Kinematics in

One
Dimension
Introduction to
Kinematics
Kinematics is the study of
motion without considering the
forces that cause the motion. In
one dimension, motion can be
described using distance,
displacement, speed, velocity,
and acceleration.
Scalars and
Vectors
Distance is a scalar quantity that
refers to the length of the path
traveled, while displacement is a
vector quantity that refers to the
change in position of an object in a
particular direction.
Speed is a scalar
quantity that refers to
"how fast an object is
moving."
Velocity is a vector quantity that refers to "the
rate at which an object changes its position."
Calculating Average Speed
and Average Velocity
While on vacation, Lisa Carr
traveled a total distance of
440 miles. Her trip took 8
hours. What was her average
speed?
Sample problem:
A car travels at a constant
speed of 80 km/h for 2 hours.
How far does it travel?
Solution:
Distance = speed × time
= 80 km/h × 2 h = 160 km.
Average Speed versus Instantaneous Speed

Instantaneous Speed - the speed at any

given instant in time.

Average Speed - the average of all

instantaneous speeds; found simply by a
distance/time ratio.
Example: The physics teacher walks 4 meters
East, 2 meters South, 4 meters West, and
finally 2 meters North. The entire motion
lasted for 24 seconds. Determine the average
speed and the average velocity.
1. A train covered a distance of 120 km in
an hour. Determine the speed of the
train in m/s using the speed formula.

2. An athlete runs 75 m, east and then runs

back 25 m, west upon reaching the end of
the track. If the runner runs for
10 seconds, what is the speed and velocity
of the runner?
3. Cassie walked to her friend’s house with
an average speed of 1.40 m/s. The distance
between the houses is 205 m. How long did
the trip take her?
4. A pitcher throws a baseball from the
pitcher’s mound to home plate in 0.46 s. The
distance is 18.4 m. What was the average
speed of the baseball?
5. A trucker drives along a straight highway
for 0.25 h with a displacement of 16 km
south. What is the trucker’s average
velocity?
Acceleration is the rate at
which an object changes its
velocity.
An object is accelerating
when: (a) it speeds up, (b) slows
down (deceleration), and (c)
changes direction
Sports announcers will occasionally say that a
person is accelerating if he/she is moving fast. Yet
acceleration has nothing to do with going fast. A
person can be moving very fast and still not be
accelerating. Acceleration has to do with changing
how fast an object is moving. If an object is not
changing its velocity, then the object is not
accelerating. Anytime an object's velocity is
changing, the object is said to be accelerating; it
has an acceleration.
And an object with a constant velocity is not
accelerating.

Note that each object has a changing

velocity.
What's the formula for
acceleration?

SI unit: m/s 2
Sample Problem:
1. Mercedes is driving her sports car at
30 m/s when she sees a dog on the road
ahead. She slams on the brakes and comes
to a stop in 3.0 seconds. What was the
acceleration of her car?

2. A car starts from rest and achieves a

speed of 54 km/ℎ in 3 seconds. Find its
Acceleration?`
1. Mercedes is driving her sports car at
30 m/s when she sees a dog on the road
ahead. She slams on the brakes and comes
to a stop in 3.0 seconds. What was the
acceleration of her car?

Given: vf = 0 m/s
vi = 30 m/s
t = 3.0 s
a =?

Sol:
a= 0 m/s – 30 m/s/3.0 s
a = -30 m/s/3.0 s
a = -10 m/s2
Thank you for giving me the
opportunity to share my
knowledge with you!