Accelerated motion

Motion?
 Motion is an excellent topic to begin our study of
physics. It is one of the most common phenomena.
We see motion in the activities people do everyday:
walking, jogging, running or riding a car to go to
school or work. Motion can also be observed in the
nature: clouds moving, raindrops falling, wind
blowing the leaves of the tree and water moving in a
never ending cycle.
 Ourfirst step in the study of motion is to define
concepts for motion in a straight light. Translation is
the physical term for straight-line motion. We then
extend our discussion to projectile motion.
Frame of Reference vs. Position

 The term position refers to the location of an object

with respect to some reference frame.
 What is reference frame? Reference frame is a
physical entity, such as ground, room, and building
to which motion or position of an object is being
referred
 When an object is undergoing a continuous change
in position, we say that the object is moving.
Motion is a relative term. It depends on the
reference frame where motion is being observed.
Distance vs. Displacement
A distinct has to be made between distance
and displacement.
A distance d refers to the actual length of path
taken by an object in moving from its initial
position to its final position.
A displacement d refers to straight-line
distance between its initial and final positions,
with direction toward the final position.
 Distance is scalar, while displacement is vector
Problem 1:

 An object moves from point A to point B to point C, then

back to point B and then to point C along the line shown
in the figure below.

 a) Find the distance covered by the moving object.

b) Find the magnitude and direction of the displacement

of the object.
Solution to Problem 1:

a) distance = AB + BC + CB + BC = 5 + 4 + 4
+ 4 = 17 km

b) The magnitude of the displacement is

equal to the distance between the final point
C and the initial point A = AC = 9 km

The direction of the displacement is the

direction of the ray AB.
Problem 2:
 An object moves from point A to point C along the rectangle
shown in the figure below.

a) Find the distance covered by the moving object.

b) Find the magnitude of the displacement of the object.

Solution to Problem 2:

 a) distance = AB + BC = 5 + 3 = 8 km

b) Initial point is A and the final point is C, hence

the magnitude of the displacement is equal the
diagonal AC of the rectangle and is calculated
using Pythagorean’s theorem as follows

AC2 = AB2 + BC2 = 52 + 32 = 25 + 9 = 34

AC = √34 km = 5.83
Speed vs. Velocity

 The term “Speed” and “Velocity” are used

interchangeably in everyday situations. However,
in physics they have distinct meanings. Speed is
the distance that a body moves in a unit time
and speed is a scalar quantity.
 When the speed of body is associated with a
direction, the result is the velocity of the body.
Velocity is a vector quantity. The speed of the
body is the magnitude of its velocity. The SI unit
for speed and velocity is meter per second, m/s
Formula:

 An object normally changes its speed while moving. Hence, it

is necessary to distinguish between average speed and
instantaneous speed. The average speed of a body is total
distance it travelled divided byt the time spent in travelling
the total distance

 Average speed =
 Average speed =
 Average velocity =
 Average Velocity =
Problem 1:

A man walks 7 km in 2 hours and 2 km in 1

hour in the same direction.

a) What is the man's average speed for the

whole journey?

b) What is the man's average velocity for the

whole journey?
Solution to Problem 1

 a) Average Speed= = = = 3km/hr

 b) Average Velocity = = = = 3km/hr

Problem 2:

 Tatsy
Niger drove South 120 km at 60
km/h and then East 150 km at 50 km/h.
Determine
a) the average speed for the whole
journey?

b) the magnitude of the average velocity

for the whole journey?
Solution to Problem 2:
 a) The time t1 to cover 120 km at a speed of 60 km/h is given by

t1 = 120 / 60 = 2 hours

The time t2 to cover 150 km at a speed of 50 km/h is given by

t2 = 150 / 50 = 3 hours
Average Velocity = = = = 54km/hr

 b)The magnitude of the displacement is the distance AC between the final

point and the starting point and is calculated using Pythagorean’s theorem as
follows

AC2 = 1202 + 1502 AC = √(14400+22500) = 30 √41 km

 Average Velocity = = = 38.41km/hr
Acceleration

 Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of

velocity of an object with time. since it has both
magnitude and direction, it is a vector quantity.
It can either positive or negative according to
the direction. The SI unit is given as m/s2.
 Anobject average acceleration over a period of
time is its change in velocity () divided by the
duration of the time ()
 Mathematically. A = ( ) Vf-Vi/Tf-Ti
Problem 1:

 A car is moving from rest

and attained a velocity of
80 m/s. Calculate the
acceleration of the car
after 5 s?
Solution to Problem 1:

