Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension

Lesson 3.1
Motion Descriptors
Contents
Introduction 1

Learning Objectives 2

Warm Up 2

Learn about It! 3

Motion 3
Motion Descriptors 4
Time 4
Distance and Displacement 4
Speed and Velocity 6
Acceleration 9
Relative Nature of Motion 10

Key Points 11

Key Formulas 12

Check Your Understanding 13

Challenge Yourself 15

Bibliography 15
Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension

Lesson 3.1

Motion Descriptors

Introduction
Motorcycles and tricycles are two of the main modes of transportation in the Philippines.
Filipinos commonly use them because of their convenience. In the recent data of the Land
Transportation Office in 2019, there are already 18.8 million registered motorcycles in the
country. One of the advantages that might convince someone to buy a motorcycle is that it
can pass through small spaces during heavy traffic congestion in the cities. With this in
mind, can we actually say that motorcycles are faster than normal vehicles? In order for us
to answer this more scientifically, we have to understand first what motion descriptors are,
which we will be discussing in this lesson.

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension

DepEd Competencies
Learning Objectives
This lesson serves as an prerequisite for
In this lesson, you should be able to do the
the following DepEd competency:
following: ● Convert a verbal description of a

● Define motion. physical situation involving

uniform acceleration in one
● Enumerate the different motion dimension into a mathematical
descriptors. description
(STEM_GP12Kin-Ib-12).
● Describe velocity and
● Recognize whether or not a
acceleration. physical situation involves constant
velocity or constant acceleration
● Explain the relative nature of
(STEM_GP12Kin-Ib-13).
motion.

Warm Up
Who’s the Fastest? 15 minutes
In this activity, you will be able to describe a motion using time and distance. These two
quantities are examples of motion descriptors. You will be using the information from this
activity as you go further in the lesson.

Materials
● meter stick
● stopwatch
● chalk

Procedure
1. Form a group with five members.
2. Measure a 10 meter distance in an open field. Mark the starting point and the final
point.
3. Find another group and ask them to be your “pair” group. They will be assigned as
time-keepers for each of your members while your group is performing the task.

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension

4. Line up along the starting line with your group members.

5. Run as fast as you can to the final point.
6. Record your elapsed time in your notebook.
7. Act as time-keepers for your “pair” group as they perform the activity.
8. Consolidate the elapsed times of the whole class on the board and rank them from
the shortest to the longest elapsed time.

Guide Questions
1. Who is the fastest in the class?
2. How can you say that he/she is the fastest?
3. Is the elapsed time the only factor that you have to consider to say that an object is
fast? Why or why not?

Learn about It!

How can we say that an object is moving?

Motion
Our eyes are very sensitive to motion. We can see tiny movements with our eyes even when
it is just in our peripheral (side) vision. For us to easily describe motion, it is necessary to
define it first with a simple statement. Motion is defined as the change of position of an
object in a specific span of time relative to an observer. In our definition, we have
mentioned two important terms that must be highlighted to understand motion. Foremost,
position—defined as a location of a particle in space relative to a fixed point. It can be
noted as “x”, “y”, “z” or even “d”. In this lesson, we will just be indicating position as x.
Secondly, motion requires time—we know that it is impossible for a macroscopic object to
reach a specific point without elapsed time.

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension

What are the quantities that describe motion?

Motion Descriptors
Time
The first motion descriptor is time. It is a quantity that describes when an event took place.
It is a necessary parameter to describe and to observe changes in a specific space. It is
measured in terms of seconds (s) and usually noted by t.

Distance and Displacement

From our previous discussions, we learned that distance and displacement are two different
quantities. Let us differentiate again these two quantities using Table 3.1.1.

Table 3.1.1. Comparison between distance and displacement

Point of difference Distance Displacement

Definition It describes how far an object It is the length and direction

has traveled. It also pertains of the line that connects the
to the total length travelled by initial position to the final
an object in motion. position. It describes how ‘far’
an object is from its initial
position.

Type of quantity scalar vector

SI unit m m

Symbol

We can deduce from the definition that distance is always greater than or equal to
displacement. These two quantities can only be equal if the object in motion travels towards
one direction only and does not go back to its original position.

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension
In order for us to easily differentiate the two, let us consider the skater in Figure 3.1.1.

Figure 3.1.1. A skater traveling along the x-dimension

As you can see in Figure 3.1.1. , the skater moves from position A to B, B to C and, finally, at
C to D. If you are asked to determine the distance traveled by the skater, what would be
your answer? In order to know this, we can go back to our definition of distance, which is the
total length traveled by an object. To get the distance traveled by the skater, we just have to
add lengths AB, BC and CD. For us to be consistent with our notations, we can call position A
as x0, B as x1, C as x2 and D as x3. This is expressed in an equation as shown below.

Rewriting this into a more generalized equation, we will have the equation for distance:

Equation 3.1.1

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension
Therefore, for us to get the distance traveled by the skater, we will just get the sum of x1, x2,
and x3 which is equal to 420 meters.

