Explain

The Nature of Motion

Animation An objectis in motion ifits positionchanges over time.

When we travel on an airplane, we consider that both the seats and the
5.93 s 5.93 s
drinks sitting on the foldable tray table are at rest, that is, not in motion,
because one object’s position does not change with respect to the other
over the course of time.

On the other hand, if we see a plane flying over our heads we consider
that it is moving because its position changes with respect to the ground
over time.

The position and motion of an ob- Therefore,motion is the change in positionof a body with respect
ject depend on the frame of refer- to a specific reference.
ence.

Position and System of Reference

To be able to indicate a position, a frame or system of reference is re-

quired.A systemof reference consists of:
Interactivity an origin
a unit

10 axes
9
With these elements, wecan indicateapositionusinga
8 set of numbers known as coordinates.
7
6 We need two ordered numbers to define a po-
axis

5 sition on a plane: the x axis (abcissa) and the

y

yaxis (ordinate).
4
3
The x axis of a position is the distance on the horizontal
2 axis from the origin. The y axis is the distance on the
1 verticalaxis from the origin.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
x axis 8 9 10

The position on a plane can be de-

finedusing two coordinate axes.

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Trajectory

Think about what occurs when you throw a ball. When in motion, the
differentpositions of the ball determine its trajectory.

A trajectory or path is the set of positions an object occupies

while it is in motion.

Each of the positions which define a trajectory corresponds to a point.

Therefore,any trajectory takes the form of a line.
The coordinatesof the points ofa trajectory can be written in a table.
Animation

Trajectorytraveled by a ball.
Y

Trajectory, Distance, and Displacement

The trajectoryof an object in motion is a line and, as such, its length can Animation
be measured.

The length of the trajectoryof an object in motion is the distance

the object has traveled.

On theotherhand, astraightlinebetweentheinitialand finalpositionofan

object in motioncan always be drawn regardlessofthe trajectoryfollowed.

The straight line joining the starting and ending points of a tra-
jectory is called displacement. The length of that line bears the Check on thedifference between tra-
same name. jectory,distance,and displacement.

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 The Roleof Time in Describing Motion
Animation
The most basic feature of motion is its trajectory.But
there is moreto motionthan simply a trajectory.

While waiting at the station platform, you have

probably seen fast trains passing by and not stop-
ping. Both the trains stopping and not stopping
move along the same railway and, therefore, share
the same trajectory. However, they move very dif-
ferently: they travel along their trajectory at differ-
entpacesand at differenttimes.

A proper description of motion must take

into account time measurements.

Speed
Concept
If two objects are in motion and it takes the first one less time to travel
the same distance, this is because the first was faster than the second.
That is,the first object moved at a higher speed.

Speed is the ratio of the distance an object moves over the

amountof time needed to travel that distance.

It can also be expressed in this way:

Animation d whered is the distancetraveledand tis thetime

s= needed to travelthedistance.
t

Formulas
The formula s =
d allows the speed of an object in motion (s)
Animations t
to be calculated if the traveled distance(d) and the time (t) are known.

By means of algebra, this formula can be modified to calculate the dis-

tance traveled in a given time and at a given speed:

d = s ·t

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It can also be modified to calculate the time taken to travel a distance at
a given speed:

d
t=
s

Units of Speed
Like distance, speed can be measured using differentunits.

In our everyday life, the most commonly used units of speed are miles
per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour (km/h), since these are used in
car speedometers.

However, the International System of Units, or SI, recommends the use of

another unit,meter per second (m/s).