 Theequation to find out the acceleration is

given by,
a=
It is given that, vfvf = 80 m/s , vivi = 0 m/s , t
= 5s
a = 80−0/5

= 16m/s2
Problem 2:

Determine the acceleration

of a coaster which moves
with a velocity of 10 m/s,
after 2s its velocity is
increases to 26 m/s.
Solution to Problem 1:

The given parameters are

Vf = 26m/s , Vi = 10 m/s , t = 2 s
a =
a = 26−10/2
a = 8 m/s2
Uniformly
Accelerated
Motion
Uniformly Accelerated Motion

 Uniformly accelerated motion is the motion

of a point such that its tangential
acceleration w is constant. In the case of
uniformly accelerated rectilinear motion, the
point’s acceleration w is constant. The speed
? Of the point t sec after uniform acceleration
begins and the point’s distance s from its
initial position are determined for uniformly
accelerated motion by the equations.
the motion of a point such that its
tangential acceleration w, is constant; in the
case of uniformly accelerated rectilinear
motion, the point’s acceleration w is
constant. The speed v of the point t sec
after uniform acceleration begins and the
point’s distance s from its initial position-s
being measured along the point’s path-are
determined for uniformly accelerated
motion by the equations.
V = V0 =+ Wt t S = V0t + Wtt2/2
 Where V0 is the initial speed of the point when v and W T
are of the same sign, acceleration occurs; when they are
of opposite sign, deceleration occurs.

 When a rigid body undergoes uniformly accelerated

transitional motion, the above definitions apply to each
point of the body. A body may also undergo uniformly
accelerated rotation about a fixed axis; in this case, the
body’s angular acceleration; is constant, and the
angular speed and angular displacement of the body
are.
Problem 1:

From rest, a car accelerated at 8 m/s2, for 10

seconds.

a.) What is the position of the car at the end of the

10 seconds?
b.) What is the velocity of the car at the end of the
10 seconds?
Solution to Problem 1:

* a.) the car starts from rest therefore the initial speed
u= 0. Nothing is said about the initial position and we
therefore assume it is equal to 0. hence the position x is
given by the equation.
x= (1/2) a t2
where a is the acceleration (= 8 m/s2) and t is the period
of time between initial and final positions.
x= (1/2)8 (10)2 = 400 m

* b.) The velocity v of the car at the end of the 10

seconds is given by.
Problem 2:

 Withan initial velocity of 20 km/h, a car

accelerated at 8 m/s2 for 10 seconds.

a.) What is the position of the car at the end of the

10 seconds?

b.) What is the velocity of the car at the end of the

10 seconds?
 Solution to Problem 2:
 a.) The car has an initial velocity of 20 km/h, therefore the initial speed u = 20 km/h. Nothing is
said about the initial position and we therefore assume it is equal to 0. Hence the position x is
given by the equation:
x= (1/2) a t2 + u t
where a is the acceleration (= 8 m/s2) and t is period of time between initial and final positions
and u is the initial velocity.

Since the time is given in seconds, we need to convert 20 km/h into m/s as follows:
20* 1km 1000 m 1 hour
u= 20 km/h = 1 hour 1km 3600 seconds
= 5.6 m/s

We now have
x= (1/2) (8) 102 + 5.6*10 = 456 m
b) v= at + u = 8*10 + 5.6 = 85.6 m/s
Problem 3:

An object is thrown straight down

from the top of a building at a speed
of 20 m/s. It hits the ground with a
speed of 40 m/s.

a.) How high is the building?

b.) How long was the object in the air?

Solution to Problem 3:
 a.) We consider that the direction from ground up is the positive direction of the falling object. We are
given the initial (-20 m/s) and final velocities (-40 m/s); the minus sign was added to take into account
the fact that the falling object is moving in the negative direction. We know the gravitational
acceleration (g= . 9.8 m/s2) acting on the falling object and we are asked to find the height of the
building. If we consider the position of the object as being x (wth x = 0 on the ground), then we may
use the equation relating the initial and final velocities u and v, the acceleration a and the initial (x,
which the height of the building) and final (x, on the ground) positions as follows:

