The Physics

of Everyday Phenomena
A Conceptual Introduction to Physics

W. Thomas Griffith
Juliet W. Brosing

©2019McGr aw-HilEducation. Alrightsreserved. Author izedonlyfor instr uctor useintheclassr oom.

Noreproductionorfurtherdist ributionper mittedwit hout thepriorwrittenconsent of McGraw-HilEducation.
 Chapter 2

Describing Motion
Lecture PowerPoint

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 Why do we need clear, precise
definitions?
What’s the difference between:
•average speed and instantaneous speed?
•speed and
velocity?
•speed and
acceleration?

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education ©Mark Evans/Getty Images RF

 Speed
Speed is how fast an object changes its
location.
• Speed is always some distance divided by some
time.
• The units of speed may be miles per hour, or
meters per second, or kilometers per hour, or
inches per minute, etc.
Average speed is total distance divided by
total time. distance traveled
average speed 
time of travel
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
 Unit Conversion 1

Convert 70 kilometers per hour to miles per hour:

1 km = 0.6214 miles
1 mile = 1.609 km
km 0.6214 miles miles
70  70 0.6214
h 1 km h
mi
43.5
h
43.5 MPH
It is easier to multiply by 0.6214 than divide by
1.609… either will work on a calculator equally well.
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
 Unit Conversion 2

Convert 70 kilometers per hour to meters

per second:
km 1000 m m
70  70 1000
1 km = 1000 m h 1 km h
m
1 hour = 60 min 70, 000
h
1 min = 60 sec 70, 000 m  1 h 1 min  70, 000 m
h 60 min 60 s 60 60 s
19.4 m s

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 Average Speed 1

Kingman to Flagstaff:
120 mi ÷ 2.4 hr = 50.0 mph
Flagstaff to Phoenix:
140 mi ÷ 2.6 hr = 53.8 mph

Total trip:
120 mi + 140 mi = 260 mi
2.4 hr + 2.6 hr = 5.0 hr
260 mi ÷ 5.0 hr = 52.0 mph

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 Average Speed 2

Kingman to Flagstaff:
120 mi ÷ 2.4 hr = 50.0 mph
Flagstaff to Phoenix:
140 mi ÷ 2.6 hr = 53.8 mph

Note: the average speed

for the whole trip (52.0
mph) is not the average of
the two speeds (51.9
mph). Why?

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 Average Speed 3

Rate is one quantity divided by another quantity.

• For example: gallons per minute, pesos per dollar, points
per game.
• So average speed is the rate at which distance is
covered over time.

Instantaneous speed is the speed at that precise

instant in time.
• It is the rate at which distance is being covered at a
given instant in time.
• It is found by calculating the average speed, over a short
enough time that the speed does not change much.
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
 What does a car’s speedometer
measure?
a) Average speed
b) Instantaneous speed
c) Average velocity
d) Instantaneous velocity

b) A speedometer measures instantaneous

speed.
(In a moment, we’ll discuss why a speedometer
doesn’t measure velocity.)

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 Instantaneous Speed
The
speedometer
tells us how
fast we are
going at a
given instant
in time.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 Which quantity is the highway patrol
more interested in?
a) Average speed
b) Instantaneous speed

b) The speed limit indicates the maximum legal

instantaneous speed.
In some cases, the highway patrol uses an
average speed to prosecute for speeding. If
your average speed ever exceeds the posted
limit they can be 100% certain your
instantaneous speed was over the posted
limit.
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
 Velocity
Velocity involves direction of motion as well as
how fast the object is going.
• Velocity is a vector quantity.
• Vectors have both magnitude and direction.
• Velocity has a magnitude (the speed) and also a
direction (which way the object is moving).

A change in velocity can be a change in the

object’s speed OR direction of motion OR both.
A speedometer doesn’t indicate direction, so it
indicates instantaneous speed but not velocity.
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
 A car goes around a curve at constant
speed. Is the car’s velocity changing?
a) Yes
b) No

a) At position A, the car has

the velocity indicated by
the arrow (vector) v1.

At position B, the car has the

velocity indicated by the
arrow (vector) v2, with
the same magnitude
(speed) but a different
direction.
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
 Changing Velocity
A force is required to produce
a change in either the
magnitude (speed) or direction
of velocity.
For the car to round the curve,
friction between the wheels
and the road exerts a force to
change the car’s direction.
For a ball bouncing from a
wall, the wall exerts a force on
the ball, causing the ball to
change direction.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 Instantaneous Velocity
Instantaneous velocity is a vector quantity
having:
•a size (magnitude) equal to the instantaneous
speed at a given instant in time, and
•a direction equal to the direction of motion at that
instant.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 Acceleration 1

Acceleration is the rate at which velocity

changes.
• Our bodies don’t feel velocity, if the velocity is
constant.
• Our bodies feel acceleration.
• A car changing speed or direction.
• An elevator speeding up or slowing down.

