LINEAR MOTION

Unit 2 – Chapters 3 & 5

Motion Diagrams
 Motion Diagrams are like pictures taken at
regular intervals to show a change in position.
Motion Diagrams
Motion Diagrams
Coordinate Systems
• For each problem, a coordinate system
must be in place.
• Generally, the starting point is the origin
• Position = 0m
Distance vs. Displacement
• Distance is a “scalar” quantity
• A scalar quantity is just a number value or
measurement (magnitude)
• Displacement is a “vector” quantity
• A vector quantity is a magnitude AND a
direction.
• Directions can be N-S-E-W or +/-
• Remembering "vectors"
Velocity vs. Speed
• Speed is a scalar quantity
• Speed has magnitude only
• Velocity is a vector quantity
• Velocity has both direction and magnitude
Velocity
• Average velocity
• Defined as a change in position over a period
of time
• Like an averaged grade…
• Instantaneous velocity
• The velocity at any given instant
• Constant velocity
• No acceleration or deceleration
• Like setting cruise control
Acceleration
• Acceleration
• Defined as the change in velocity over a
period of time
• Specifically, speeding up
• Deceleration
• Same definition, just slowing down
• Average Acceleration
• For our class, like averaging a grade
Warm Ups
 Define velocity in words.
 Define acceleration in words.
 Identify the following as scalars or
vectors:
Speed, displacement, velocity, distance
Position-Time Graphs
Time is the Independent Variable
Position (Displacement) is the Dependent Variable
Where you are depends on
when you are asking!
Slope Units
Rise = Meters____ = m = Velocity!
Run Second s

Steepness of slope indicates rate of velocity

Flat slope = 0 m/s (No movement)
Position-Time Graphs

Position (m)
Stopped

Slope
m=0

Units
Rise = meters
Run second

Time (s)
Position-Time Graphs

Position (m)
Moving Forward
Constant Velocity

Slope
The steeper the
slope, the faster
the velocity

Units
Rise = meters
Run second Time (s)
Position-Time Graphs

Position (m)
Moving Forward
Accelerating

Note the curve -

not a straight line!

Time (s)
Position-Time Graphs

Position (m)
Moving Forward
Decelerating

Note the curve -

not a straight line!

Time (s)
Position-Time Graphs

Position (m)
Moving
Backwards
Constant Velocity

Time (s)
Position-Time Graphs

Position (m)
Moving
Backwards
Accelerating

Time (s)
Position-Time Graphs

Position (m)
Moving
Backwards
Declerating

Time (s)
Position-Time Graphs

Describe this
motion…
Position-Time Graphs

Describe this
motion…
Position-Time Graphs

Position (m)
Describe this
motion…

Time (s)
Calculating Average or Constant
Velocity
V=d
t
Where: d = displacement (m)
v = velocity (m/s)
t = time (s)

You must be sure before starting a problem to

put given information into the correct
fundamental units.
Calculating Velocity
Examples:

You walk 20 m in 4 seconds. What is your

average velocity?

You walk 60 m in 15 seconds. What is your

average velocity?
Calculating Velocity

A jogger runs 350 m in 6 minutes. What is her

average velocity?

You are driving down the interstate in Canada

when you pass kilometer marker 134. 4
minutes later, you pass kilometer marker 167.
What is your average velocity in m/s?
Calculating Velocity

If you have an average velocity of 34 m/s and

you drive for 30 sec, how far did you go?

You travel 56 m with an average velocity of 20

m/s. How long did it take you?
 Warm Ups
1. A jogger runs at an average velocity of 3 m/s for one
hour. How far has she gone?
2. Find the velocity in m/s :
a) traveled 50 meters in 20
seconds
b) traveled 60 kilometers
in 25 minutes
c) traveled 150 kilometers Position (m)

in 90 minutes
3. Describe the motion
shown here
Time (s)
Velocity-Time Graphs
Time is the Independent Variable
Velocity is the Dependent Variable
How fast you are going depends on
when you are asking!
Slope Units
Rise = Meters / seconds ___ = m =
Run Seconds s2

Steepness of slope indicates rate of acceleration

Flat slope = 0 m/s2 (constant velocity)
Velocity-Time Graphs
“Area under the curve”

Area Calculation – with units

A = (base)(height)
A = (seconds) meters = Meters!
seconds

The area under the curve of a VT Graph tells you

your displacement!
Velocity-Time Graphs

Velocity (m/s)
Slope = 0 m/s2

No change in
velocity
means no
acceleration!

