1.

Introduction to Kinematics

Kinematics is concerned with describing the motion of objects. It involves concepts such as
distance, displacement, speed, velocity, and acceleration.

2. Scalar and Vector Quantities

​ •​ Scalar Quantities: Physical quantities that only have magnitude (e.g.,

distance, speed, time, temperature).

​ •​ Vector Quantities: Physical quantities that have both magnitude and direction
(e.g., displacement, velocity, acceleration, force).

3. Motion in One Dimension

In one-dimensional motion, an object moves along a straight line.

Distance and Displacement

​ •​ Distance (s): The total path length covered by an object in motion,

irrespective of direction. It is a scalar quantity.

​ •​ Displacement (Δx): The change in position of an object. It is a vector quantity

and points from the initial to the final position.

Speed and Velocity

​ •​ Speed (v): The rate of change of distance with respect to time. It is a scalar
quantity.

​ •​ Velocity (v): The rate of change of displacement with respect to time. It is a

vector quantity.

Average and Instantaneous Speed/Velocity

​ •​ Average Speed: Total distance traveled divided by the total time taken.

​ •​ Instantaneous Speed: Speed at any particular instant of time.

​ •​ Average Velocity: Total displacement divided by the total time.

​ •​ Instantaneous Velocity: The velocity at a specific instant of time.

Acceleration

​ •​ Acceleration (a): The rate of change of velocity with respect to time. It is a

vector quantity.
​ •​ Uniform Acceleration: When an object’s acceleration is constant (e.g., free fall
under gravity).

​ •​ Non-Uniform Acceleration: When the acceleration changes with time.

4. Equations of Motion for Uniformly Accelerated Motion (UAM)

For an object moving with uniform acceleration, we use the following equations (known as
the equations of motion):

​ 1.​

Where:

= final velocity,

= initial velocity,

= acceleration,

= time taken.

​ 2.​

Where:

= displacement.

​ 3.​

These equations help calculate the unknown quantities when some information is given
about motion under constant acceleration.

5. Graphical Representation of Motion

In kinematics, motion is often represented graphically using distance-time and velocity-time

graphs.

​ •​ Distance-Time Graph: Shows how distance varies with time. The slope of the
graph gives the speed.

​ •​ Velocity-Time Graph: Shows how velocity varies with time. The slope of the
graph gives acceleration, and the area under the graph gives the displacement.

Types of Motion

​ •​ Uniform Motion: When the object moves with constant speed or velocity (i.e.,
no acceleration).

​ •​ Non-Uniform Motion: When the object’s speed or direction is changing.

6. Relative Motion

Relative motion is the calculation of the motion of an object with respect to some other
object. For example:

​ •​ The velocity of object A with respect to object B is given by:

where and are the velocities of A and B, respectively.

Relative motion can be studied in one, two, or three dimensions, depending on the problem
at hand.

7. Motion in Two and Three Dimensions

When an object moves in two or more dimensions, we need to consider both the x and y
components of the motion. The concepts of displacement, velocity, and acceleration can be
treated as vector quantities.

Projectile Motion

​ •​ Projectile: An object thrown or projected into the air, subject to the force of
gravity.

​ •​ The motion of a projectile is divided into horizontal and vertical components.

The horizontal motion has uniform velocity, and the vertical motion has uniform acceleration
due to gravity.

The key equations for projectile motion are:

​ •​ Horizontal motion:

​ •​ Vertical motion:

where and are the horizontal and vertical components of the initial velocity, and is the
acceleration due to gravity.

The range of the projectile and its maximum height can be calculated using the following
formulas:

​ •​ Range:

​ •​ Maximum Height:

where is the initial velocity and is the angle of projection.

8. Uniform Circular Motion

An object moving in a circle at constant speed is said to undergo uniform circular motion.
The key concepts involved are:
​ •​ Centripetal Acceleration (a_c): The acceleration directed towards the center
of the circular path.

where is the velocity and is the radius of the circle.

​ •​ Centripetal Force (F_c): The force that acts towards the center of the circular
path to keep the object in motion.

where is the mass of the object.

9. Important Points for NEET Preparation

​ •​ Understand the basic concepts thoroughly—distance, displacement, speed,

velocity, and acceleration.

​ •​ Memorize and practice the equations of motion.

​ •​ Practice solving problems on relative motion, projectile motion, and uniform

circular motion.

​ •​ Use graphical methods (distance-time, velocity-time graphs) to visualize

motion.

10. Common Mistakes to Avoid

​ •​ Confusing speed with velocity. Remember, speed is scalar, and velocity is

vector.

​ •​ Misunderstanding the direction of motion in relative motion problems.

​ •​ Failing to decompose the velocity or acceleration into horizontal and vertical

components in projectile motion problems.

1. Frame of Reference

A frame of reference is a coordinate system used to measure the position and motion of
objects. It is essential to describe the motion of objects with respect to a particular reference
point or system. A frame of reference could be:

​ •​ Inertial frame: A frame of reference in which an object remains at rest or in

uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force (Newton’s First Law).