The conversions between these units are:

1 km/h = 5/18 m/s ≈ 0.28 m/s
1 mph ≈ 0.447 m/s
1 m/s = 3.6 km/h ≈ 2.237 mph

Speed Units Conversion

Simulator
1 km 1 km 1,000 m 1,000 m
1 km/h = = x = = Speed units converter.
km/h 1h 1h 1 km 1h

1,000 m 1h 1,000 m
m/s = x = = 0.28 m/s
1h 3,600 s 3,600 s

1m 1m 1 km 1 km
m/s 1 m/s = = x = =
1s 1s 1,000 m 1,000 s

km/h 1 km 3,600 s 3,600 km

= x = = 3.6 km/h
1,000 s 1h 1,000 s

Distance Traveled vs. Time Graph (I)

We can plot graphs to describe the motion of any object in relation to Side Note
time.
Ifan object does not
To that end, we need to consider that the x axis is the same as the change itspositionrelative
timeline. to a frameof reference
over a period of time,the
The point of origin in the coordinates is the same as the point of origin
object isat rest.
of the motion.

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 1000

900
800
Animation
700

Distance
600
The graph of the animation in the
digital version shows the motion 500

(m)
of an object that, in the follow- 400
ing order: traveled 500 meters in 300
50 seconds; was at rest for
100 seconds; traveled 300 meters in 200
30 seconds. 100

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170

Time (s)
Traveleddistance vs.time.

Distance Traveled vs. Time Graph (II)

Animation When an object moves at a constantspeed it travels the same dis-
tance per unit of time.
An object travelingat a constant speed of 5 m/s
travels 5 metersevery second.
40
35
30
A car traveling at a constantspeed of 5 m/s
covers the same distance every second: 5
25
traveled (m)

meters.
20
Distance

15
The greater an object’sspeed, the steeper the
10
sloping line on a distance vs.time graph.
5
0
0 1 2 3 4 The slope of an object’s distance versus
Time(s)
time graph represents its speed.
The greater the speed, the steeper theslope of the line.

Average Speed
Animation When traveling a distance, a moving object doesn’t have to be
moving at a constant speed.
Two Cars with the Same Average
Speed. The cars in the animation in the digital version travel the same distance
in the same time. While one car does so at a constant speed, the other
Constant speed doesitwhile changing itsspeed.

Variable speed Average speed is the relationship between the total distance
traveled and the time needed to travel the distance.

Theaverage speedof thecars in theanimation in the digital version is the

same because they both travel the same distance (100 m) over the same
amountoftime(10 s).

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Instantaneous Speed
A car speedometer shows the speed at which the car is moving at any
given time. But to measure speed we first need to compare two posi-
tions of the moving object, determine the distance traveled between
these positions, and divide it by the time it needed to travel that dis-
tance. Then what does the speedometer actually measure?

Instantaneous speed is the average speed at which a moving

object travels between two points over a very short interval of
Speedometers show instantaneous
time. speeds.

Thespeedometermeasuresthetimeittakes a wheeltomakea complete

turn. Thewheel’sperimeter matchesthedistancetraveled.

Acceleration
The speed of an object in motion is not always constant: it can increase Video
or decrease over time. So, if over a period of time, an object goes from
moving at an initial speed (si) to moving at a different final speed (sf), it
will have experienced a change in speed (sf − si).

Acceleration is the relationship between the change in speed an

object undergoes and the time taken for this change to occur.

An object’s acceleration can be calculated with the followingexpression:

sf − si
a=
t

Thus, a greater change in speed involves a higher acceleration.

Likewise, the shorter the time taken for that change to occur, the
higher the acceleration.

Acceleration is expressed in m/s2.This unit is obtained by dividing a unit

ofspeed(m/s)bya unit oftime(s).

Positive, Zero, and Negative Acceleration

Depending on the change in speed over a period of time, Simulator
the acceleration may be positive, zero, or negative.

Acceleration is positive within any given period of time when the final speed is greater than
the initial speed. When an object has positive acceleration, it is common to say it speeds up.

Acceleration is zero within any given period of time when the final speed is equal to the initial
speed. This is the acceleration of uniform motion: the speed remains constant.

Acceleration is negative within any given period of time when the final speed is lower than the
initial speed. When an object has negativeacceleration, it is common to say it slows down.

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