Constant
velocity
Time (s)
Velocity-Time Graphs

Accelerating Velocity (m/s)

Positive Slope

Positive
change in
velocity (gain)
Time (s)
Velocity-Time Graphs

Velocity (m/s)
Decelerating

Negative
Slope

Negative
change in
velocity (loss)
Time (s)
Velocity-Time Graphs
Velocity-Time Graphs

Velocity (m/s)

Describe this
motion…
Time (s)
Average Acceleration
Average Acceleration
Change in velocity over a period of time

Formula: a = Δv = vf – vi
t t
Where: a = acceleration if (+) (m/s2)
= deceleration if (-) (m/s2)
vf = final velocity (m/s)
vi = initial velocity (m/s)
t = time (s)
Average Acceleration

A car starts is traveling at a constant velocity of

40 m/s. 10 seconds later, it is traveling at 55 m/s.
What is the car’s average acceleration?

An Indy car goes from 4 m/s to 36 m/s in 4

seconds. What is its average acceleration?

The same Indy car slows from 36 m/s to 15 m/s in 3

seconds. What is its average acceleration?
 Constant Acceleration

Constant Acceleration
• For this class,
acceleration will be

Velocity (m/s)
smooth and uniform
(Calculus problem if not)
• Creates a straight line on a
VT Graph

Time (s)
Constant Acceleration
vf = vi + at
d = ½(vf + vi)t
d = vit + (⅟2)at2
vf2 = vi2 + 2ad
Where: a = acceleration (m/s2)
vf = final velocity (m/s)
vi = initial velocity (m/s)
d = displacement (m)
t = time (s)
Warm Ups
 A car accelerates from rest to 21 m/s in 7 sec.
a) What is its acceleration?
b) How far has it gone?
 Find the acceleration of

a car that goes from rest

to 40m/s in 4 seconds.

Velocity (m/s)
 Write a story to describe

this motion.

Time (s)
Constant Acceleration
Watch out for hidden information
• Starts from rest…
means vi = 0 m/s
• Comes to a stop…
means vf = 0 m/s
• How fast is it going now…
means you are looking for vf
Constant Acceleration
A car starts from rest and accelerates at 4m/s 2 for
2.5 seconds. How fast is it going now?
An airplane accelerates from 21 m/s at a constant
rate of 3m/s2 over a distance of 535 m. How fast is
it going now?
A car starts from rest and reaches a velocity of
25 m/s in 15 seconds. How far did it travel?
A car starts from rest and accelerates at a rate of
3.5 m/s2 for 30 seconds. How far does it travel?
 Warm Ups
1. What is the acceleration of a car traveling at a constant
velocity of 100 m/s?

2. Find the final velocity for a skateboarder who starts at rest

and accelerates at a rate of 5 m/s2 for 3 seconds.

3. On a recent trip to Folsom, you are travelling at 30 m/s

when you see a cow standing in the road, 100m ahead.
If you come to a stop in 6.3 seconds, find;
a) Your rate of deceleration
b) The distance required to stop your car
c) Did you hit the cow?
Warm Ups
A car accelerates from rest to 21 m/s in 7 seconds.
a) What is its acceleration?
b) How far has it gone?

A plane hits the runway at 61 m/s and comes to a stop

in a distance of 70m.
a) What is the plane’s deceleration?
b) How long does it take the plane to come to a stop?

A pilot stops his plane in a distance of 484m with an

acceleration of -8m/s2. How fast was the plane going
when it touched down?
Acceleration Due to Gravity
Sir Isaac Newton
• Credited with “discovering”
gravity
• Legend – He was hit on the
head by an apple while sitting
under an apple tree

Question: Did the apple

accelerate?
Acceleration Due to Gravity
No matter an object’s size, mass or shape –
acceleration due to gravity acts uniformly on all
objects!

Air resistance slows the rate at which an

object falls and is based on the object’s
shape and surface area.

For now– neglect air resistance. We’ll pretend our

objects fall in a vacuum.
Acceleration Due to Gravity
Earth’s average acceleration due to gravity is:

-9.81 m/s2

A falling object picks up 9.81 m/s of velocity each

second that it falls.
Acceleration due to Gravity
Acceleration Due to Gravity
We’ll use all the same constant acceleration
formulas – just switch “a” with “g!”

