SPEED, VELOCITY &

ACCELERATION
By: Kristian Dave Diva, Odesa Beluso, Jasmine Artates,
Schantel Dasas, Ma. Thonette Buni, Erman Saclao, Mia Barruela
ACCELERATED
MOTION
Reported by: Kristian Dave Diva
Motion?
Motion is an excellent topic to begin our study of physics. It is one of
the most common phenomena. We see motion in the activities people
do everyday: walking, jogging, running or riding a car to go to school
or work. Motion can also be observed in the nature: clouds moving,
raindrops falling, wind blowing the leaves of the tree and water
moving in a never ending cycle.

Our first step in the study of motion is to define concepts for motion
in a straight light. Translation is the physical term for straight-line
motion. We then extend our discussion to projectile motion.
Frame of Reference vs. Position
The term position refers to the location of an object with respect to
some reference frame.
What is reference frame? Reference frame is a physical entity, such as
ground, room, and building to which motion or position of an object
is being referred
When an object is undergoing a continuous change in position, we say
that the object is moving. Motion is a relative term. It depends on the
reference frame where motion is being observed.
Distance vs. Displacement
A distinct has to be made between distance and
displacement.
A distance d refers to the actual length of path taken by an
object in moving from its initial position to its final position.
A displacement d refers to straight-line distance between its
initial and final positions, with direction toward the final
position.
Distance is scalar, while displacement is vector
Problem 1:
An object moves from point A to point B to point C, then back to point B and
then to point C along the line shown in the figure below.

a) Find the distance covered by the moving object.

b) Find the magnitude and direction of the displacement of the object.

Solution to Problem 1:

a) distance = AB + BC + CB + BC = 5 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 17 km

b) The magnitude of the displacement is equal to the distance

between the final point C and the initial point A = AC = 9 km

The direction of the displacement is the direction of the ray AB.

Problem 2:
An object moves from point A to point C along the rectangle shown in the
figure below.

a) Find the distance covered by the moving object.

b) Find the magnitude of the displacement of the object.
Solution to Problem 2:
a) distance = AB + BC = 5 + 3 = 8 km

b) Initial point is A and the final point is C, hence the magnitude of

the displacement is equal the diagonal AC of the rectangle and is
calculated using Pythagoreans theorem as follows

AC2 = AB2 + BC2 = 52 + 32 = 25 + 9 = 34

AC = 34 km = 5.83
Speed vs. Velocity
The term Speed and Velocity are used interchangeably in
everyday situations. However, in physics they have distinct
meanings. Speed is the distance that a body moves in a unit
time and speed is a scalar quantity.
When the speed of body is associated with a direction, the
result is the velocity of the body. Velocity is a vector quantity.
The speed of the body is the magnitude of its velocity. The
SI unit for speed and velocity is meter per second, m/s
Formula:
An object normally changes its speed while moving. Hence, it is necessary to
distinguish between average speed and instantaneous speed. The average speed of
a body is total distance it travelled divided byt the time spent in travelling the total
distance

Average speed =


Average speed =


Average velocity =


Average Velocity =

Problem 1:
A man walks 7 km in 2 hours and 2 km in 1 hour in the same
direction.

a) What is the man's average speed for the whole journey?

b) What is the man's average velocity for the whole journey?

 Solution to Problem 1

7+2 9
a) Average Speed= = = = 3km/hr
2+1 3

7+2 9
b) Average Velocity = = = = 3km/hr
2+1 3
Problem 2:
Tatsy Niger drove South 120 km at 60 km/h and then East
150 km at 50 km/h.
Determine
a) the average speed for the whole journey?

b) the magnitude of the average velocity for the whole

journey?
Solution to Problem 2:
 a) The time t1 to cover 120 km at a speed of 60 km/h is given by

t1 = 120 / 60 = 2 hours

The time t2 to cover 150 km at a speed of 50 km/h is given by

t2 = 150 / 50 = 3 hours
120+150 270
Average Velocity = = = = 54km/hr
2+3 5

b)The magnitude of the displacement is the distance AC between the final point and the starting point and is
calculated using Pythagoreans theorem as follows

