Chapter 9

Linear Motion
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Centre of mass

• The motion of the moving object can be

simplified by treating the object as a single
point called the centre of mass or centre of
gravity
• The centre of mass is the balance point of an
object
• For a person, the centre of mass is located
near the waist
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Centre of mass

The centre of mass for

each object is indicated
by a cross
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Centre of mass
Position
• One important term to understand when analysing straight line
motion is position
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Centre of mass
Position

• While warming up, the

person is at -10m
• When the person is on the
starting block, her position
is zero
• After swimming for a short
time, the person is at a
position +25m
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Centre of mass
Distance travelled
• Position describes where an object is at a certain point in time
• However, distance travelled is how far a body travels during a journey
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Centre of mass
Distance travelled
• The distance travelled is not effected by the direction of the motion
• That is, the distance travelled by an object always increases as it moves,
regardless of its direction
• Devices such as tripmeter or odometer measures distance travelled
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Centre of mass
Displacement
• Displacement, s, is defined as the change in position of an object
• Displacement takes into account only where the motion starts and
finishes
• The route taken between these two points has no effect on
displacement
• The sign of the displacement indicates the direction in which the
position has changed from the start to the end
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Centre of mass
Displacement

or
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Centre of mass
Displacement
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Speed and velocity
• Speed and velocity are both quantities that give an indication of how quickly the
position of an object is changing
• Both terms are in common use and are often assumed to have the same meaning
• In physics, however, these two terms have different definitions
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Speed and velocity
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Speed and velocity
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Speed and velocity
Instantaneous speed and velocity
• Instantaneous speed and instantaneous velocity give a measure of
how fast something is moving at a particular point in time
• If a speeding car is travelling north and is detected on a police radar
gun at 150 km/h, it indicates that this car’s instantaneous speed is 150
km/h, while its instantaneous velocity is 150 km/h north
• Instantaneous speed is equal to the magnitude of the instantaneous
velocity
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Speed and velocity
Average speed and velocity
• Average speed and average velocity both give an indication of how
fast an object is moving over a time interval
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Speed and velocity
9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Extra questions

Ans:
a) 640 km west
b) 2.25 hours
c) 284.4 km/h west
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Extra questions

Ans:
a) 13.33 m/s north
b) 12.5 m/s south
c) 90 m
d) 12.86 m/s
e) 10 south
f) 1.43 m/s south
 9.1 - Displacement, speed and velocity
Extra questions

Ans:
a) 64 m and N 51.3
degrees E
b) 7 sec
c) 9.14 m/s and E
38.7 degrees N
 End of 9.1 - Displacement, speed and
velocity
9.1 Review
Key Questions: All questions
 9.2 - Acceleration

• Acceleration is a measure of
how quickly velocity changes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xLFcLpI9UY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siau78EFLgc
 9.2 - Acceleration
Finding the change in velocity and speed
• To find the change, Δ, in any physical quantity, including speed and
velocity, the initial value is taken away from the final value
 9.2 - Acceleration
Finding the change in velocity and speed
 9.2 - Acceleration
Finding the change in velocity and speed
 9.2 - Acceleration
Finding the change in velocity and speed
 9.2 - Acceleration
Acceleration
 9.2 - Acceleration
Acceleration
 9.2 - Acceleration
Acceleration
 9.2 - Acceleration
Acceleration
Average acceleration
 9.2 - Acceleration
Acceleration
Average acceleration
 9.2 - Acceleration
Extra Questions

Ans:4.5 s

Ans: 3.33 m/s^2

Ans: 500 m/s^2

away from wall

Ans: 0.33 m/s^2

towards south
 End of 9.2 - Acceleration
9.2 Review
Key Questions: all questions
9.4 – Equations for uniform acceleration
9.4 – Equations for uniform acceleration
9.4 – Equations for uniform acceleration
9.4 – Equations for uniform acceleration
9.4 – Equations for uniform acceleration
9.4 – Equations for uniform acceleration
 End of 9.4 – Equations for uniform acceleration
9.4 Review
Key Questions: all questions
 9.5 – Vertical motion

Free fall Objects thrown up

 9.5 – Vertical motion

Which one will hit the ground first?

https://www.wired.com/2014/11/dropping-objects-worlds-
largest-vacuum-chamber/
 9.5 – Vertical motion
Analysing vertical motion

Important to remember:
• Acceleration due to gravity is always
9.8 m/s^2 downwards
• Air resistance is neglected
• Mass does not contribute to the
falling speed
• Equations of motion are used to
solve problems related to vertical
motion
 9.5 – Vertical motion
Analysing vertical motion
Air resistance versus no air resistance (extra information)
Consider a golf ball. Find its velocity for 0.02 sec, 0.08 sec, 0.16 sec, 0.42 sec, 0.9 sec, 1.2 sec and
1.5 sec using the following equations

𝑣 =𝑢+ 𝑔𝑡
Velocity with no air resistance Velocity including air resistance, given
that mass of the golf ball is 0.04593 kg
and drag coefficient is 0.3 kg/s
 9.5 – Vertical motion
Analysing vertical motion
 9.5 – Vertical motion
Analysing vertical motion
 End of 9.5 – Vertical motion
9.5 Review
Key Questions: all questions