v2 = u2 +2 a (x – x2)
(-40 m/s)2 = (-20 m/s)2 + 2 (-9.8 m/s) (0- x)
Solve the above for x
x= 1200 / 19.6 = 61. 2 m
b) x – x = (1/2) (u + v)t
-61.2= 0.5 (-20 - 40)t
t= 61.2 / 30= 2.04 s
FREE FALL
A free falling object is an object that is falling
under the sole influence of gravity. Any object
that is being acted upon only by the force of
gravity is said to be in a state of free fall.
There are two important motion
characteristics that are true of free-falling
objects:
Free-falling objects do not encounter air
resistance.
All free-falling objects (on Earth) accelerate
downwards at a rate of 9.8 m/s/s (often
approximated as 10 m/s/s for back-of-the-
Free-fall acceleration is often witnessed in a
physics classroom by means of an ever-
popular strobe light demonstration. The room
is darkened and a jug full of water is
connected by a tube to a medicine dropper.
The dropper drips water and the strobe
illuminates the falling droplets at a regular
rate - say once every 0.2 seconds. Instead of
seeing a stream of water free-falling from the
medicine dropper, several consecutive drops
with increasing separation distance are seen.
Kinematic Equations and Free Fall

a free-falling object is an object that is falling under

the sole influence of gravity. That is to say that
any object that is moving and being acted upon
only be the force of gravity is said to be "in a
state of free fall." Such an object will experience
a downward acceleration of 9.8 m/s/s. Whether
the object is falling downward or rising upward
towards its peak, if it is under the sole influence
of gravity, then its acceleration value is 9.8 m/s/s.
Like any moving object, the motion of an object in
free fall can be described by four kinematic
equations. The kinematic equations that describe
any object's motion are:

The symbols in the above equation have a specific

meaning: the symbol d stands for the displacement; the
symbol t stands for the time; the symbol a stands for
the acceleration of the object; the symbol vi stands for
the initial velocity value; and the symbol vf stands for
Applying Free Fall Concepts to Problem-
Solving

 An object in free fall experiences an

acceleration of -9.8 m/s/s. (The - sign
indicates a downward acceleration.) Whether
explicitly stated or not, the value of the
acceleration in the kinematic equations is -
9.8 m/s/s for any freely falling object.
 Ifan object is merely dropped (as opposed to
being thrown) from an elevated height, then
the initial velocity of the object is 0 m/s.
 Ifan object is projected upwards in a perfectly vertical direction,
then it will slow down as it rises upward. The instant at which it
reaches the peak of its trajectory, its velocity is 0 m/s. This value
can be used as one of the motion parameters in the kinematic
equations; for example, the final velocity (vf) after traveling to the
peak would be assigned a value of 0 m/s.
 Ifan object is projected upwards in a perfectly vertical direction,
then the velocity at which it is projected is equal in magnitude and
opposite in sign to the velocity that it has when it returns to the
same height. That is, a ball projected vertically with an upward
velocity of +30 m/s will have a downward velocity of -30 m/s
when it returns to the same height.
These four principles and the four
kinematic equations can be combined to
solve problems involving the motion of
free falling objects. The two examples
below illustrate application of free fall
principles to kinematic problem-solving.
In each example, the
problem solving strategy that was
introduced earlier in this lesson will be
Problem 1:
Luke Autbeloe drops a pile of
roof shingles from the top of a
roof located 8.52 meters
above the ground. Determine
the time required for the
shingles to reach the ground.
 The solution to this problem begins by the construction of an
informative diagram of the physical situation. This is shown below. The
second step involves the identification and listing of known information
in variable form. You might note that in the statement of the problem,
there is only one piece of numerical information explicitly stated: 8.52
meters. The displacement (d) of the shingles is -8.52 m. (The - sign
indicates that the displacement is downward). The remaining
information must be extracted from the problem statement based upon
your understanding of the above principles. For example, the vi value
can be inferred to be 0 m/s since the shingles are dropped. And the
acceleration (a) of the shingles can be inferred to be -9.8 m/s2 since the
shingles are free-falling. (Always pay careful attention to the + and -
signs for the given quantities.) The next step of the solution involves
the listing of the unknown information in variable form. In this case,
the problem requests information about the time of fall. So t is the
unknown quantity.
 Diagram: Given:
Find:
vi = 0.0 m/s t
= ??
d = -8.52 m
a = - 9.8 m/s2
The next step involves identifying a kinematic equation that
allows you to determine the unknown quantity. There are
four kinematic equations to choose from. In general, you
will always choose the equation that contains the three
known and the one unknown variable. In this specific
case, the three known variables and the one unknown
variable are d, vi, a, and t. Thus, you will look for an
equation that has these four variables listed in it. An
inspection of the four equations above reveals that the
equation on the top left contains all four variables.
d = vi • t + ½ • a • t 2
Once the equation is identified and written down, the next step
involves substituting known values into the equation and using
proper algebraic steps to solve for the unknown information. This
step is shown below.