AC2 = 1202 + 1502 AC = (14400+22500) = 30 41 km

30 41 km
Average Velocity = = = 38.41km/hr
2+3
Acceleration

Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity of an object

with time. since it has both magnitude and direction, it is a vector
quantity. It can either positive or negative according to the direction.
The SI unit is given as m/s2.
An object average acceleration over a period of time is its change in
velocity (V) divided by the duration of the time (t)
Mathematically. A = (V/ T) Vf-Vi/Tf-Ti
Problem 1:
A car is moving from rest and attained a
velocity of 80 m/s. Calculate the
acceleration of the car after 5 s?
Solution to Problem 1:
The equation to find out the acceleration is given by,

a=

It is given that, vfvf = 80 m/s , vivi = 0 m/s , t = 5s
a = 800/5

= 16m/s2
Problem 2:
Determine the acceleration of a coaster
which moves with a velocity of 10 m/s,
after 2s its velocity is increases to 26 m/s.
Solution to Problem 1:
The given parameters are
Vf = 26m/s , Vi = 10 m/s , t = 2 s

a =

a = 2610/2
a = 8 m/s2
 UNIFORMLY
ACCELERATED
MOTION
By: Jasmine Salvacion Artates and Mia Barruela
Uniformly Accelerated Motion
Uniformly accelerated motion is the motion of a point such
that its tangential acceleration w is constant. In the case of
uniformly accelerated rectilinear motion, the points
acceleration w is constant. The speed ? Of the point t sec
after uniform acceleration begins and the points distance s
from its initial position are determined for uniformly
accelerated motion by the equations.
the motion of a point such that its tangential
acceleration w, is constant; in the case of uniformly
accelerated rectilinear motion, the points acceleration
w is constant. The speed v of the point t sec after
uniform acceleration begins and the points distance s
from its initial position-s being measured along the
points path-are determined for uniformly accelerated
motion by the equations.
V = V0 =+ Wt t S = V0t + Wtt2/2
Where V0 is the initial speed of the point when v and WT are
of the same sign, acceleration occurs; when they are of
opposite sign, deceleration occurs.

When a rigid body undergoes uniformly accelerated

transitional motion, the above definitions apply to each point
of the body. A body may also undergo uniformly accelerated
rotation about a fixed axis; in this case, the bodys angular
acceleration; is constant, and the angular speed and
angular displacement of the body are.
 Problem 1:
From rest, a car accelerated at 8 m/s2, for 10 seconds.

a.) What is the position of the car at the end of the 10 seconds?
b.) What is the velocity of the car at the end of the 10 seconds?
Solution to Problem 1:
* a.) the car starts from rest therefore the initial speed u= 0. Nothing is said about
the initial position and we therefore assume it is equal to 0. hence the position x is
given by the equation.
x= (1/2) a t2
where a is the acceleration (= 8 m/s2) and t is the period of time between initial
and final positions.
x= (1/2)8 (10)2 = 400 m

* b.) The velocity v of the car at the end of the 10 seconds is given by.
v= a t = 8 * 10 = 80 m/s
 Problem 2:
With an initial velocity of 20 km/h, a car accelerated at 8 m/s2
for 10 seconds.

a.) What is the position of the car at the end of the 10 seconds?

b.) What is the velocity of the car at the end of the 10 seconds?
 Solution to Problem 2:
a.) The car has an initial velocity of 20 km/h, therefore the initial speed u = 20 km/h. Nothing is said about the
initial position and we therefore assume it is equal to 0. Hence the position x is given by the equation:
x= (1/2) a t2 + u t
where a is the acceleration (= 8 m/s2) and t is period of time between initial and final positions and u is the
initial velocity.

Since the time is given in seconds, we need to convert 20 km/h into m/s as follows:
20* 1km 1000 m 1 hour
u= 20 km/h = 1 hour 1km 3600 seconds
= 5.6 m/s
We now have
x= (1/2) (8) 102 + 5.6*10 = 456 m
b) v= at + u = 8*10 + 5.6 = 85.6 m/s
Problem 3:
An object is thrown straight down from the top of a
building at a speed of 20 m/s. It hits the ground with
a speed of 40 m/s.

a.) How high is the building?

b.) How long was the object in the air?

 Solution to Problem 3:
a.) We consider that the direction from ground up is the positive direction of the falling object. We are given the initial (-
20 m/s) and final velocities (-40 m/s); the minus sign was added to take into account the fact that the falling object is
moving in the negative direction. We know the gravitational acceleration (g= . 9.8 m/s2) acting on the falling object and
we are asked to find the height of the building. If we consider the position of the object as being x (wth x = 0 on the
ground), then we may use the equation relating the initial and final velocities u and v, the acceleration a and the initial (x,
which the height of the building) and final (x, on the ground) positions as follows:

