Intro to Kinematics

Scalars and Vectors

 We will come across and use two different
'kinds' of measurements as we study physics:
1. Scalars
2. Vectors

 Because these two measurements have

fundamental differences we must:
a) be able to distinguish between them
b) follow different rules when using them
Scalars
 Scalar measurements tell us only the
magnitude of the quantity being measured
- Scalars numbers tell us "how many…"
 
ex) 5 m (distance, s)
10 s (time, Δt)
100 kmh-1 (speed, v)

 The symbols used to denote scalars are usually

letters 
 scalars can be added, subtracted, multiplied,
divided, etc. just as ‘regular’ numbers can be
('regular' numbers are scalars…)
 Vectors
 Vector measurements tell us the magnitude of the quantity
being measured and the direction over which it is be
measured
 Vector numbers tell us "how many" and "where"

ex) 5 m [left] (displacement, )

100 kmh-1 [east] (velocity, ) s
  v
 The symbols used to denote vectors are usually letters with
a small arrow above them 
 Vectors can be added, subtracted, divided, etc. but we
must modify the process used according to the
direction attached to the quantity
 You CAN'T treat vectors like 'regular' numbers!
Intro to Kinematics

 Before we can hope to

understand the physics of the
moving world, we need to define
some important terms used in this
branch of physics.

 The branch of physics that deals with

motion is called kinematics.
Distance and Displacement

 These expressions will appear in a few of

the kinematics equations we will be using
 Distance (s):
 a scalar quantity that measures the space an
object moves.
 is equal to the sum of the distances moved in
all spatial dimensions/directions
 measured in SI base units called meters (m)
 Displacement ( s ):
 a vector quantity that measures the space an
object moves with its specified directions
 measures a change in position (ie: the distance
between the starting point and the ending point)
 measured in SI base units called meters (m)
Example:
An MMC student walks 200 m [E] to get
to school. After school, this same
student walks 50 m [W] to get to work.
i. What is the total distance this student
walked?
ii. What is the displacement of the
student?
i.

s  200  50  250m
ii.

s  200 E   50W   150m E 

 Time (Δt)
 Whenever objects move through spatial
dimensions, they are also moving through
the dimension of time.
 Unlike spatial dimensions, all physical objects can only
move in one direction through time: forward!

 During our study of kinematics, we will see

that the kinematics equations require that
objects moves through time:
 Expressed in SI base units called seconds (s)
Speed and Velocity
 Speed (v):
 a scalar quantity that measures how far an object
travels (distance) in a given time
 expressed in SI base units called meters per
second (m/s)

 Velocity ( ):
v
 a vector quantity that measures the displacement
of an object in a given time
 expressed in SI base units called meters per
second (m/s)
 
Acceleration ( a )
 An object experiences an acceleration whenever it’s
velocity changes:
 Acceleration is equivalent to the rate of change of
velocity.
 If an object’s speed remains constant (ie: doesn’t change)
the object is NOT accelerating!
 Expressed in base units called meters per second2
(m/s2)

 Convention:
 if velocity “increases”, object is said to accelerate
 if velocity “decrease”, object is said to decelerate
LEARNING CHECK:

1. The sound of a thunder travels at a

speed of 340 m/s and reaches you 2.5
seconds after you see a lightning flash.
How far away is the lightning?

2. A car accelerates from rest to a speed of

36 km/h in 20 seconds. What is the
acceleration of the car in km/h/s and in
m/s^2?
LEARNING CHECK:

3. A car travels along a straight road

100 meters east then 50 meters
west. Find the distance and
displacement of the car.

4. What is the acceleration of the car if

it travels from rest to 60 m/s in 25
seconds?
LEARNING CHECK:

1. The sound of a thunder travels at a

speed of 645 m/s and reaches you 5.5
seconds after you see a lightning flash.
How far away is the lightning?

