acceleration
The third equation – Galilei’s formula
v = v0 + at v  v0
t
a 2
 v  v0  1  v  v0 
x  x0  v0t  at  x0  v0 
1
2
2
  2 a 
 a   a 
 2 v 0 v  2 v 0 2  v 2  2 v v0  v 0 2   v 2  v0 2 
x  x 0     x0  
 


 2a   2a 

v 2 = v0 2 + 2 a (x – x0) or v 2
= v 0 + 2 a d
2