v2 = u2 +2 a (x x2)
(-40 m/s)2 = (-20 m/s)2 + 2 (-9.8 m/s) (0- x)
Solve the above for x
x= 1200 / 19.6 = 61. 2 m
b) x x = (1/2) (u + v)t
-61.2= 0.5 (-20 - 40)t
t= 61.2 / 30= 2.04 s
FREE FALL
By: Erman Saclao and Ma. Thonette Buni
A free falling object is an object that is falling under the sole
influence of gravity. Any object that is being acted upon only
by the force of gravity is said to be in a state of free fall.
There are two important motion characteristics that are true
of free-falling objects:
Free-falling objects do not encounter air resistance.
All free-falling objects (on Earth) accelerate downwards at a
rate of 9.8 m/s/s (often approximated as 10 m/s/s for back-
of-the-envelope calculations)
Free-fall acceleration is often witnessed in a physics
classroom by means of an ever-popular strobe light
demonstration. The room is darkened and a jug full of
water is connected by a tube to a medicine dropper.
The dropper drips water and the strobe illuminates the
falling droplets at a regular rate - say once every 0.2
seconds. Instead of seeing a stream of water free-
falling from the medicine dropper, several consecutive
drops with increasing separation distance are seen.
Kinematic Equations and Free Fall

a free-falling object is an object that is falling under the

sole influence of gravity. That is to say that any object
that is moving and being acted upon only be the force
of gravity is said to be "in a state of free fall." Such
an object will experience a downward acceleration of
9.8 m/s/s. Whether the object is falling downward or
rising upward towards its peak, if it is under the sole
influence of gravity, then its acceleration value is 9.8
m/s/s.
Like any moving object, the motion of an object in free fall
can be described by four kinematic equations. The kinematic
equations that describe any object's motion are:

The symbols in the above equation have a specific meaning: the

symbol d stands for the displacement; the symbol t stands for
the time; the symbol a stands for the acceleration of the object; the
symbol vi stands for the initial velocity value; and the
symbol vf stands for the final velocity.
Applying Free Fall Concepts to Problem-
Solving
An object in free fall experiences an acceleration of -9.8
m/s/s. (The - sign indicates a downward acceleration.)
Whether explicitly stated or not, the value of the acceleration
in the kinematic equations is -9.8 m/s/s for any freely falling
object.
If an object is merely dropped (as opposed to being thrown)
from an elevated height, then the initial velocity of the object
is 0 m/s.
 If an object is projected upwards in a perfectly vertical
direction, then it will slow down as it rises upward. The instant
at which it reaches the peak of its trajectory, its velocity is 0
m/s. This value can be used as one of the motion parameters in
the kinematic equations; for example, the final velocity (vf)
after traveling to the peak would be assigned a value of 0 m/s.
If an object is projected upwards in a perfectly vertical
direction, then the velocity at which it is projected is equal in
magnitude and opposite in sign to the velocity that it has when
it returns to the same height. That is, a ball projected vertically
with an upward velocity of +30 m/s will have a downward
velocity of -30 m/s when it returns to the same height.
These four principles and the four
kinematic equations can be combined to
solve problems involving the motion of
free falling objects. The two examples
below illustrate application of free fall
principles to kinematic problem-solving.
In each example, the problem solving
strategy that was introduced earlier in this
lesson will be utilized
Problem 1:
Luke Autbeloe drops a pile of roof
shingles from the top of a roof located
8.52 meters above the ground.
Determine the time required for the
shingles to reach the ground.
 The solution to this problem begins by the construction of an informative
diagram of the physical situation. This is shown below. The second step
involves the identification and listing of known information in variable
form. You might note that in the statement of the problem, there is only
one piece of numerical information explicitly stated: 8.52 meters. The
displacement (d) of the shingles is -8.52 m. (The - sign indicates that the
displacement is downward). The remaining information must be
extracted from the problem statement based upon your understanding
of the above principles. For example, the vi value can be inferred to be 0
m/s since the shingles are dropped. And the acceleration (a) of the
shingles can be inferred to be -9.8 m/s2 since the shingles are free-
falling. (Always pay careful attention to the + and - signs for the given
quantities.) The next step of the solution involves the listing of the
unknown information in variable form. In this case, the problem requests
information about the time of fall. So t is the unknown quantity.
Diagram: Given: Find:

vi = 0.0 m/s t = ??
d = -8.52 m
a = - 9.8 m/s2
The next step involves identifying a kinematic equation that
allows you to determine the unknown quantity. There are
four kinematic equations to choose from. In general, you
will always choose the equation that contains the three
known and the one unknown variable. In this specific case,
the three known variables and the one unknown variable
are d, vi, a, and t. Thus, you will look for an equation that
has these four variables listed in it. An inspection of
the four equations above reveals that the equation on the
top left contains all four variables.
d = vi t + a t2
Once the equation is identified and written down, the next step
involves substituting known values into the equation and using
proper algebraic steps to solve for the unknown information. This
step is shown below.