Acceleration can be either a change in the

object’s speed or direction of motion.
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
 Acceleration 2

It isn’t the fall that

hurts; it’s the
sudden stop at the
end!

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 Acceleration 3

Acceleration is also a vector quantity, with

magnitude and direction.
• The direction of the acceleration vector is that of
the change in velocity, ∆v.
• Acceleration refers to any change in velocity.
• We even refer to a decrease in velocity (a
slowing down) as an acceleration.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 Acceleration 4

The direction of the acceleration vector is that of

the change in velocity, ∆v.
If velocity is increasing, the acceleration is in the
same direction as the velocity.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 Acceleration 5

The direction of the acceleration vector is that of

the change in velocity, ∆v.
If velocity is decreasing, the acceleration is in the
opposite direction as the velocity.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 Average Acceleration 1

Average acceleration is the

change in velocity divided by
the time required to produce change in velocity
that change. acceleration 
elapsed time
• The units of velocity are units v
of distance divided by units of a
time. t

• The units of acceleration are

units of velocity divided by units 20 m s 2
of time. a 4 m s s 4 m s
5s
• So, the units of acceleration are
units of (distance divided by
time) divided by units of time:
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
 Average Acceleration 2

A car starting from

rest, accelerates 20 m s 2
to a velocity of 20 a  4 m s s 4 m s
5s
m/s due east in a
time of 5 s.
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
 Instantaneous Acceleration
Instantaneous acceleration is the
acceleration at that precise instant in time.
• It is the rate at which velocity is changing at a
given instant in time.
• It is found by calculating the average speed,
over a short enough time that the speed does
not change much.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 Graphing Motion
To describe the car’s motion, we could note
the car’s position every 5 seconds.

Time Position
0s 0.0 cm
5s 4.1 cm
10 s 7.9 cm
15 s 12.1 cm
20 s 16.0 cm
25 s 16.0 cm
30 s 16.0 cm
35 s 18.0 cm
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education ©McGraw-Hill Education/Michelle Mauser, photographer
To graph the data in the table, let the horizontal axis
represent time, and the vertical axis represent distance.

Each interval on an
axis represents a
fixed quantity of
distance or time.
•The first data point is
at 0 seconds and 0
cm.
•The second data
point is at 5 seconds
and 4.1 cm.
•Etc.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

The graph displays information in a more useful manner
than a simple table. It is much easier to determine the
answers to the following questions with a graph.
When is the car
moving the fastest?
When is it moving
the slowest?
When is the car not
moving at all?
At what time does
the car start
moving in the
opposite direction?
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
The slope at any point on the distance-versus-time
graph represents the instantaneous velocity at that
time. 1
Slope is change in
vertical quantity
divided by change in
horizontal quantity.
“rise over run”
• steepest “slope” is
between 0 s and 20 s,
this is where it is
moving the fastest.
• slope is zero (flat)
between 20 s and 30 s,
here it is not moving.
Notice that the value of
the distance doesn’t
change.
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
The slope at any point on the distance-versus-time
graph represents the instantaneous velocity at that
time. 2
At what time does the
car start moving in the
opposite direction?
• The slope is negative
between 50 s and 60 s.
This would imply the
velocity is negative, it
has thus changed
direction. Note that the
value for the distance
has decreased.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

To summarize the car’s velocity information, let the
horizontal axis represent time, and the vertical axis
represent velocity.
The velocity is constant wherever the slope of the distance-
vs-time graph is constant.
The velocity changes only when the distance graph’s slope
changes.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 In the graph shown, is the velocity
constant for any time interval?
a) Yes, between 0 s and 2 s.
b) Yes, between 2 s and 4 s.
c) Yes, between 4 s and 8 s.
d) Yes, between 0 s and 8 s.
e) No, never.

a) The velocity is constant between 0 s and 2 s. The

velocity is not changing during this interval, and
the graph is flat, it has a slope of zero.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 In the graph shown, during which time
interval is the acceleration greatest?
a) Between 0 s and 2 s.
b) Between 2 s and 4 s.
c) Between 4 s and 8 s.
d) The acceleration does
not change.

