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AP Physics
Ch. 1– Kinematics: Motion in One Dimension
1.1 What is motion?
● Study motion of the object of interest relative to the observer
○ motion=∆position of object relative to observer at a certain ∆time
○ motion is relative and based on perspective
Ex. observing observer on Earth sees Sun move overhead, while observer in
spaceship sees person on Earth rotate under Sun
● Reference frame includes:
a. Object of reference w/ specific point of reference
b. A coordinate system with multiple coordinate axes (x,y,z) and an origin at the
point of reference; includes unit of measurement/scale
c. A clock to measure time(t) and time intervals(∆t); origin in time at t=0
● Linear motion model assumes that a pointlike object moves in a straight line
Ex. car driving along straight highway
1.2 A conceptual description of motion
● Visual representations used for linear motion
Ex. dot diagram for rolling a bowling ball
● Motion diagram = dot diagram + velocity arrows
̅ ○ v = velocity: has BOTH direction and magnitude⇒vector quantity
̅ ○ ∆v indicates qualitative change in velocities between two adjacent points
● Ex. increasing velocity from position 2 to position 3
̅ ̅ ̅ ○ v2 + ∆v23 = v3
̅ ̅ ̅ ○ ∆v23 = v3 v2
● When change in velocity is constant between each
̅ time interval, ∆v arrows are same length and only
one is needed for motion diagram
1.3 Quantities for describing motion
● Quantitative change
● Time⇒clock reading (CR)
● Time interval⇒difference in CRs, represented by ∆t = t2 t1
○ Unit is usually in seconds (metric)
○ Both scalar quantities⇒ has magnitude ONLY
1. Position (xi,xf) is location of object with respect to coordinate axes
2. Displacement (đ) is a vector that starts at an object’s initial position and ends at its final
position
3. Distance (d) is magnitude (length) of displacement vector
○ Absolute value
4. Path length (l) is how far object moved traveling from initial to final position
○ Sum of series of events
● Displacement vector⇒ vector that points from initial position xi to final position xf
○ xf xi (xcomponent of the displacement)
○ Use (+/) signs when describing
● Distance always represented by positive number
○ | xf xi |
1.4 Representing motion with data tables and graphs
● Plot data on a graph to determine any trends and/or patterns
○ Kinematics positionvstime graph
○ Time t (in sec) ⇒ independent variable⇒ horizontal axis
○ Position x (in meters) ⇒ dependent variable⇒ vertical axis
○ Plot points based on the clock reading and the object’s corresponding position
○ Draw bestfit curve that passes close to the data points
■ Trendline could be linear or curved
● Comparing motion diagrams and motionvstime graph
○ Position of dot on motion diagram corresponds to point on position axis
○ At given time, position x on dot diagram is at x meters on position axis; dot on
graph is at intersection of vertical line through given time t and horizontal line
passing through position x
● Reference frame example:
1.5 Constant velocity linear motion
● For slope of straight line, function y(x) = kx + b becomes:
○ x(t) = kt + b
○ b=xintercept⇒ initial position (x0), k=slope
● Use slope equation:
x −x
○ k = t 2−t 1 = ∆x
∆t
2 1
○ Units are in meters per second
● Slope tells how fast an object is going (speed) and its direction of motion relative to the
coordinate axis
○ Slope represents velocity, where speed is the magnitude
○ Vector quantity
○ v = đ/∆t
○ Velocity vector has same direction as displacement vector
■ Direction of velocity vector⇒ direction of motion
■ Magnitude⇒ speed
● Position equation for constant velocity linear motion:
○ x = x0 + vxt
○ x=x(t) function, x0=position of object at time t0=0 with respect to reference frame,
vx=constant xcomponent of the velocity of the object, aka slope
● Velocityvstime graphs
○ Horizontal line of positionvstime graph
means object at rest, whereas horizontal
line of velocityvstime graph means object
moving at constant velocity over time
○ area (right side of equation) =displacement
of object from time zero to time t (left side
of equation)
■ x − x0 = vxt
○ Displacement defined as area between a
velocityvstime graph line and the time
axis between those two clock readings
1.6 Motion at constant acceleration
● Instantaneous velocity is velocity of object at particular time
x −x
● vx = t 2−t 1 = ∆x
∆t formula CANNOT be used for different time intervals
2 1
○ Can be used for average velocity, ratio of change in position and the time
interval when change occurred
○ At constant velocity, avg velocity = instantaneous velocity
● Acceleration (ā) is change in velocity during a particular time interval
○ Use equation (onedimensional motion):
v −v
ax = 2xt −t 1x = ∆v
∆t
x
2 1
○ Can be either (+/)
○ Vector quantity
○ Average acceleration:
ā = (v2 v1) / (t2t1) = ∆v / ∆t
■ Acceleration vector is in same direction as velocity change vector, since
∆t is a scalar quantity
○ Unit is in m/s2
● Determining velocity change from acceleration:
v −v
○ ax = xt−00x ⇒
○ vx = v0x + axt
● Displacement of object at constant acceleration:
○ Magnitude of displacement x x0 (distance) of an object during time interval t t0
is area between vvst curve and time axis between those time readings
○ () for areas below time axis, (+) for areas above time axis
● Eq of motion–position as a function of time
○ Find area between curve and time axis by separating trapezoidal area into a
triangle and a rectangle
○ ▭ ⇒ displacement for motion at constant velocity
○ ⊿ ⇒ additional displacement caused by acceleration
○ For any initial position x0 at clock reading t0=0, we can determine the position x of
an object at any later time t, provided we also know the initial velocity v0x of the
object and its constant acceleration ax:
x = x0 + v0xt + 12axt2 (parabola)
● Alternate Eq for linear motion w/ constant acceleration
○ 2ax(x − x0) = vx2 − v0x 2
○ Used when time interval during which changes in position and velocity occur is
not known
1.7 Skills for analyzing situations involving motion
● Problemsolving steps:
● Equation Jeopardy Problems
○ Work backwards w/ scientific process
○ Given equations and must construct sketches and diagrams consistent with the
process
○ Invent word problem for the mathematical description
EXAMPLE:
1.8 Free fall
● Linear motion of falling objects
● Is time that objects land dependent on how heavy the objects are or on their shapes?
○ Galileo Galilei
○ Ex. falling textbook and falling sheet of paper VS falling textbook and falling
crumpled paper
● Speed of freely falling objects increases as they move closer to the surface of Earth
○ Acceleration is constant
● Find avg velocity during each time interval by calculating displacement of object between
consecutive times and then divide by time interval
TB:
● Object is in free fall even if thrown upward, since acceleration is the same on the way up
as it is on the way down
1.9 Tailgating: Putting it all together
● Ex. using the motion of two vehicles to determine if tailgating accident will occur