General Awareness: Physics

Motion – Part 1

Motion

 Motion is a change in position of an object or else a process of moving or being moved

 When the body changes its position with respect to its surrounding, the body is said to

be in Motion

 Mechanical motion is of two types:

o Translational or Linear motion

o Rotational or Spin motion

 Example: A Bicycle tyre spins or rotates to move it forward

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General Awareness: Physics

Concepts in Motion

1. Distance and Displacement

 The minimum distance between two points is called displacement while the actual

path covered is called distance

 The displacement is a vector term and distance is scalar term

 Distance and Displacement both have SI unit as metre

2. Speed and Velocity

 Speed is the distance covered per unit time

 It’s a scalar quantity

 Speed = Distance travelled/Time taken

 Velocity is the displacement covered per unit time

 It’s a vector quantity

 Both of them both have SI unit as metre per second (m/s)

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General Awareness: Physics

3. Acceleration and Retardation

 It is the change in velocity per unit time. The change in velocity may be due to

change in speed or direction or both

 a=(v-u)/t unit: m/s2

 Acceleration due to earth’s gravity (g) is 9.8m/s2

 Example: A car increases its speed from 20kmph to 30kmph in 1hour, its acceleration

is 10m/s2

 Retardation: It is when velocity decreases with time

Equations of Motion

 Simple relations exist between these quantities like distance, velocity, acceleration. These

relations are expressed in terms of equations called equations of motion

1. v= u + at

2. S = 2ut + at2

3. v2= u2+2as

Distance-Time Graph

 Distance-time graph is the plot of distance travelled by a body against time. So it tells us

about the journey made by a body and its speed

 Slope of the graph gives velocity

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General Awareness: Physics

Velocity-Time Graph

 Velocity-time graph is the plot of velocity of a body against time

 Slope of the graph gives acceleration

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