KINEMATICS

University of Southeastern Philippines

General Physics Lec
Ernel D. Bagbag

Kinematics - Quantitative description of motion without

reference to its physical causes
(describing how things move)
Scalar (no direction)

Vector (w/ direction)

Distance (d)

Displacement (d)
Change in position
(How far you travel in a given
direction)

How far you travel

Speed (s)
How fast you travel

Velocity (v)
How fast you travel (in a given
direction)
Acceleration (a)
Rate of change of velocity

Reference frame and Position

Reference frame is the physical entity to which
motion or position of an object is being referred
Position refers to the location of an object with
respect to some reference frame

Describing Motion
There are lots of different ways to describe
motion.
1. Words
2. Sketches
3. Time elapsed photographs
4. Physical Expressions (Equations)
5. Graphical Representation

Kinematics Equations
Average speed:

sav = d / change in t

SI unit: m/s

sav = d / t = d / tf - ti
Average velocity:

vav = d / t

SI unit: m/s

vav = (df - di) / t

df = di + vav t
Average acceleration: aav = v / t
aav = (vf - vi) / t
vf = vi + aav t

SI unit: m/s/s = m/s2

Note: if the time intervals are very small we call these quantities instantaneous

Sample problem 1: Speed and Velocity

Every morning, you jog around a 250 m track four times in 30
minutes. What is your (a) average speed and (b) average
velocity?
a. Total distance you jogged is : 4 X 250 m = 1,000 m, thus,
ave. speed = d/ t , 1,000 / 1800 s
= 0.6 m/s
b. You have no resultant displacement since you are backzero
to
where you started. Therefore, your average velocity is =

Sample problem 2
A car moving at constant speed travels 30 m in 5 s. (a) what is the
speed of the car? (b) How far will the object move in 10 s?
Solution:
given: t = 5 s, d= 30 m at constant speed6
(a) s = d/t , 30/5 = 6 m/s
(b) s= d/t, 6 m/s = d / 10 s
d = (6 m/s)(10s)
= 60 m

Acceleration
Change in velocity over time.
When does an object is accelerating?
- When it is moving with changing speed
- When moving with constant speed but with changing
direction
- When moving with changing speed as well as changing
direction

Sample problem 1: Acceleration

A Nissan Sentra is stopped at a traffic light. When the light turns
green, the driver accelerates so that the cars speedometer
reads 10 m/s after 5 s. What is the cars acceleration assuming
it is constant?
Solution:
given: Vi = 0 , Vf = 10 m/s at t = 5 s,
a = Vf Vi / t , 10 m/s 0 m/s / 5
= 2 m/s2

Using Split Times!

Position (m)

0-5

Split Time (s) 1.6

Av. Velocity
(m/s)

3.1

5-10 10-15 1520

20-25

2.4

4.0

2.1

3.0
1.7

3.5
1.4

1.25

Determine the average velocity for each distance interval

Determine average velocity of the object over the time recorded
vav = df - di / t = 25m - 0m / 14.5 s = 1.7 m / s
Determine the average acceleration over the time recorded
a = vf - vi / t

= (1.25 m/s - 3.1m/s) / 14.5 s = - 0.13 m / s2

Note: the a is negative because the change in v is negative!!

More examples! Practice makes perfect right?

Andy Green in the car
ThrustSSC set a world record
of 341.1 m/s in 1997. To
establish such a record, the
driver makes two runs through
the course, one in each
direction, to nullify wind
effects. From
the data,
determine the average velocity
for each run.

Answer: 339.5 m/s

Answer: - 342.7 m/s

Determine the average acceleration of the plane.

v = 260 km/h

t = 29s

aav = (vf - vi) / (tf ti)

aav = (260 km/h 0 km/h) / (29s 0s)
aav = 9.0 km/h /s

Graphical Representation of Motion

Kinematics Relationships Through Graphing:
1. The slope of a d-t graph at any time tells you the
average velocity of the object.
2. The slope of a v-t graph at any time tells you the
average acceleration of the object.
3. The area under a v-t graph tells you the
displacement of the object during that time.
4. The area under a a-t graph tells you the
change in velocity of the object during
that time

Constant Motion

60

20

10

18
50

16

30

20

acceleration (m/s)

velocity (m/s)

40
position (m)

14
12
10
8
6
4

10

2
0

0
0

0
0

time (s)

On the d-t graph at any point in

time

vav = d / t

vav = (50 - 0)m / (5 - 0)s

vav = 10 m/s
The slope is constant on this graph
so the velocity is constant

time (s)

On the v-t graph at any point in

time aav = vf - vi / t

aav = (10 - 10)m/s / (5 - 0)s

aav = 0 m/s2
Looking at the area between the
line and the x-axis.
Area of rectangle = b x h
Area = 5s x 10 m/s = 50 m
Which is of course displacement

time (s)