b) The graph is steepest and has the greatest slope

between 2 s and 4 s, the velocity is changing
fastest during this interval making the acceleration
the greatest.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 A car moves along a straight road as
shown. Does it ever go backward
(assume no u-turn)?
a) Yes, between 0 s and 2 s.
b) Yes, between 2 s and 4 s.
c) Yes, between 4 s and 6 s.
d) No, never.

d) Although the velocity is decreasing between 4 s

and 6 s, the velocity is still positive and in the
same direction (it is not negative), so the car is not
moving backward.
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
 At which point is the magnitude of
the acceleration the greatest?

a) Point A
b) Point B
c) Point C
d) The acceleration does
not change.

a) The magnitude of the acceleration is greatest

when the velocity is changing the fastest. This is
where the graph of velocity versus time is steepest
(has the greatest slope), so point A.
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
 During which time interval is the
distance traveled by the car the
greatest?
a) Between 0 s and 2 s.
b) Between 2 s and 4 s.
c) Between 4 s and 6 s.
d) It is the same for all
time intervals.

b) The distance traveled is greatest when the area

under the velocity curve is greatest. This occurs
between 2 s and 4 s.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 How does the acceleration change
for a sprinter?
The runner wants to reach top speed as soon as possible.
The greatest acceleration is at the beginning of the race.
For the remaining portion of the race, the runner continues
at a constant speed (the top speed) so acceleration is zero.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 The velocity graph of an object is
shown. Is the acceleration of the
object constant?
a) Yes.
b) No.
c) It is impossible to
determine from this
graph.

b) No, the acceleration is NOT constant. The slope of the

velocity curve gradually decreases with time, so the
acceleration is decreasing. Initially the velocity is
changing quite rapidly, but as time goes on the velocity
reaches a maximum value and then remains constant.
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
 Uniform Acceleration
Uniform Acceleration is the simplest form
of acceleration.
• It occurs whenever there is a constant force
acting on an object.
• Most of the examples we consider will involve
constant acceleration.
• A falling rock or other falling object.
• A car accelerating at a constant rate.
• The acceleration does not change as the
motion proceeds.
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
The acceleration graph for uniform acceleration is
a horizontal line. The acceleration does not
change with time.

For example, a
car moving along
a straight road
and speeding up
at a constant rate
would have a
constant
acceleration.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

The velocity graph for uniform acceleration is a
straight line with a constant slope. The slope of
the velocity graph is equal to the acceleration.

For this example,

the car starts out
with zero initial
velocity.
The velocity then
increases at a
steady rate.
v
a   v at
t
v v0  at
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
The distance graph for uniform acceleration has a
constantly increasing slope, due to a constantly
increasing velocity. The distance covered grows
more and more rapidly with time.
The distance at any
instant is velocity times
the time at that instant.
The total distance
covered is average
velocity times the total
elapsed time.

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

The distance traveled is equal to the area under
the velocity graph, for example, the triangular
area under the blue curve below.
1 1
If the car starts out with zero v  v  at
initial velocity, the final 2 2
velocity is at and the average
velocity is 1/2(at).
1 2
d vt  at
2

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

For a non-zero initial velocity, the total distance
covered is the area of the triangle plus the
rectangle as shown below.
The first term is the
area of the rectangle,
representing the
distance the object
would travel if it moved
with constant velocity
v0 for a time t.
1 2
d v0t  at
2
The second term is the area of the triangle, representing
the additional distance traveled due to the acceleration.
© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education
 The velocity of a car increases with
time as shown. What is the average
acceleration between 0 s and 4 s?
a) 4 m/s2
b) 3 m/s2
c) 2 m/s2
d) 1.5 m/s2
e) 1 m/s2

e) 4 m/s ÷ 4 sec = 1 m/s2

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 The velocity of a car increases with
time as shown. What is the average
acceleration between 4 s and 5 s?
a) 16 m/s2
b) 12 m/s2
c) 8 m/s2
d) 4 m/s2
e) 2 m/s2

c) (12 − 4) m/s ÷ (5 − 4) sec = 8 m/s2

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 The velocity of a car increases with
time as shown. What is the average
acceleration between 0 s and 5 s?
a) 12 m/s2
b) 6 m/s2
c) 2.4 m/s2
d) 1.2 m/s2
e) 1 m/s2

c) 12 m/s ÷ 5 sec = 2.4 m/s2

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education

 The velocity of a car increases with
time as shown.

Why is the
average of the
average
accelerations
from 0 to 4 sec
and 4 to 5 sec
different from the
average
acceleration from
0 to 5 sec?

© 2019 McGraw-Hill Education