2/16/2017 KinematicEquationsandProblemSolving

KinematicEquationsandProblemSolving
KinematicEquations
KinematicEquationsandProblemSolving
KinematicEquationsandFreeFall
SampleProblemsandSolutions
KinematicEquationsandGraphs

Thefourkinematicequationsthatdescribethemathematicalrelationshipbetweentheparametersthat
describeanobject'smotionwereintroducedinthepreviouspartofLesson6.Thefourkinematic
equationsare:

Intheaboveequations,thesymboldstandsforthedisplacementoftheobject.Thesymboltstands
forthetimeforwhichtheobjectmoved.Thesymbolastandsfortheaccelerationoftheobject.And
thesymbolvstandsfortheinstantaneousvelocityoftheobjectasubscriptofiafterthev(asinvi)
indicatesthatthevelocityvalueistheinitialvelocityvalueandasubscriptoff(asinvf)indicatesthat
thevelocityvalueisthefinalvelocityvalue.

ProblemSolvingStrategy
InthispartofLesson6wewillinvestigatetheprocessofusingtheequationstodetermineunknown
informationaboutanobject'smotion.Theprocessinvolvestheuseofaproblemsolvingstrategythat
willbeusedthroughoutthecourse.Thestrategyinvolvesthefollowingsteps:
1.Constructaninformativediagramofthephysicalsituation.
2.Identifyandlistthegiveninformationinvariableform.
3.Identifyandlisttheunknowninformationinvariableform.
4.Identifyandlisttheequationthatwillbeusedtodetermineunknowninformationfromknown
information.
5.Substituteknownvaluesintotheequationanduseappropriatealgebraicstepstosolveforthe
unknowninformation.
6.Checkyouranswertoinsurethatitisreasonableandmathematicallycorrect.
TheuseofthisproblemsolvingstrategyinthesolutionofthefollowingproblemismodeledinExamples
AandBbelow.

ExampleProblemA
ImaHurryinisapproachingastoplightmovingwithavelocityof+30.0m/s.Thelightturnsyellow,and
Imaappliesthebrakesandskidstoastop.IfIma'saccelerationis8.00m/s2,thendeterminethe
displacementofthecarduringtheskiddingprocess.(Notethatthedirectionofthevelocityandthe
accelerationvectorsaredenotedbya+andasign.)
Thesolutiontothisproblembeginsbytheconstructionofaninformativediagramofthephysical
situation.Thisisshownbelow.Thesecondstepinvolvestheidentificationandlistingofknown
informationinvariableform.Notethatthevfvaluecanbeinferredtobe0m/ssinceIma'scarcomesto
astop.Theinitialvelocity(vi)ofthecaris+30.0m/ssincethisisthevelocityatthebeginningofthe
motion(theskiddingmotion).Andtheacceleration(a)ofthecarisgivenas8.00m/s2.(Alwayspay
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carefulattentiontothe+andsignsforthegivenquantities.)Thenextstepofthestrategyinvolves
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thelistingoftheunknown(ordesired)informationinvariableform.Inthiscase,theproblemrequests
informationaboutthedisplacementofthecar.Sodistheunknownquantity.Theresultsofthefirst
threestepsareshowninthetablebelow.

Diagram: Given: Find:
vi=+30.0m/s
vf=0m/s
d=??
a=8.00m/s2

Thenextstepofthestrategyinvolvesidentifyingakinematicequationthatwouldallowyouto
determinetheunknownquantity.Therearefourkinematicequationstochoosefrom.Ingeneral,you
willalwayschoosetheequationthatcontainsthethreeknownandtheoneunknownvariable.Inthis
specificcase,thethreeknownvariablesandtheoneunknownvariablearevf,vi,a,andd.Thus,you
willlookforanequationthathasthesefourvariableslistedinit.Aninspectionofthefourequations
aboverevealsthattheequationonthetoprightcontainsallfourvariables.
vf2=vi2+2ad