g = vf – vi
t
vf = vi + gt
d = ½(vf + vi)t
d = vit + (⅟2)gt2
vf2 = vi2 + 2gd
 Dropping Objects
A dropped object has an initial velocity (vi) of 0 m/s.
You drop a ball out of a window. It hits the ground 3
seconds later. Find:
a) How fast the ball going when it hits the ground.
b) How far it falls.
You drop a rock from the Bogue Falaya Bridge and it
hits the water, 3.5 m below. Find:
a) How long it takes the rock to fall.
b) How fast the rock is traevlling when it hits
the water.
 Warm Ups
1. You drop your calculator out of your pocket and it hits the
ground 0.44 seconds later.
a) How far did it fall?
b) How fast was it going when it hit the ground?
2. You then drop your phone out of your hand over the
stairway while leaving the main building. If your phone falls
5m,
a) How long does it take to hit the ground?
b) How fast is it going when it hits the ground?
3. In frustration over your clumsy day, you throw your books
down on the floor when you get home. If you throw your
books down with a velocity of -1.2m/s, and they hit the
ground 0.2 sec later,
a) How far did they fall?
b) How fast are they going when they hit the
Homework Answers
12) Gravity acts the same on all objects,
regardless of size, shape, etc.
13) Paper ball, parachutes, feathers…
14) Bouncy ball, golf ball…
66) t = 1.22 sec 69) a) vf = -19.62 m/s
67) a) vf = -78.48 m/s b) d = -19.62 m
b) d = -313.92 m 70) a) d = -275.34 m
68) Positive b) t = 7.49 sec
71) 44m*
Warm Up
1. The Empire State Building is 443.18m tall. Find:
a) How long it takes an object to fall that distance if
it is dropped.
b) How fast the object is going when it hits the
ground (neglecting air resistance).
c) If 1m/s = 2.24mph, how fast is the object form
part “b” going in mph (neglecting air
resistance)?

But the reality is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=PHxvMLoKRWg&feature=related
Acceleration Due to Gravity
Remember this?

Air resistance slows the rate at which an

object falls and is based on the object’s
shape and surface area.

In reality, a falling object will reach terminal velocity,

not continuously accelerate to earth.
Terminal Velocity
 When a falling object’s drag force
(caused by air resistance based off the
size and shape of the object) equals the
force of gravity, the object ceases to
accelerate downward and maintains a
constant velocity… its terminal velocity.
Terminal Velocity
 Examples:
Tennis ball = -9 m/s (20 mph)
Basketball = -20 m/s (45 mph)
Baseball = -42 m/s (94 mph)
Sky Diver (spread-eagle) = -60 m/s
(134 mph)
Sky Diver w/ parachute open = -5 m/s
(11 mph)
Acceleration Due to Gravity
Earth’s average acceleration due to gravity is:

-9.81 m/s2

An object that is thrown downwards starts off with

an initial velocity given to it by the throw. It then
gains 9.81 m/s of velocity more for each second that
it travels downwards.
 Examples
1. In frustration over your clumsy day, you throw your
books down on the floor when you get home. If you
throw your books down with a velocity of -1.2m/s, and
they hit the ground 0.2 sec later,
a) How far did they fall?
b) How fast are they going when they hit the
ground?

2. You throw a ball down to your friend who is 3.5m below

you and he catches it 2 seconds later. Find:
a) How fast you threw it.
b) How fast it was going when your friend caught it.
Acceleration Due to Gravity
Earth’s average acceleration due to gravity is:

-9.81 m/s2

An object that is thrown upwards loses 9.81 m/s of

velocity for each second that it travels upwards until
it has lost all of it’s velocity.
Objects Thrown Upwards
 Throwing Objects Upwards
At the top of an object’s path, the velocity is 0 m/s

Break problems up into two parts:

(1) Going Up
(2) Going Down

Watch out for time issues

The time up = the time down
If time is given, use only ½ of it
If time is to be found, you may need to double it
to report your answer.
 Throwing Objects Upwards
Joel hits a pop-fly in a baseball game. If the catcher waits
2.5 seconds to catch the ball, find:
a) How high up the ball goes.
b) How fast the ball was going when Joel hit it.

Ashley sets the volleyball for her teammate during a game.

If Ashley hits the ball upward with a velocity of 3m/s, find:
a) How high up the ball goes
b) How long her teammate waits for the ball
c) How fast the ball is going when it reaches her
teammate.
In summary…
 We know that for acceleration due to
gravity:
Dropped objects
○ vi = 0m/s g = -9.81 m/s2
Objects thrown downwards
○ g = -9.81 m/s2
Objects thrown upwards
○ Vtop = vf = 0 m/s g = -9.81 m/s2
 Warm Ups
1. You throw a basketball from the top of the bleachers straight
down to Phil Will below. If you throw the ball down at
1.5m/s and Phil Will is 3.2m below you,
a) How long does Coach wait to catch the ball?
b) How fast is the ball going when he catches it?
2. You throw a tennis ball vertically upward and catch it
1.3 seconds later.
a) How high did it go?
b) With what velocity was it thrown?
3. Barry bonds hits a foul tip vertically upward and Mike Piazza
waits 2.5 seconds for the ball to come down.
a) With what velocity was the ball hit?
b) How high up did the ball go?
Homework Answers
22) They travel the same distance, one up and
the other down.
23) The velocity starts positive, loses velocity
until it reaches zero, then starts to gain
velocity in the negative direction
24) a) A smaller velocity
b) More time, since g is less
25) a) The ball would only go 1/3 as high
b) A ball thrown 3x faster on Dweeb would
rise 3x higher than normal v on earth