​ •​ Non-inertial frame: A frame of reference that is accelerating or rotating (like a

moving car or a rotating platform).

Example: A person sitting inside a moving car might think they are at rest, but an observer
outside the car sees them moving.
2. Motion in a Straight Line

Linear motion refers to the motion of an object along a straight line, where its position
changes over time.

Position-Time Graph

​ •​ A position-time graph (or displacement-time graph) shows how the position of

an object changes with time.

​ •​ Slope of the graph: Represents the velocity. If the slope is constant, the object
moves with uniform velocity. A curved slope indicates non-uniform velocity (acceleration).

Speed and Velocity

​ •​ Speed (v): The distance traveled by an object per unit of time. It is a scalar
quantity.

​ •​ Velocity (v): The displacement per unit of time. It is a vector quantity and has
both magnitude and direction.

Uniform and Non-Uniform Motion

​ •​ Uniform Motion: When an object moves with constant speed or velocity, i.e.,
acceleration is zero.

​ •​ Non-Uniform Motion: When the speed or velocity of an object changes with

time (i.e., acceleration is not zero).

Average Speed and Instantaneous Velocity

​ •​ Average Speed: Total distance traveled divided by total time taken.

​ •​ Instantaneous Velocity: The velocity of an object at a particular instant of time.

3. Uniformly Accelerated Motion

Uniformly accelerated motion occurs when the object’s acceleration is constant.

Equations of Motion for Uniformly Accelerated Motion

These equations are used when acceleration is constant:

​ 1.​

Where:

= final velocity,

= initial velocity,
= acceleration,

= time taken.

​ 2.​

Where:

= displacement.

​ 3.​

These equations relate velocity, time, displacement, and acceleration for motion with uniform
acceleration.

Graphical Representation

​ •​ Velocity-Time Graph: Shows how velocity changes over time.

​ •​ Slope of the graph: Represents acceleration.

​ •​ The area under the curve represents the displacement.

​ •​ Position-Time Graph: Shows how displacement changes with time.

​ •​ Slope of the graph: Represents velocity.

4. Scalars and Vectors

​ •​ Scalar Quantities: Quantities that have only magnitude and no direction (e.g.,
time, temperature, speed, distance).

​ •​ Vector Quantities: Quantities that have both magnitude and direction (e.g.,
velocity, displacement, force, acceleration).

Vector Addition and Subtraction

​ •​ Vector Addition: The sum of two vectors can be obtained using the triangle
law or the parallelogram law.

​ •​ Vector Subtraction: Subtracting a vector from is equivalent to adding to , i.e.,

Scalar and Vector Products

​ •​ Dot Product (Scalar Product): The product of two vectors that results in a
scalar.

​ •​ Cross Product (Vector Product): The product of two vectors that results in
another vector.

where is the unit vector perpendicular to the plane formed by and .

Unit Vector

A unit vector is a vector with a magnitude of 1. It only indicates the direction of the vector. It
is represented as in the Cartesian coordinate system.

5. Resolution of a Vector

The process of breaking a vector into its components along perpendicular axes (usually -axis
and -axis) is called vector resolution.

​ •​ A vector can be resolved into components:

where and .

6. Relative Velocity

Relative velocity is the velocity of one object with respect to another. If two objects move with
velocities and , the relative velocity of one object with respect to the other is:

For objects moving in different directions or along the same line, this is simply a vector
subtraction.

7. Motion in a Plane

Motion in a plane is two-dimensional motion. The position and velocity of an object in the
plane can be described by two components: along the x-axis and y-axis.

Projectile Motion

A projectile is any object that is thrown or projected into the air. It is subject to gravitational
acceleration in the vertical direction and moves with constant velocity in the horizontal
direction.

Key Points:

​ •​ Horizontal motion: Uniform motion with velocity (no acceleration).

​ •​ Vertical motion: Uniformly accelerated motion with acceleration (acceleration

due to gravity).

Equations for projectile motion:

​ 1.​ Range (R):

​ 2.​ Maximum Height (H):

​ 3.​ Time of Flight (T):

where is the initial velocity and is the angle of projection.

8. Uniform Circular Motion

An object moving in a circle with constant speed is said to be in uniform circular motion.

​ •​ Centripetal Acceleration:

where is the radius and is the speed of the object.

​ •​ Centripetal Force:

where is the mass of the object.

Important Tips for NEET Preparation:

​ •​ Focus on Conceptual Understanding: Kinematics involves a lot of conceptual

understanding, especially regarding motion in different dimensions.

​ •​ Practice Graphs: Understanding velocity-time, displacement-time, and

acceleration-time graphs is essential.

​ •​ Work on Equations: Master the equations of motion, both scalar and vector
forms.

​ •​ Solve Variety of Problems: Practice questions from NEET previous year

papers to improve problem-solving speed.