-8.52 m = (0 m/s) • (t) + ½ • (-9.8 m/s2) • (t)2

-8.52 m = (0 m) *(t) + (-4.9 m/s2) • (t)2
-8.52 m = (-4.9 m/s2) • (t)2
(-8.52 m)/(-4.9 m/s2) = t2
1.739 s2 = t2
t = 1.32 s
Problem 2:
Rex Things throws his mother's crystal vase
vertically upwards with an initial velocity of
26.2 m/s. Determine the height to which the
vase will rise above its initial height.
Once more, the solution to this problem begins by the construction of
an informative diagram of the physical situation. This is shown
below. The second step involves the identification and listing of
known information in variable form. You might note that in the
statement of the problem, there is only one piece of numerical
information explicitly stated: 26.2 m/s. The initial velocity (v i) of the
vase is +26.2 m/s. (The + sign indicates that the initial velocity is an
upwards velocity). The remaining information must be extracted
from the problem statement based upon your understanding of
the above principles. Note that the vf value can be inferred to be 0
m/s since the final state of the vase is the peak of its trajectory The
acceleration (a) of the vase is -9.8 m/s2 . The next step involves the
listing of the unknown information in variable form. In this case, the
problem requests information about the displacement of the vase.
So d is the unknown information. The results of the first three steps
Diagram: Given: Find:

vi = 26.2 m/s d = ??
vf = 0 m/s
a = -9.8 m/s2
The next step involves identifying a kinematic
equation that would allow you to determine the
unknown quantity. There are four kinematic
equations to choose from. Again, you will always
search for an equation that contains the three known
variables and the one unknown variable. In this
specific case, the three known variables and the one
unknown variable are vi, vf, a, and d. An inspection of
the four equations above reveals that the equation on
the top right contains all four variables.
 vf 2 = v i 2 + 2 • a • d

Once the equation is identified and written down, the next step involves
substituting known values into the equation and using proper algebraic
steps to solve for the unknown information. This step is shown below.
(0 m/s)2 = (26.2 m/s)2 + 2 •(-9.8m/s2) •d
0 m2/s2 = 686.44 m2/s2 + (-19.6 m/s2) •d
(-19.6 m/s2) • d = 0 m2/s2 -686.44 m2/s2
(-19.6 m/s2) • d = -686.44 m2/s2
d = (-686.44 m2/s2)/ (-19.6 m/s2)
d = 35.0 m
The solution above reveals that the vase will travel upwards for a
displacement of 35.0 meters before reaching its peak. (Note that
this value is rounded to the third digit.)
The last step of the problem-solving strategy involves checking the
answer to assure that it is both reasonable and accurate. The value
seems reasonable enough. The vase is thrown with a speed of
approximately 50 mi/hr (merely approximate 1 m/s to be
equivalent to 2 mi/hr). Such a throw will never make it further
than one football field in height (approximately 100 m), yet will
surely make it past the 10-yard line (approximately 10 meters).
The calculated answer certainly falls within this range of
reasonability. Checking for accuracy involves substituting the
calculated value back into the equation for displacement and
insuring that the left side of the equation is equal to the right side
of the equation.
PROJECTILE
MOTION
 Projectilemotion is a form of motion in
which an object or particle (called a
projectile) is thrown near the earth's
surface, and it moves along a curved path
under the action of gravity only. The only
force of significance that acts on the object
is gravity, which acts downward to cause a
downward acceleration. Because of the
object's inertia, no external horizontal force
is needed to maintain the horizontal motion.
 The initial velocity
 Let the projectile be launched with an initial velocity which can b
expressed as the sum of horizontal and vertical components as follows:
 The components and can be found if the angle is known:

Initial velocity of parabolic throwing: Components of initial

velocity of parabolic throwing:
 Kinematic quantities of projectile
motion
In projectile motion, the horizontal motion and the vertical motion are independent of
each other; that is, neither motion affects the other. This is the principle of compound
motion established by Galileo in 1638.
 Acceleration
Since there is only acceleration in the vertical direction, the velocity in the horizontal
direction is constant, being equal to . The vertical motion of the projectile is
the motion of a particle during its free fall. Here the acceleration is constant, being
equal to .The components of the acceleration are: \
 Velocity
The horizontal component of the velocity of the object remains unchanged
throughout the motion. The downward vertical component of the velocity increases
linearly, because the acceleration due to gravity is constant. The accelerations in
the directions can be integrated to solve for the components of velocity at
any time , as follows:
The magnitude of the velocity (under the Pythagorean theorem, also known as the
triangle law:
 Displacement
At any time , the projectile's horizontal and vertical displacement are:
The magnitude of the displacement is:

Displacement and coordinates of parabolic throwing:

 Parabolic equation
Main article: Trajectory of a projectile

 Consider the equations,

 If t is eliminated between these two equations the following equation is obtained:

 This equation is the equation of a parabola. Since, are constants, the
above equation is of the form:

 in which are constants. This is the equation of a parabola, so the path is

parabolic. The axis of the parabola is vertical. If the projectile's position (x,y) and
launch angle (θ or α) is known, launch speed can be found:
 Time of flight or total time of the whole journey

 The total time for which the projectile remains in the air is called the time of flight.