2. A car accelerates from 68 km/h to a

speed of 108 km/h in 1 minute. What is
the acceleration of the car in km/h/s and
in m/s^2?
LEARNING CHECK:

3. A car travels along a straight road

250 meters north then 150 meters
south. Find the distance and
displacement of the car.

4. What is the acceleration of the car if

it travels from rest to 90 m/s in 30
seconds?
1ST GRADED RECITATION
(Performance Task 1)

SCIENCE 9 – 4TH QUARTER

1. Which of the following does not
belong to the group?
a. m/s/s
b. km/h/s
c. m/s^2
d. km/h
2. Which of the following is a
displacement?
a. 35 km
b. 35 km/h
c. 35 meters South
d. 35 m/s^2
3. Distance is equal to:

a. Time over speed

b. Speed over time
c. Speed times time
d. Cannot be determined
4. Which is a unit of acceleration?
a. Km/h/s
b. m/s/s
c. Km/h^2
d. All of them
5. Which of the following is NOT a
scalar measurement?
a. Distance
b. Speed
c. Time
d. Force
6. Which of the following is a NOT a
vector quantity?
a. Velocity
b. Force
c. Time
d. Acceleration
7. Give the formula of speed.
8. Derive the formula of time using
the speed main formula.
9. Give the formula of acceleration.
10. Covert 45 km/h in m/s.
11. Calculate the acceleration of a
car which started from rest to 50 m/s
in 4.5 seconds.
12. Find the distance travelled of a
car which is moving 125 km/h in 2.5
hours.
13. How long will it take if a car is
travelling 80 km/h which covered 53
km.
14. A taxi hurries with a constant
speed of 84 km/h. How far can it
travel in 5 hours?
15. Displacement of a body is a
_________ quantity.

a. Scalar
b. Vector
c. Scalar and vector
d. None of the above mentioned
16. Two birds are flying directly towards
each other at the same time. If the first
bird is flying at a velocity v, what is the
velocity of the second bird?
a. v
b. -v
c. 2v
d. Impossible to determine
17. Kinematics is concerned with:

a. Understanding why objects move the way

they do.
b. Describing movements of objects.
c. Action at a distance.
d. None of the above.
18. Scalar quantities are completely
described by their ____________ .
a. Unit
b. Area
c. Direction
d. Magnitude
19. Speed of truck is 40 m/s after 10
seconds its speed decreases 20 m/s.
What is its acceleration?
20.

A car travels along a straight road 250

meters north then 150 meters south. Find
the distance covered by the car.
21

A car travels along a straight road 250

meters north then 150 meters south. Find
the displacement of the car.
22.

Ariel dropped a golf ball from her second

story window. The ball starts from rest and
hits the sidewalk 1.5 s later with a velocity of
14.7 m/s. Find the average acceleration of
the golf ball.
23.

Dean is slowing down on his skateboards.

He starts at a speed of 5.5 m/s and slows to
1.0 m/s over a time of 3.0 seconds. What is
Dean’s acceleration?
24.

A fish swimming at a constant speed of 0.5

m/s suddenly notices a shark appear behind
it. Five seconds later, the fish is swimming in
the same direction at a speed of 2.5 m/s.
Calculate the fish’s acceleration?
25.
26.
27.

Find speed when, distance is 142 km

and time is 2 hours.
28.

Determine the time taken when,

distance is 7150 km and speed is 780
km/hr.
29.

 If distance travelled by a train is 495

km in 4.5 hours, what is its speed?
30.

A cyclist travels at a speed of 20

km/hour. How far will he travel in 50
minutes?
31. A car travels from point A to B in 3
hours and returns to point A in 5 hours.
Points A and B are 150 miles apart along
a straight highway. Which of the
following statements most accurately
describes the motion of the car?
 A. The average velocity is 40 mi/h
 B. The total displacement is 300 miles
 C. The average speed is 37.5 miles per hour.
 C. The car travels at 50 mph for the 1st half and 30 mph
for the 2nd half
32.

What is the acceleration of

the car if it travels from rest to
90 m/s in 30 seconds?