Chapter 2

Motion

Sections 2.1-2.5
 Motion
• Motion is everywhere – walking, driving, flying, etc.
• This chapter focuses on definition/discussion of: speed,
velocity, and acceleration.
• There are two basic kinds of motion:
– Straight line
– Circular

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 Defining Motion
• Position – the location of an object
– A reference point must be given in order to define the
position of an object
• Motion – a change in position of an object with respect to a
fixed reference point. Hence, motion is relative.
• Description of Motion – the time rate of change of position
– A combination of length and time describes motion

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 Scalars and Vectors
The mathematical quantities that are used to describe the
motion of objects can be divided into two categories. These
two categories can be distinguished from one another by their
distinct definitions:

• Scalars are quantities that are fully described by a

magnitude (or numerical value) alone.
• Vectors are quantities that are fully described by both a
magnitude and a direction.

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 Displacement and Distance
Distance and displacement are two quantities that may seem
to mean the same thing yet have distinctly different
definitions and meanings.

Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to "how much

ground an object has covered" during its motion.
Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to "how far
out of place an object is"; it is the object's overall change in
position.

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 A beautiful, sexy, and gorgeous teacher (Ferny)
walks 4 meters East, 2 meters South, 4 meters
West, and finally 2 meters North.

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 The diagram below shows the position of a cross-country skier
at various times. At each of the indicated times, the skier turns
around and reverses the direction of travel. In other words, the
skier moves from A to B to C to D.

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 Consider a football coach pacing back and forth along the sidelines. The
diagram below shows several of coach's positions at various times. At each
marked position, the coach makes a "U-turn" and moves in the opposite
direction. In other words, the coach moves from position A to B to C to D.

What is the coach's resulting displacement and distance of

travel?
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Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 2-9
 Speed
Speed is a scalar quantity that refers to "how fast an
object is moving.”
*Fast-moving object
*Slow-moving object
distance
speed =
Combination of units: time
•km/h
•cm/s
•m/s
•cm/day
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 Sample Problem
Let us find the speed of the
tortoise if it took five hours to
travel a distance of three
kilometers.

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 Practice Exercises
1. If Bea, Kim, and Ferny take 2.0 hours to walk to their school
at a rate of 1.0 m/s, how far is their school from their
houses?*
2. Lee Min Ho, a smart and swift was able to catch his prey
which was 8.5 m away in 1.8 s. What was Lee Min Ho’s
speed?
3. Tommy loves taking care of homing pigeons. He sent a note
to his crush who lives 24 km away from his house. These
birds fly at a rate of 48.28 km/hr. How long will the note
reach Tommy’s crush?
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 Instantaneous Speed and
Average Speed
Instantaneous speed – speed at a particular instant in
time.

Average speed – indicates the rate of movement during the

entire time of the travel throughout the distance traveled.
total distance traveled
average speed =
total time traveled

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 Average vs. Instantaneous Speed

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 Sample Problem
The cheetah, considered the fastest
land animal, can travel 625 m in 25 s.
What is its average speed?
How long will it take the cheetah to run a
distance of 5 km if it runs at a speed of
25 m/s?

How far can the cheetah

in the previous problem
go in one minute?

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 Practice Exercises

1.Sandara finished the 400 m dash in 60 s. What

was her speed?
2.If the driver takes 30 minutes to get to the town
market which is 1.5 km away from your house,
what is his average speed?
3.If a bus travelling at 60 km/hr will cover a
distance of 600 km, how many hours will it take
to reach its destination?
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 Velocity
Velocity is a vector quantity that refers to "the rate
at which an object changes its position."
Imagine a person moving rapidly - one step
forward and one step back - always returning to the
original starting position.

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 Sample Problem

1. Lydia de Vega, Asia’s sprint queen in the 1980s, begins at

point A. She runs from point A a distance of 700 m around
an oval and returns to point A again. What was the
distance traveled? What was her displacement?
2. A Philippine Air Lines plane regularly takes off from Manila
at 5:30 AM and is expected to land in Zamboanga, 852 km
south of Manila, at exactly 7:00 AM. What should the
average velocity of the plane be if it is to land in
Zamboanga City on time?

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 Acceleration
Acceleration is a vector quantity that is defined as the
rate at which an object changes its velocity. An object is
accelerating if it is changing its velocity.

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 Which car or cars (red, green, and/or blue) are
undergoing an acceleration? Study each car
individually in order to determine the answer.

Which car (red, green, or blue) experiences the

greatest acceleration?
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 Consider the position-time graph below. Each one of the
three lines on the position-time graph corresponds to
the motion of one of the three cars. Match the
appropriate line to the particular color of car.

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 Since acceleration is the change in velocity or
direction or both per unit time, then the change
in velocity (v) is the final velocity minus the initial
velocity.

change in velocity
acceleration =
time

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 Sample Problem

1. Martin rides a bicycle at 7 m/s. Ten seconds later, he

is driving at 10 m/s. What is Martin’s acceleration?
2. Calculate the acceleration of a car that starts from
rest then travels at 24 m/s in 30 seconds.
3. A truck’s speed increases uniformly from 12 m/s to
35 m/s in 30 seconds. Find the acceleration of the
truck.

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 Practice Exercises
1. Fern accelerates his race car uniformly from 18.2
m/s to 48.2 m/s in 2.45 s. Determine the
acceleration of his car.
2. Find the acceleration of a jeep that is initially
moving at 18 m/s and comes to a complete stop in
4.2 s.
3. An airplane accelerates down a runway at 3.20
m/s2 for 32.8 s until it finally lifts off the ground.
Determine the distance traveled before takeoff.
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