On the contrary, we will be having a different answer if we are asked to look for the
displacement of the skater. We know that displacement is defined as the length of the line
that separates the initial position (x0) to the final position (xf). With this in mind, we can
formulate an equation to reflect this, which can be stated as:

Equation 3.1.2

We have to emphasize that displacement is a vector quantity. Therefore, all the rules for the
addition of vectors should be applied when solving the displacement of an object.

In the given problem above, the final position is xf while the initial position is x0. Therefore,
the displacement of the skater in Figure 3.1.1 is given below.

Speed and Velocity

It is not enough to describe an object’s motion just by providing its distance and
displacement. Thus, we have to come up with quantities that combine the concept of time
and space—speed and velocity. These quantities are usually used incorrectly in most cases.
We define speed as the rate of change in position. It can be noted as v or s and has a unit of
m/s or ms-1. On the other hand, we define velocity as the rate of change in position with
respect to a reference point. Therefore, it is not enough for velocity to be expressed as a
magnitude or a number but it needs to be supplemented by the direction with respect to a
reference point. It is noted by or and has a unit the same as speed which is m/s. In
other words, speed describes only how fast the object is moving while velocity describes
how fast and in what direction is the object's motion. To summarize the differences
between the two quantities, we can refer to Table 3.1.2.

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension

We can mathematically define speed as

Equation 3.1.3
,

where v is the speed, d is distance, and t is time elapsed.

Table 3.1.2. Comparison between speed and velocity

Point of difference Speed Velocity

Definition describes how fast an object is the rate of change in position

changing its position within a with respect to a reference
span of time point

Type of quantity scalar vector

SI unit m/s m/s

Symbol v, s

Equation 3.1.3 tells us about the speed of an object or the distance covered over the total
time of the travel.

Conversely, we can mathematically show the definition of velocity as

Equation 3.1.4
,

where is the velocity, is the displacement, and t is the time elapsed.

Equation 3.1.4 shows that the velocity of an object is the displacement covered over the
time elapsed. In other words, it is the rate at which an object changes its position from
one place to another

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension

For our discussion’s sake, we define average velocity as the displacement of the object
over the time elapsed. In other words, it is the rate at which an object changes its position
from one place to another.

To further differentiate speed and velocity, let us consider Figure 3.1.1 again. If we are
asked to describe the motion of the skater in terms of its speed, we can use Equation
3.1.3 to state that:

If we want to describe the motion of the skater in terms of its velocity, we have to use
Equation 3.1.4 as shown below:

If we analyze our answers, we can say that speed is greater than the velocity of the skater.
As we have mentioned a while ago, distance is always greater than or equal to the
displacement. Thus, it is also the same with speed and velocity.

At which instance are speed and velocity equal?

Interestingly, there is only one instance in which speed and velocity are equal. It is when, at
the same elapsed time, an object travels along one dimension and does not go back to its
initial position. Ideally, the length of the line that connects the final position from the initial
position is just equal to the total distance traveled. Thus, distance and displacement are
equal, making both speed and velocity also equal to each other.

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension

Did You Know?

The fastest object is light which has a speed of up to 299,792,458
m/s. The speed of light is usually noted by c which is a fundamental
constant for the speed of light in the vacuum. As we will discuss
later on, the speed of light can change as it travels from one
medium to another. Furthermore, the description of objects which
are very much slower than the speed of light is different compared
to the objects which might travel comparable to the speed of light
(this is where physics gets more interesting).

Acceleration
Finally, a motion descriptor that describes how an object changes its velocity per elapsed
time is what we call acceleration. It is a vector quantity, thus, direction supplements it. It
has an SI unit of m/s2. Mathematically, we can define acceleration as

Equation 3.1.5
,

where is the average acceleration, and are the final and initial velocity,
respectively, and t is the time elapsed.

If we are going to look into the equation, we can enumerate three ways to say that an object
is accelerating:
1. if the magnitude of the velocity of the object is changing;
2. if the direction of the motion of the object is changing; and
3. if both the magnitude of the velocity and the direction of motion are changing.

What are the indications of the sign of

acceleration?

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension
Referring to Equation 3.1.5, acceleration can either be positive, negative, or zero. A positive
acceleration tells us that the direction of the velocity and acceleration are the same. Thus,
the object is speeding up. If you arrive at a negative acceleration (or deceleration), the
velocity and acceleration have opposite directions. This tells us that the object is slowing
down. Lastly, if there is zero acceleration, it means that the object is either traveling at a
constant velocity or it is not moving at all.

Relative Nature of Motion

If you are to go back to our basic definition of motion, you can notice that there is a specific
phrase stating “...relative to an observer”. This is an important part of the definition of
motion. Motion is relative. This means that an object which is moving for you might not be
moving relative to another person. Consider you and your classmate who is sitting on your
respective chairs. Do any of you change positions? If none, then both of you are stationary
relative to each other. Suppose your classmate stays in the same position, and you observe
him from outer space. Is he already moving? The answer is yes. Your classmate is already
moving relative to you because he is already changing his position while you are not.