-8.52 m = (0 m/s) (t) + (-9.8 m/s2) (t)2

-8.52 m = (0 m) *(t) + (-4.9 m/s2) (t)2
-8.52 m = (-4.9 m/s2) (t)2
(-8.52 m)/(-4.9 m/s2) = t2
1.739 s2 = t2
t = 1.32 s
Problem 2:

Rex Things throws his mother's crystal vase

vertically upwards with an initial velocity of
26.2 m/s. Determine the height to which the
vase will rise above its initial height.
Once more, the solution to this problem begins by the construction of
an informative diagram of the physical situation. This is shown
below. The second step involves the identification and listing of
known information in variable form. You might note that in the
statement of the problem, there is only one piece of numerical
information explicitly stated: 26.2 m/s. The initial velocity (vi) of
the vase is +26.2 m/s. (The + sign indicates that the initial velocity
is an upwards velocity). The remaining information must be
extracted from the problem statement based upon your
understanding of the above principles. Note that the vf value can be
inferred to be 0 m/s since the final state of the vase is the peak of its
trajectory The acceleration (a) of the vase is -9.8 m/s2 . The next
step involves the listing of the unknown information in variable
form. In this case, the problem requests information about the
displacement of the vase. So d is the unknown information. The
results of the first three steps are shown in the table below.
Diagram: Given: Find:

vi = 26.2 m/s d = ??
vf = 0 m/s
a = -9.8 m/s2
The next step involves identifying a kinematic
equation that would allow you to determine the
unknown quantity. There are four kinematic
equations to choose from. Again, you will always
search for an equation that contains the three known
variables and the one unknown variable. In this
specific case, the three known variables and the one
unknown variable are vi, vf, a, and d. An inspection of
the four equations above reveals that the equation on
the top right contains all four variables.
 vf2 = vi2 + 2 a d

Once the equation is identified and written down, the next step involves
substituting known values into the equation and using proper algebraic
steps to solve for the unknown information. This step is shown below.
(0 m/s)2 = (26.2 m/s)2 + 2 (-9.8m/s2) d
0 m2/s2 = 686.44 m2/s2 + (-19.6 m/s2) d
(-19.6 m/s2) d = 0 m2/s2 -686.44 m2/s2
(-19.6 m/s2) d = -686.44 m2/s2
d = (-686.44 m2/s2)/ (-19.6 m/s2)
d = 35.0 m
The solution above reveals that the vase will travel upwards for a
displacement of 35.0 meters before reaching its peak. (Note that
this value is rounded to the third digit.)
The last step of the problem-solving strategy involves checking the
answer to assure that it is both reasonable and accurate. The value
seems reasonable enough. The vase is thrown with a speed of
approximately 50 mi/hr (merely approximate 1 m/s to be equivalent
to 2 mi/hr). Such a throw will never make it further than one
football field in height (approximately 100 m), yet will surely make
it past the 10-yard line (approximately 10 meters). The calculated
answer certainly falls within this range of reasonability. Checking
for accuracy involves substituting the calculated value back into the
equation for displacement and insuring that the left side of the
equation is equal to the right side of the equation.
PROJECTILE
MOTION
By: Odesa Beluso and Love Schantel Dasas
Projectile motion is a form of motion in which an
object or particle (called a projectile) is thrown near
the earth's surface, and it moves along a curved path
under the action of gravity only. The only force of
significance that acts on the object is gravity, which
acts downward to cause a downward acceleration.
Because of the object's inertia, no external horizontal
force is needed to maintain the horizontal motion.
 The initial velocity
Let the projectile be launched with an initial velocity which can b expressed as the sum of horizontal and
vertical components as follows:
The components and can be found if the angle is known:

Initial velocity of parabolic throwing: Components of initial velocity of parabolic throwing:

 Kinematic quantities of projectile motion
In projectile motion, the horizontal motion and the vertical motion are independent of each other; that is, neither
motion affects the other. This is the principle of compound motion established by Galileo in 1638.
Acceleration
Since there is only acceleration in the vertical direction, the velocity in the horizontal direction is constant, being equal
to . The vertical motion of the projectile is the motion of a particle during its free fall. Here the acceleration
is constant, being equal to .The components of the acceleration are: \
Velocity
The horizontal component of the velocity of the object remains unchanged throughout the motion. The downward
vertical component of the velocity increases linearly, because the acceleration due to gravity is constant. The
accelerations in the directions can be integrated to solve for the components of velocity at any time , as
follows:
The magnitude of the velocity (under the Pythagorean theorem, also known as the triangle law:
Displacement
At any time , the projectile's horizontal and vertical displacement are:
The magnitude of the displacement is:

