AP Calculus Notes Rectilinear Motion

Rectilinear Motion

A common application of differential calculus is the analysis of objects in rectilinear motion, or motion is a straight line.

You will be given an equation that relates the object's position, velocity, or acceleration as it relates to the time of travel,
and will be asked to describe aspects of the object's motion.

Before learning integration in the next unit, these problems will almost always begin with a position function:
s(t) that tells you the particles locations at a given time.

So how can we describe the velocity or acceleration of the object?

Notice that velocity is determined by distance divided by time, and that the position function's graph shows its position in
relation to time. Therefore you can find the velocity by finding the slope of the curve. You can find the instantaneous
velocity by taking the derivative of the position function.

Similarly, acceleration is in distance per unit of time squared. This is the slope of, or the derivative of, the velocity function.
When a particle is moving in either direction along a horizontal coordinate line (x-axis), it is possible to determine when
the particle is moving left, is moving right, when it changes direction, when it is speeding up and when it is slowing down,
as summarized below:

Position the coordinate of a particle
on an axis.
Velocity the rate at which the
coordinate of a particle changes with
time and in what direction
Acceleration the rate at which the
velocity of a particle changes with
time
s(t) v(t) = s(t) = ds/dt a(t) = v(t) = dv/dt
= s(t) = d
2
s/dt
2

When s(t) > 0, the particle is on
the positive side of the s-axis
When s(t) < 0, the particle is on
the negative side of the s-axis
When s(t) is increasing, the
particle moves in the positive
direction
When s(t) is decreasing, the
particle moves in the negative
direction.
When s(t) is concave up, the
acceleration is positive.
When s(t) is concave down, the
acceleration is negative.

Displacement = s(t
2
) - s(t
1
)

Displacement is the net change in
position from time t
1
to time t
2
.

When v(t) > 0, s(t) is increasing,
the particle moves in the positive
direction.
When v(t) < 0, s(t) is decreasing,
the particle moves in the negative
direction.
When v(t) = 0, the particle is
momentarily stopped.

Speed = |velocity|
Speed describes how fast an
object is moving without regard to
direction.
A particle speeds up when its
velocity and acceleration have the
same sign.
A particle is slowing down when
they have opposite signs.
When a(t) > 0, the velocity is
increasing.
When a(t) < 0, the velocity is
decreasing.


Verify with calculator in parametric mode: It is possible to examine the motion of a particle using parametric mode.
Enter the function in X1T and let Y1T = 1 or 2 so that the motion is off the axis and easier to view. Set the mode to Dot.
Graph the function and then use the TRACE key. As you push the right arrow key, you will trace the motion of the particle.

AP Calculus Notes Rectilinear Motion

Example 1: s(t) = t
3
6t
2
, 0 < t < 8
Position versus time curve Velocity versus time curve Acceleration versus time curve
s(t) s(t) = t
3
6t
2
v(t) v(t) = a(t) a(t) =

Describe the motion of the particle Verify with calculator in parametric mode
x
1T
= T
3
6T
2

y
1T
= 1 or 2

0 < T < 8
-40 < x < 60
0 < y < 8

Example 2: s(t) = 2t
3
21t
2
+ 60t + 3, 0 < t < 8
Describe the motion of the particle without a calculator





Describe the motion of the particle using a calculator
and the position function s(t)
2 7/2 5
Verify with calculator in parametric mode
x
1T
= 2T
3
21T
2
+ 60T + 3
y
1T
= 1 or 2

0 < T < 8
0 < x < 75
0 < y < 8
AP Calculus Notes Rectilinear Motion

Exercises:
1) A car moves along the x-axis so that the position at any time, t > 0 is given by s(t) = -4t
3
- 18t
2
+ 15t -1
a) When is the car moving to left?
b) When is the car moving to right?
c) When is the car momentarily at rest?
d) When is the car speeding up?
e) When is the car slowing down?
f) Find the maximum speed of the car on the interval 0 < t < 2.
Answers: a) t > 0.3708 b) 0 < t < 0.3708 c) t = 0.3708 d) t > 0.3708 e) t < 0.3708 f) 105



















2) A particle's position along the x-axis, in meters, is given by the function s(t) = (1/3)t
3
(5/2)t
2
+ 6t +1, with time
measured in seconds.
a) Find the velocity and acceleration at t = 1 second.
b) Find when the distance from the origin goes from increasing to decreasing.
c) Find the net and total distance traveled by the particle on the time interval 0 < t < 12 seconds.
Answers: a) 2 m/sec, (-3) m/s
2
b) 2 seconds c) net: 288 m, total: 288