Another good example is shown in Figure 3.1.2. Notice that person A is stationary at the
ground and persons B and C are on a bus. If we consider the observer as A, would persons B
and C move? The answer would be yes. Now, if we consider the observer as B, would
persons A and C be moving? To answer this, let us put ourselves at the position of person B.
If you look from the window of the bus, you can observe person A moving relative to you in
the opposite direction of the bus. If you look at person C, he is not moving because you are
both in the same reference point, which is the bus.

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension

Figure 3.1.2. An illustration that depicts the relativity of motion

In general, we can say that motion is relative and not absolute.

Key Points
___________________________________________________________________________________________

● Motion is defined as the change of position of an object in a specific span of time

relative to an observer.
● There are six motion descriptors, namely:
○ Time is a quantity that describes when an event took place.
○ Distance is the total length traveled by a moving object. It is a scalar
quantity.
○ Displacement is the length and direction of the line that connects the
initial and final position. It is a vector quantity.

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension
○ Speed is the rate of change in position. It is a scalar quantity.
○ Velocity is the rate of change in position with respect to a reference point.
It is a vector quantity.
○ Acceleration is the rate of change in velocity. It is a vector quantity
● A positive acceleration means that the object is speeding up, and a negative
acceleration means the object is slowing down. If the acceleration is zero, then the
object is following a constant motion.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Key Formulas
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Concept Formula Description

Distance Use this formula to solve for

distance if the positions are
where: given.
● d is distance
● x is position

Displacement Use this formula to solve for

displacement if the initial
where: and final positions are
● is displacement given.
● xf is the final position of
the object
● x0 is the initial position of
the object

Speed Use this formula to solve for

speed if the distance and
where: the time elapsed are given.
● v is speed
● d is distance
● t is the time elapsed

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension

Velocity Use this formula to solve for

velocity if the displacement
and the time elapsed are
where:
given.
● is velocity
● is displacement
● t is the time elapsed

Acceleration Use this formula to solve for

acceleration if the object’s
where: initial and final velocity, and
● is acceleration the time elapsed are given.

● is the object’s final

velocity
● is the object’s initial
velocity
● t is the time elapsed

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Check Your Understanding

A. Write T if the statement is true and F if not.

1. Motion is relative.
2. If you are on a train and you look at a tree outside the train, that
tree is moving relating to you.
3. People sitting on a bus are not moving relative to each other but
are moving relative to the ground.
4. A moving car is in motion relative to its driver.
5. Motion is any change in position over time relative to an
observer.

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension

B. Identify the correct motion descriptor described in each item.

1. It is measured in terms of seconds.

2. It is defined as the rate of change in velocity.
3. If this quantity is negative, it means that the object is slowing down.
4. It is the total path traveled by an object.
5. Commonly defined as the distance over time.
6. A possible value for this quantity is 25 m/s, north.
7. Its SI unit is in m/s2.
8. Describes how far the final position is from the initial position.
9. The length of the line that connects the initial position to the final position.
10. The quantity that changes when both velocity and direction change.

C. Refer to the illustration below. The position of the cars are specified
relative to the establishments presented in the diagram. Cars A and
B are moving to the east, while car C is moving to the west. Based
on the illustration, write T if the statement is true. If false, change
the underlined word to make the statement correct.

1. The distance traveled by the driver is 50 miles.

2. 15 miles is the displacement of the driver.
3. From the diagram, we can compute the average velocity of the driver.
4. It can be concluded from the diagram that distance is greater than the
displacement.
5. Just by looking at the diagram, the driver is not accelerating.

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Unit 3: Motion in One Dimension

Challenge Yourself

Briefly answer the questions in two to three sentences only.

1. What does it mean when we say motion is relative? Why do we always have to take
note of the observer?
2. Why do you think we can not have a negative value for time?
3. In relation to acceleration, how can you say that an object is traveling at constant
velocity? Expound your answer.
4. A car that is traveling at a constant speed passed through a curved road. Do you
think the car accelerated? Why or why not?
5. Why is ‘constant speed’ different from ‘constant velocity’?

Bibliography
Faughn, Jerry S., and Raymond A. Serway. Serway’s College Physics (7th ed). Singapore:
Brooks/Cole, 2006.

Hewitt, Paul G. Conceptual Physics (11th ed). New York: Pearson Education. 2010.

Homer, David and Michael Bowen-Jones. Physics Oxford IB Diploma Programme. UK: Oxford
University Press. 2014.

Sang, David, Graham Jones, Gurinder Chadha, and Richard Woodside. Cambridge
International AS and A Level Physics Coursebook. UK: University Printing House. 2014.

Serway, Raymond A., and John W. Jewett, Jr. Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern
Physics (9th ed). USA: Brooks/Cole, 2014.

Young, Hugh D., Roger A. Freedman, and A. Lewis Ford. Sears and Zemansky’s University
Physics with Modern Physics (14th ed). USA: Pearson Education, 2012.

3.1. Motion Descriptors 15