Motion in One Dimension

When an object moves with constant

acceleration, the instantaneous acceleration
at any point in a time interval is equal to
the value of the average acceleration over
the entire time interval.
Acceleration Vs. Time Graph

(for constant a)
Example: If a car starts with a velocity of +2.0 m/s to the right and accelerates to
the right with a = +6.0 m/𝑠 2 , what is the velocity after 2.0 s have elapsed?
 Motion in One Dimension

Velocity Vs. Time Graph

(for constant a)

(for constant a)
 Motion in One Dimension

Position Vs. Time Graph Velocity Vs. Time Graph

The area under the graph of v versus t for
any object is equal to the displacement
Δx of the object.

t=
Substitute t into

(for constant a)
Motion in One Dimension
 SAMPLE PROBLEM
(a) A race car starting from rest accelerates
at a constant rate of 5.00 m/𝑠 2 . What
is the velocity of the car after it has
traveled 1.00x102 ft?
x=1.00x 102 ft
(b) How much time has elapsed?
 SAMPLE PROBLEM
(a) A race car starting from rest accelerates
at a constant rate of 5.00 m/𝑠 2 . What
is the velocity of the car after it has
traveled 1.00x102 ft?
(b) How much time has elapsed?
 SAMPLE PROBLEM
A car traveling at a constant speed of 24.0 m/s passes a trooper hidden
behind a billboard, as in the figure. One second after the speeding car passes
the billboard, the trooper sets off in chase with a constant acceleration of
3.00 m/𝑠 2 .
(a) How long does it take the trooper to overtake the speeding car?
(b) How fast is the trooper going at that time?
A car traveling at a constant speed of 24.0 m/s passes a trooper hidden
behind a billboard, as in the figure. One second after the speeding car
passes the billboard, the trooper sets off in chase with a constant
acceleration of 3.00 m/𝑠 2 .
(a) How long does it take the trooper to overtake the speeding car?
(b) How fast is the trooper going at that time?
 Motion in One Dimension
When air resistance is negligible, all objects dropped under the influence of
gravity near Earth’s surface fall toward Earth with the same constant
acceleration.

Try this experiment:

Drop a hammer and a feather simultaneously from the same height.
Which object will hit the floor first?

On August 2, 1971, this same experiment was conducted on the Moon by

astronaut David Scott, and the hammer and feather fell with exactly the
same acceleration, as expected, hitting the lunar surface at the same time.
In the idealized case where air resistance is negligible, such motion is
called free fall.
 Motion in One Dimension
A freely falling object is any object moving freely under the
influence of gravity alone, regardless of its initial motion.

g – symbol for magnitude of the free-fall acceleration

– at Earth’s surface, value is approximately 9.80 m/𝑠 2
 SAMPLE PROBLEM

A stone is thrown from the top of a

building with an initial velocity of 20.0
m/s straight upward, at an initial height
of 50.0 m above the ground. The stone
just misses the edge of the roof on its
way down, as shown in Figure.
Determine (a) the time needed for the
stone to reach its maximum height, (b)
the maximum height, (c) the time
needed for the stone to return to the
height from which it was thrown and the
velocity of the stone at that instant, (d)
the time needed for the stone to reach
the ground, and (e) the velocity and
position of the stone at t = 5.00 s.
A stone is thrown from the top of a building with an initial velocity
of 20.0 m/s straight upward, at an initial height of 50.0 m above
the ground. The stone just misses the edge of the roof on its way
down, as shown in Figure. Determine
(a) the time needed for the stone to reach its maximum height
(b) the maximum height
A stone is thrown from the top of a building with an initial
velocity of 20.0 m/s straight upward, at an initial height of 50.0
m above the ground. The stone just misses the edge of the roof
on its way down, as shown in Figure. Determine
(c) the time needed for the stone to return to the height from
which it was thrown and the velocity of the stone at that instant
A stone is thrown from the top of a building with an initial
velocity of 20.0 m/s straight upward, at an initial height of 50.0
m above the ground. The stone just misses the edge of the roof
on its way down, as shown in Figure. Determine
(d) the time needed for the stone to reach the ground, and
(e) the velocity and position of the stone at t = 5.00 s.