 After the flight, the projectile returns to the horizontal axis, so y=0

Note that we have neglected air resistance on the projectile.

 Maximum height of projectile

 The greatest height that the object will reach is known as the peak of the object's
motion. The increase in height will last until that is:

 Time to reach the maximum height:

 From the vertical displacement of the maximum height of projectile:

Maximum height of projectile:

 Relation between horizontal range and maximum height

 The relation between the range on the horizontal plane and the maximum
height reached at is:

Proof:
 Maximum distance of projectile
Main article: Range of a projectile

 It is important to note that the range and the maximum height of the projectile
does not depend upon its mass. Hence range and maximum height are equal for all
bodies that are thrown with the same velocity and direction.
 The horizontal range d of the projectile is the horizontal distance it has travelled
when it returns to its initial height (y = 0).

Time to reach ground:

 From the horizontal displacement the maximum distance of projectile:

The maximum distance of projectile

 Application of the work energy theorem

According to the work-energy theorem

the vertical component of velocity is:
 PROBLEM NO. 1
 Alice throws the ball to the +X direction with an initial velocity 10m/s. Time elapsed
during the motion is 5s, calculate the height that object is thrown and Vy
component of the velocity after it hits the ground.
SOLUTION
 PROBLEM NO. 2
 An object is launched at a velocity of 20 m/s in a direction making an angle of 25°
upward with the horizontal.

a) What is the maximum height reached by the object?

b) What is the total flight time (between launch and touching the ground) of the
object?

c) What is the horizontal range (maximum x above ground) of the object?

d) What is the magnitude of the velocity of the object just before it hits the
ground?
 SOLUTION
 A. The formulas for the components Vx and Vy of the velocity and components x and y of the displacement are given by

Vx = V0 cos(θ) Vy = V0 sin(θ) - g t

x = V0 cos(θ) t y = V0 sin(θ) t - (1/2) g t2

In the problem V0 = 20 m/s, θ = 25° and g = 9.8 m/s2.

The height of the projectile is given by the component y, and it reaches its maximum value when the component Vy is equal to zero. That is when the projectile changes from
moving upward to moving downward.(see figure above) and also the animation of the projectile.

Vy = V0 sin(θ) - g t = 0

solve for t

t = V0 sin(θ) / g = 20 sin(25°) / 9.8 = 0.86 seconds

Find the maximum height by substituting t by 0.86 seconds in the formula for y

maximum height y (0.86) = 20 sin(25°)(0.86) - (1/2) (9.8) (0.86) 2 = 3.64 meters

b) The time of flight is the interval of time between when projectile is launched: t1 and when the projectile touches the ground: t2. At t = t1 and t = t2, y = 0 (ground). Hence

V0 sin(θ) t - (1/2) g t2 = 0

Solve for t

t(V0 sin(θ) - (1/2) g t) = 0

two solutions

t = t1 = 0 and t = t2 = 2 V0 sin(θ) / g

Time of flight = t2 - t1 = 2 (20) sin(θ) / g = 1.72 seconds.

 c) In part c) above we found the time of flight t2 = 2 V 0 sin(θ) / g. The horizontal range is
the horizontal distance given by x at t = t2.

range = x(t2) = V0 cos(θ) t2 = 2 V0 cos(θ) V0 sin(θ) / g = V02 sin(2θ) / g = 202 sin

(2(25°)) / 9.8 = 31.26 meters

d) The object hits the ground at t = t2 = 2 V0 sin(θ) / g (found in part b above)

The components of the velocity at t are given by

Vx = V0 cos(θ) Vy = V0 sin(θ) - g t

The components of the velocity at t = 2 V0 sin(θ) / g are given by

Vx = V0 cos(θ) = 20 cos(25°) Vy = V0 sin(25°) - g (2 V0 sin(25°) / g) = - V 0 sin(25°)

The magitude V of the velocity is given by

V = √[ Vx2 + Vy2 ] = √[ (20 cos(25°))2 + (- V0 sin(25°))2 ] = V0 = 20 m/s

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