Prepared By Mr.

Patrick 02/12/2024

1.2 MOTION
CONTENTS
 Speed & Velocity
 Acceleration
 Distance-Time Graphs
 Speed-Time Graphs
 Calculating Acceleration from Speed-Time
Graphs
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

SPEED & VELOCITY

Speed
• The speed of an object is the distance it travels per unit time
• Speed is a scalar quantity
• This is because it only contains a magnitude (without a direction)
• For objects that are moving with a constant speed, use the equation
below to calculate the speed:
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑
𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑=
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
• Where:
Speed is measured in metres per second (m/s)
Distance travelled is measured in metres (m)
Time taken is measured in seconds (s)
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

AVERAGE SPEED

• In some cases, the speed of a moving object is not constant

For example, the object might be moving faster or slower at certain
moments in time
(accelerating and decelerating)
• The equation for calculating the average speed of an object is:
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024
In symbols,
𝑠
𝑠=
𝑣 𝑣
=𝑡 × 𝑡

• The formula for average speed (and the formula for speed) can be
rearranged with the help of the formula triangle below:
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

EXAMPLE

Planes fly at typical speeds of around 250 m/s. Calculate the total distance travelled by a
plane moving at this average speed for 2 hours.
Step 1: List the known quantities
Step 2: Write the relevant equation
Step 3: Rearrange for the total distance
Step 4: Convert any units
Step 5: Substitute the values for average speed and time taken
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

EXERCISE

A spacecraft is orbiting the earth at a steady speed of . How long will it take to complete a
single orbit, a distance of 44 000 km?
Step 1: List the known quantities
Step 2: Write the relevant equation
Step 3: Rearrange for the total distance
Step 4: Convert any units
Step 5: Substitute the values for average speed and time taken
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

EXERCISE

• Coursebook Questions pg. 23 No. 4-8

Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

Velocity
• The velocity of a moving object is similar to its speed, except it also describes the object’s direction
• Velocity can be defined as speed in a specific direction
• The speed of an object only contains a magnitude - it’s a scalar quantity
• Velocity is therefore a vector quantity because it describes both magnitude and direction
• This means velocity can also have a negative value
 E.g. a ball thrown upwards at a velocity of 3 m/s comes down at a velocity –5 m/s, if upwards is
considered positive
 However, their speeds are still 3 m/s and 5 m/s respectively
The equation for velocity is very similar to the equation for speed:
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

Where:
v = velocity in metres per second (m/s)
s = displacement, measured in metres (m)
t = time, measured in seconds (s)
 Velocity is a vector quantity, so it uses displacement, s, rather than distance
which is scalar.
 Prepared By Mr. Patrick
Acceleration 02/12/2024

Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity

In other words, it describes how much an object's velocity changes every
second
The equation below is used to calculate the average acceleration of an object:

Where:
a = acceleration in metres per second squared (m/s )
= change in velocity in metres per second (m/s)
= time taken in seconds (s)
 The change inMr.velocity
Prepared By Patrick is found by the difference between the initial and final velocity,
02/12/2024 as
written below:

 Therefore

Example
An aircraft accelerates from 100m/s to 300m/s in 100 s. What is its acceleration?
 Speeding Up & Slowing Down
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

An object that speeds up is accelerating

An object that slows down is decelerating
The acceleration of an object can be positive or negative,
depending on whether the object is speeding up or slowing
down
If an object is speeding up, its acceleration is positive
If an object is slowing down, its acceleration is negative
(sometimes called deceleration or retardation)
Example 2
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

A Japanese bullet train decelerates at a

constant rate in a straight line. The velocity
of the train decreases from 50 m/s to 42 m/s in
30 seconds.
a) Calculate the change in velocity of the
train.
b) Calculate the deceleration of the train, and
explain how your answer shows the train is
slowing down.
 Prepared By Mr. Patrick
Distance-Time Graphs 02/12/2024

A distance-time graph shows how the distance of an

object moving in a straight line (from
a starting position) varies over time
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 A straight sloping line represents constant
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speed
 The slope of the straight line represents the
magnitude of the speed:
 A very steep slope means the object is
moving at a large speed
 A shallow slope means the object is
moving at a small speed
 A flat, horizontal line means the object is
stationary (not moving)
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Objects might be moving at a changing speed
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This is represented by a curve

In this case, the slope of the line will be changing
If the slope is increasing, the speed is increasing
(accelerating)
If the slope is decreasing, the speed is decreasing
(decelerating)
 The speed of a moving object can be calculated from the
gradient of the line on a distance-time graph
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024
 Prepared By Mr. Patrick
Speed-Time Graphs 02/12/2024

A speed-time graph shows how the speed of an

object moving in a straight line (from
a starting position) varies over time
 The red line represents an object with increasing
speed
 The green line represents an object
with decreasing speed
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024
 Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

Speed-time graphs also show:

a)If the object is moving with a constant acceleration or
deceleration
b)The magnitude of the acceleration or deceleration

 A straight line represents constant acceleration

 The slope of the line represents the magnitude of
acceleration
 A steep slope means large acceleration (or deceleration) -
i.e. the object's speed changes very quickly
 A gentle slope means small acceleration (or
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

deceleration) - i.e. the object's speed changes very

gradually
 A flat line means the acceleration is zero - i.e. the object
is moving with a constant speed
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024
 Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

Using Speed-Time Graphs

1. The distance travelled by an object can be
found by determining the area beneath the
graph
2. The acceleration of an object can be found
by determining the gradient of the graph
Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024
 Prepared By Mr. Patrick 02/12/2024

Worked example 2.9 pg. 35 coursebook