On the a-t graph the area between

the line and the x-axis is.
Area of rectangle = b x h
Area = 5s x 0 m/s2 = 0 m/s
The area thus represents.

v = aav t
Change in velocity

Changing Motion

60
60

25
25

50
50

velocity (m/s)
velocity (m/s)

acceleration
acceleration (m/s/s)
(m/s/s)

20
20

40
40

position
position(m)
(m)

15
15

30
30

10
10

20
20
10

55

10

5
4
3
2

0
0

-10 0

1
1

00
00

0
11

22

time
time (s)
(s)

On the d-t graph at any point in

time

vav = d / t

The slope is constantly increasing

on this graph so the velocity is
increasing at a constant rate
The slope of a tangent line drawn
at a point on the curve will tell you
the instantaneous velocity at this
position

33

44

55

time
time(s)
(s)

On the v-t graph at any point in

time aav = vf - vi / t

aav = (20 - 0)m/s / (5 - 0)s

aav = 4 m/s2
Looking at the area between the
line and the x-axis.
Area of triangle = 1/2 (b x h)
Area = 1/2 (5s x 20 m/s) = 50 m
Which is of course displacement

66

time (s)

On the a-t graph the area between

the line and the x-axis is.
Area of rectangle = b x h
Area = 5s x 4 m/s2 = 20 m/s
The area thus represents.
Change in velocity

To determine the velocity at any point in time, you

need to find the slope of the distance-time graph.

The velocity at 2s is p/t = (18m - 2m)/ (3s - 1s) = 8m/s

Slope between 1s and 3s

shows the velocity at 2s

25

60

50

20

40
15
30
10

20

10

0
0

0
0

-10
time (s)

time (s)

The acceleration is given by the slope of the

velocity-time graph. Therefore:
a = v / t = 20m/s / 5s = 4m/s2

Example Problem
A 2nd year BS Economics student is late for the PUJ. She
runs east down the road at 3 m/s for 30s, then thinks that
she has dropped her calculator so stops for 10s to check.
She jogs back west at 2 m/s for 10s, stops for 5 s then
accelerates uniformly from rest to 4 m/s east over a 10
second period.
a) Sketch the velocity-time graph of the students motion
b) Determine the total distance and displacement of the student
during this time
c) Determine the students average velocity during this time

Velocity-Time Graph of the Students Motion

Total distance traveled by the student is.

dtotal=d1+d2+d3+d4+d5
dtotal=s1t1+s2t2+s3t3+s4t4+s5t5
dtotal=(3m/s)(30s)+(0m/s)(10s)+(2m/s)(10s)+
(0m/s)(5s)+(1/2(4m/s)(10s)
dtotal=130m
Total displacement by the student is.
dtotal=d1+d2+d3+d4+d5

+eastwest

dtotal=v1t1+v2t2+v3t3+v4t4+v5t5
dtotal=(3m/s)(30s)+(0m/s)(10s)+(2m/s)(10s)+
(0m/s)(5s)+(1/2(4m/s)(10s)
dtotal=90m(East)

Average velocity of the student is..

vav=dtotal/ttotal

=+90mEast/65s

vav=1.4m/sEast

90m

20m
20m

df = di + vav t

but

vav = (vi + vf) / 2

df = di + (vi + vf) /2 t

but

vf = vi + aav t

df = di + (vi + (vi + aav t) /2 t

df = di + vi t + 1/2 aavt2
df = di + (vi + vf) /2 t

or
but

d = vi t + 1/2 aavt2
t = (vf - vi ) / aav

df = di + (vi + vf) /2 (vf - vi) /aav

d = (vi + vf) /2 (vf - vi) /aav
and

vf2 = vi2 + 2aav d

So
or

d = (vf2 - vi2 ) /2aav

2 aav d = vf2 - vi2

2
1
df di vi t
aavt
2

A = HB

df d i vi t 1 aavtt
2
df d i vi t 1 vt
2
A=1/2HB

Sample problem
A racer accelerates from rest at a constant rate of 2.0
m/s/s. How fast will the racer be going at the end of 6.0
s? (b) How far has the racer travelled during this time?
Solution:
given: vi = 0
t = 6.0 s

vf = ?
df = ?

 (a) Using equation a = Vf Vi / t, 2.0 m/s/s = Vf 0 / 6.0

s
Vf = 0 + (2.0 m/s/s)(6.0 s)
= 12 m/s
(b) df = vi t + at2, df = 0(6.0) + (2.0m/s/s )(6.0)2
= 36 m

 A car has uniformly accelerated from rest to a speed of

25 m/s after travelling 75 m. What is its acceleration?
Solution:
given: Vi = 0, Vf = 25 m/s, df = 75 m
2ad = vf2 - vi2 , 2a(75m) = 25 (m/s)2 0
a = 4.2 m/s2