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First Equation of Motion
First Equation of Motion
To know more about motion or rest we should first get familiar with the term reference
point or stationary object.
A Reference Point is used to describe the location of an object. An object can be referred
through many reference points.
Origin – The reference point that is used to describe the location of an object is called
Origin.
For Example: If we consider a pole and a car, then a pole will be stationary as it can’t change its
position but the car can change. So, in order to say that car is at rest or motion we need to
consider its motion with respect to that of pole or any other stationary object. This stationary
object can also be called as reference point.
The quantities that depend upon magnitude and not the direction is called scalar quantities. They
are represented as their own symbol.
For Example: If you travel to Delhi to your relative’s place and if someone asks you about the
distance what do you reply. We say it was like 250km run from Chandigarh. You don’t tell him
that 25km towards east, then west. We just say 250km that means we describe it only in
magnitude and we don’t specify directions. So, it is a scalar quantity.
Vector Quantities
The physical quantities that depends upon magnitude as well as direction. They are represented
by putting arrow on their symbol.
For Example: Now if you travel a straight short path in a specific direction then we can say that I
travelled 25km towards east. So, in this case direction is specified so it falls in the category of
vector quantity.
Distance – Distance
It can be defined as total path covered by body in any direction. It is a scalar quantity.
Unit - meter/second
1 km = 1000m
Characteristics of distance
It can never be zero: it is not possible that body moves but the distance is zero
If a body travels different paths then total distance is calculated by simply adding the
magnitude of all the paths
It is a scalar quantity
Displacement
It is represented as S
It is a vector quantity
It can be zero: whenever a body starts from one point and returns to the same point
the displacement is zero.
Zero Displacement – When the first and last positions of an object are same, the
displacement is zero.
For Example, consider the diagrams given below.
Figure 2 – Example for zero displacement
Displacement at point A = 0 because the shortest distance from A to A is zero.
Difference between Distance and displacement :
Distance Displacement
Distance provides the complete details of Displacement does not provide the complete
the path taken by the object details of the path taken by the object
The distance between two points may not Displacement between two points is always
be unique unique
Consider a particle moving along a straight line with uniform acceleration 'a'. At t = 0, let the particle be at A and u be its initial
velocity and when t = t, v be its final velocity.
Consider an object moving with a uniform velocity u in a straight line. Let it be given a uniform acceleration a at time t = 0 when
its initial velocity is u. As a result of the acceleration, its velocity increases to v (final velocity) in time t and S is the distance
covered by the object in time t.
The figure shows the velocity-time graph of the motion of the object.
v - u = at
Let u be the initial velocity of an object and 'a' the acceleration produced in the body. The distance travelled S in time t is given
by the area enclosed by the velocity-time graph for the time interval 0 to t.
v - u = at ... (1)
(v - u) (v + u) = 2aS
Let 'u' be the initial velocity of an object and a be the acceleration produced in the body. The distance travelled 'S' in time 't' is
given by the area enclosed by the v - t graph.
Graphical Derivation of Third Equation
2aS = (v + u) (v - u)