Kinematics

Kinematics (গতিবিদ্যা) is the branch of classical mechanics that describes the

motion (গতি) of points, objects and systems of groups of objects, without
reference to the causes of motion (i.e., forces ). The study of kinematics is
often referred to as the “geometry of motion.” Objects are in motion all
around us.
Kinematic analysis is the process of measuring the kinematic quantities
(গতির পরিমাণ)used to describe motion. The study of kinematics can be
abstracted into purely mathematical expressions, which can be used to
calculate various aspects of motion such as velocity (), acceleration,
displacement(স্থানচ্যুতি), time, and trajectory(গতিপথ).
Evaluate displacement within a frame of reference

Kinematics of a particle trajectory: Kinematic equations can be

used to calculate the trajectory of particles or objects. The physical
quantities relevant to the motion of a particle include: mass m,
position r, velocity v, acceleration a.
Key Points:
• Choosing a frame of reference requires deciding where the object’s initial position
is and which direction will be considered positive.
• Valid frames of reference can differ from each other by moving relative to one
another.
• Frames of reference are particularly important when describing an object’s
displacement.
• Displacement is the change in position of an object relative to its reference frame.
Key Terms:
• Displacement: A vector quantity that denotes distance with a directional
component.
• Frame of reference: A coordinate system or set of axes within which to measure
the position, orientation, and other properties of objects in it.
Displacement

Displacement is the change in position of an object relative to its reference frame. For example, if a
car moves from a house to a grocery store, its displacement is the relative distance of the grocery
store to the reference frame, or the house. The word “displacement” implies that an object has moved
or has been displaced. Displacement is the change in position of an object and can be represented
mathematically as follows:
Δx = xf−x0
where Δx is displacement, xf is the final position, and x0 is the initial position.
To locate an object means to find its position relative to some reference points, often the origin (or
zero point) of an axis such as the x-axis in the figure. The positive direction of the axis is in the
direction of increasing numbers, which is toward the right as is drawn in the figure. The opposite
direction is the negative direction.
Positive direction
Negative direction
-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4
Origin
Figure: Position is determined on an axis that is marked in units of length and that extends indefinitely
in opposite direction.
Introduction to Scalars and Vectors

Key Points:
• A vector is any quantity that has magnitude and direction.
• A scalar is any quantity that has magnitude but no direction.
• Displacement and velocity are vectors, whereas distance and speed are scalars.
Key Terms:
• scalar: A quantity that has magnitude but not direction; compare vector.
• vector: A directed quantity, one with both magnitude and direction; the between
two points.
Graphical representation of displacement
Velocity, average velocity and average speed
Velocity, v : The rate of change of displacement is called velocity. It is a vector
quantity. Its unit is cm/sec or m/sec.
Instantaneous velocity: How fast a particle is moving at a given instant , v =
Average velocity, : Which is the ratio of the displacement Δx that occurs during a
particular time interval Δt.
Thus, = =
On a graph of x versus t, average velocity is the slope of the straight line that
connects two particular points on the x(t) curve: one is the point that corresponds to
x2 and t2 and the other is the point that corresponds to x1 and t1 .
It is a vector quantity.
Average speed, s: It is defined as how fast a particle moves. It is a scalar quantity.
Mathematically it is defined as: s =
Acceleration
The rate of change of velocity is called acceleration. The instantaneous acceleration
or simply acceleration is the derivative of the velocity.
Thus a = = = -------------(1)
The average acceleration a over an interval Δt is defined as
a = = ------------------(2)
If the signs of the velocity and acceleration of a particle are the same, the speed of
the particle increases. If the signs are opposite, the speed decreases.
A special case
Constant acceleration
When the acceleration is constant, the average acceleration and instantaneous
acceleration are equal and we can write the equation(2) as a =
Here is the velocity at time t = 0, and v is the velocity at any later time t. Therefore,
= + at -------------(3)
Similarly we can write = then = + --------------(4)
In which is the position of the particle at t = 0, and is the average velocity between
t = 0 and a later time t. If we plot against t using equation (3), a straight line results.
Under these conditions, the average velocity over any time interval (say, t = 0 to a
later time t) is the average of the velocity at the beginning of the interval
(= ) and the velocity at the end of the interval (= ). For the interval t = 0 to the later
time t then, the average velocity is = --------------(5)
A special case
Constant acceleration
= = + at ----------------(6)
Now substitute equation (6) in the equation (4), yields
- = t + at2 ------------------(7)
Rearranging equation (7) we can write three more equations
--------------(8)
- = -------------------(9)
and - = t - at2 -----------------(10)
 Graphs of Motion when acceleration, a is constant but a≠0

Figure :Graphs of motion of a jet-powered car during the time span when its acceleration is constant. (a) The
slope of an x vs. t graph is velocity. This is shown at two points, and the instantaneous velocities obtained are
plotted in the next graph. Instantaneous velocity at any point is the slope of the tangent at that point. (b) The
slope of the v vs. t graph is constant for this part of the motion, indicating constant acceleration. (c)
Acceleration has the constant value of 5.0m/s2 over the time interval plotted.
Graphs of Motion Where Acceleration is Not Constant

Figures: (a) The slope of this graph is velocity; it is plotted in the next graph. (b) The velocity
gradually approaches its top value. The slope of this graph is acceleration; it is plotted in the
final graph. (c) Acceleration gradually declines to zero when velocity becomes constant.
Free fall acceleration, g
If we tossed an object either up or down and could some how eliminate the effects
of air on its flight, it would find that the object accelerates downward at a certain
rate. That rate is called the free-fall acceleration g.
Equations for free fall
v=
y-

y-(
y-
Examples of Kinematics
Example #1. A particle is moving in a straight line from A to B with constant
acceleration 3 m/s2. Its speed at A is 2 m/s and it takes 8 seconds to move from A to
B. Find
a) the speed of the particle at B
b) the distance from A to B
Hints: v = v0 + at
s=(
Example #2. A cyclist is travelling along a straight road. She accelerates at a
constant rate from a speed of 4 m/s to a speed of 7.5 m/s in 40 seconds. Find the
distance she travels in these 40 seconds, and her acceleration in these 40 seconds.