Displacement and coordinates of parabolic throwing:

 Parabolic equation
Main article: Trajectory of a projectile

Consider the equations,

If t is eliminated between these two equations the following equation is obtained:

This equation is the equation of a parabola. Since, are constants, the above equation is of the form:

in which are constants. This is the equation of a parabola, so the path is parabolic. The axis of the parabola is
vertical. If the projectile's position (x,y) and launch angle ( or ) is known, launch speed can be found:
 Time of flight or total time of the whole
journey
The total time for which the projectile remains in the air is called the time of flight.

After the flight, the projectile returns to the horizontal axis, so y=0

Note that we have neglected air resistance on the projectile.

 Maximum height of projectile
The greatest height that the object will reach is known as the peak of the object's motion. The increase in height will last
until that is:

Time to reach the maximum height:

From the vertical displacement of the maximum height of projectile:

Maximum height of projectile:

 Relation between horizontal range and
maximum height
The relation between the range on the horizontal plane and the maximum height reached at is:

Proof:
 Maximum distance of projectile Main article: Range of a projectile

It is important to note that the range and the maximum height of the projectile does not depend upon its mass. Hence
range and maximum height are equal for all bodies that are thrown with the same velocity and direction.
The horizontal range d of the projectile is the horizontal distance it has travelled when it returns to its initial height (y = 0).

Time to reach ground:

From the horizontal displacement the maximum distance of projectile:

The maximum distance of projectile

 Application of the work energy theorem
According to the work-energy theorem the vertical
component of velocity is:
 PROBLEM NO. 1
Alice throws the ball to the +X direction with an initial velocity 10m/s. Time elapsed during the motion is 5s, calculate the
height that object is thrown and Vy component of the velocity after it hits the ground.
SOLUTION
 PROBLEM NO. 2
An object is launched at a velocity of 20 m/s in a direction making an angle of 25 upward with the horizontal.

a) What is the maximum height reached by the object?

b) What is the total flight time (between launch and touching the ground) of the object?

c) What is the horizontal range (maximum x above ground) of the object?

d) What is the magnitude of the velocity of the object just before it hits the ground?
 SOLUTION
A. The formulas for the components Vx and Vy of the velocity and components x and y of the displacement are given by
Vx = V0 cos() Vy = V0 sin() - g t
x = V0 cos() t y = V0 sin() t - (1/2) g t2
In the problem V0 = 20 m/s, = 25 and g = 9.8 m/s2.
The height of the projectile is given by the component y, and it reaches its maximum value when the component Vy is equal to zero. That is when the projectile changes from
moving upward to moving downward.(see figure above) and also the animation of the projectile.
Vy = V0 sin() - g t = 0
solve for t
t = V0 sin() / g = 20 sin(25) / 9.8 = 0.86 seconds
Find the maximum height by substituting t by 0.86 seconds in the formula for y
maximum height y (0.86) = 20 sin(25)(0.86) - (1/2) (9.8) (0.86) 2 = 3.64 meters
b) The time of flight is the interval of time between when projectile is launched: t1 and when the projectile touches the ground: t2. At t = t1 and t = t2, y = 0 (ground). Hence
V0 sin() t - (1/2) g t2 = 0
Solve for t
t(V0 sin() - (1/2) g t) = 0
two solutions
t = t1 = 0 and t = t2 = 2 V0 sin() / g
Time of flight = t2 - t1 = 2 (20) sin() / g = 1.72 seconds.
 c) In part c) above we found the time of flight t2 = 2 V0 sin() / g. The horizontal range is the horizontal distance given by
x at t = t2.

range = x(t2) = V0 cos() t2 = 2 V0 cos() V0 sin() / g = V02 sin(2) / g = 202 sin (2(25)) / 9.8 = 31.26 meters

d) The object hits the ground at t = t2 = 2 V0 sin() / g (found in part b above)

The components of the velocity at t are given by

Vx = V0 cos() Vy = V0 sin() - g t

The components of the velocity at t = 2 V0 sin() / g are given by

Vx = V0 cos() = 20 cos(25) Vy = V0 sin(25) - g (2 V0 sin(25) / g) = - V0 sin(25)

The magitude V of the velocity is given by

V = [ Vx2 + Vy2 ] = [ (20 cos(25))2 + (- V0 sin(25))2 ] = V0 = 20 m/s