Oncetheequationisidentifiedandwrittendown,thenextstepofthestrategyinvolvessubstituting
knownvaluesintotheequationandusingproperalgebraicstepstosolvefortheunknowninformation.
Thisstepisshownbelow.
(0m/s)2=(30.0m/s)2+2(8.00m/s2)d
0m2/s2=900m2/s2+(16.0m/s2)d
(16.0m/s2)d=900m2/s20m2/s2
(16.0m/s2)*d=900m2/s2
d=(900m2/s2)/(16.0m/s2)
d=(900m2/s2)/(16.0m/s2)
d=56.3m
Thesolutionaboverevealsthatthecarwillskidadistanceof56.3meters.(Notethatthisvalueis
roundedtothethirddigit.)
Thelaststepoftheproblemsolvingstrategyinvolvescheckingtheanswertoassurethatitisboth
reasonableandaccurate.Thevalueseemsreasonableenough.Ittakesacaraconsiderabledistanceto
skidfrom30.0m/s(approximately65mi/hr)toastop.Thecalculateddistanceisapproximatelyonehalf
afootballfield,makingthisaveryreasonableskiddingdistance.Checkingforaccuracyinvolves
substitutingthecalculatedvaluebackintotheequationfordisplacementandinsuringthattheleftside
oftheequationisequaltotherightsideoftheequation.Indeeditis!

ExampleProblemB
BenRushiniswaitingatastoplight.Whenitfinallyturnsgreen,Benacceleratedfromrestatarateofa
6.00m/s2foratimeof4.10seconds.DeterminethedisplacementofBen'scarduringthistimeperiod.
Oncemore,thesolutiontothisproblembeginsbytheconstructionofaninformativediagramofthe
physicalsituation.Thisisshownbelow.Thesecondstepofthestrategyinvolvestheidentificationand
listingofknowninformationinvariableform.Notethatthevivaluecanbeinferredtobe0m/ssince
Ben'scarisinitiallyatrest.Theacceleration(a)ofthecaris6.00m/s2.Andthetime(t)isgivenas4.10
s.Thenextstepofthestrategyinvolvesthelistingoftheunknown(ordesired)informationinvariable
form.Inthiscase,theproblemrequestsinformationaboutthedisplacementofthecar.Sodisthe2/3
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unknowninformation.Theresultsofthefirstthreestepsareshowninthetablebelow.
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Diagram: Given: Find:

vi=0m/s
t=4.10s
d=??
a=6.00m/s2

Thenextstepofthestrategyinvolvesidentifyingakinematicequationthatwouldallowyouto
determinetheunknownquantity.Therearefourkinematicequationstochoosefrom.Again,youwill
alwayssearchforanequationthatcontainsthethreeknownvariablesandtheoneunknownvariable.In
thisspecificcase,thethreeknownvariablesandtheoneunknownvariablearet,vi,a,andd.An
inspectionofthefourequationsaboverevealsthattheequationonthetopleftcontainsallfour
variables.

d=vit+at2

Oncetheequationisidentifiedandwrittendown,thenextstepofthestrategyinvolvessubstituting
knownvaluesintotheequationandusingproperalgebraicstepstosolvefortheunknowninformation.
Thisstepisshownbelow.
d=(0m/s)(4.1s)+(6.00m/s2)(4.10s)2
d=(0m)+(6.00m/s2)(16.81s2)
d=0m+50.43m
d=50.4m
Thesolutionaboverevealsthatthecarwilltraveladistanceof50.4meters.(Notethatthisvalueis
roundedtothethirddigit.)
Thelaststepoftheproblemsolvingstrategyinvolvescheckingtheanswertoassurethatitisboth
reasonableandaccurate.Thevalueseemsreasonableenough.Acarwithanaccelerationof6.00m/s/s
willreachaspeedofapproximately24m/s(approximately50mi/hr)in4.10s.Thedistanceoverwhich
suchacarwouldbedisplacedduringthistimeperiodwouldbeapproximatelyonehalfafootballfield,
makingthisaveryreasonabledistance.Checkingforaccuracyinvolvessubstitutingthecalculatedvalue
backintotheequationfordisplacementandinsuringthattheleftsideoftheequationisequaltothe
rightsideoftheequation.Indeeditis!
Thetwoexampleproblemsaboveillustratehowthekinematicequationscanbecombinedwitha
simpleproblemsolvingstrategytopredictunknownmotionparametersforamovingobject.Provided
thatthreemotionparametersareknown,anyoftheremainingvaluescanbedetermined.Inthenext
partofLesson6,wewillseehowthisstrategycanbeappliedtofreefallsituations.Orifinterested,you
cantrysomepracticeproblemsandcheckyouransweragainstthegivensolutions.

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