Linear Motion Formulas

Velocity can be expressed as (velocity is constant):

v = s / t   (1a) where, v = velocity in m/s, and s = linear displacement (m,), t = time (s)

Velocity can be expressed as (acceleration is constant) :v = v0 + a t          (1b)

Where, v0 = initial linear velocity (m/s, ft/s) & a = acceleration (m/s2, ft/s2)

Linear displacement can be expressed as (acceleration is constant):

s = v0 t + 1/2 a t2           (1c)

Combining 1a and 1c to express the final velocity

v = (v02 + 2 a s)1/2          (1d)

Velocity can be expressed as (velocity is variable)

v = ds / dt (1f)

where

ds = change of displacement (m, ft)

dt = change in time (s)

Acceleration can be expressed as

a = dv / dt           (1g)

where dv = change in velocity (m/s, ft/s)

The equations that apply to bodies moving linearly (in one dimension) with constant
acceleration are often referred to as "SUVAT" equations where the five variables are
represented by those letters (s = displacement, u = initial velocity, v = final velocity, a =
acceleration, t = time); the five letters may be shown in a different order.

The body is considered between two instants in time: one initial point and one current (or
final) point. Problems in kinematics may deal with more than two instants, and several
applications of the equations are then required. If a is constant, the differential, a dt, may
be integrated over an interval from 0 to Δt (Δt = t − ti), to obtain a linear relationship for
velocity. Integration of the velocity yields a quadratic relationship for position at the end
of the interval.
 where... is the body's initial velocity

is the body's initial position

and its current state is described by:

, The velocity at the end of the

interval

, the position at the end of the

interval (displacement)

, the time interval between the

initial and current states

, the constant acceleration, or in the

case of bodies moving under the
influence of gravity, g.

Note that each of the equations contains four of the five variables. Thus, in this situation
it is sufficient to know three out of the five variables to calculate the remaining two.

The equations below (often informally known as the "suvat equations) are often written
in the following form

By substituting (1) into (2), we can get (3), (4) and (5). (6) can be constructed by
rearranging (1).

Where, s = the distance between initial and final positions (displacement) (sometimes
denoted R or x), u = the initial velocity (speed in a given direction)

v = the final velocity and a = the constant acceleration

t = the time taken to move from the initial state to the final state
Examples

Many examples in kinematics involve projectiles, for example a ball thrown upwards into
the air.

Given initial speed u, one can calculate how high the ball will travel before it begins to
fall.

The acceleration is local acceleration of gravity g. At this point one must remember that
while these quantities appear to be scalars, the direction of displacement, speed and
acceleration is important. They could in fact be considered as uni-directional vectors.
Choosing s to measure up from the ground, the acceleration a must be in fact −g, since
the force of gravity acts downwards and therefore also the acceleration on the ball due to
it.

At the highest point, the ball will be at rest: therefore v = 0. Using the fifth equation, we
have:

Substituting and cancelling minus signs gives:

Extension

More complex versions of these equations can include s0 for the initial position
of the body, and v0 instead of u for consistency.