Lecture No.

04 BSCS/SE/AI- 1 st

Course: Applied Physics

Instructor: Dr. Tahir Ejaz

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Constant Acceleration
In many practical situations:
 The magnitude of the acceleration is uniform
(constant)
 The motion is in a straight line
It is useful to derive some equations which apply
in this special case ONLY!!!
 The kinematic equations for constant (uniform)
acceleration in one dimension.

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Constant Acceleration Equations
Results (1-dimensional motion only!):
v = v0 + at (1)
x = x0 + v0 t + (½)a t2 (2)
v2 = (v0)2 + 2a (x - x0) (3)
vave = (½) (v + v0) (4)
Not valid UNLESS a = Constant!!!
Often, x0 = 0. Sometimes v0 = 0

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 All we need for 1 dimensional constant-acceleration problems:
Not valid UNLESS a = Constant!!!

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Physics & Equations: Important!!!
These equations & their applications are important, but
Physics is not just a collection of formulas to memorize & blindly
apply!
Physics is a set of
PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES.
Blindly searching for the “equation which will work for this
problem” can be DANGEROUS!!!!
On exams, you get to have an 8.5´´  11´´ sheet with
anything written on it (both sides) you wish. On quizzes, I
will give you relevant formulas.

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Problem Solving Strategies
1. Read the whole problem. Make sure you
understand it.
2. Decide on the objects of study & what the
time interval is.
3. Sketch a diagram & choose coordinate axes.
4. Write down the known quantities, & the
unknown ones needed.
5. What physics applies? Plan an approach to a
solution.
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Problem Solving Strategies
6. Which equations relate known & unknown
quantities? Are they valid in this situation? Solve
algebraically for the unknown quantities, & check
that your result is sensible (correct dimensions).
7. Calculate the solution, round it to appropriate
number of significant figures.
8. Look at the result - is it reasonable? Does it agree
with a rough estimate?
9. Check the units again.

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 Bottom Line:
THINK!

DO NOT BLINDLY
APPLY FORMULAS!!!!
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Example: Runway Design
You’re designing an airport. A plane that will use this airport
must reach a speed of vmin = 100 km/h (27.8 m/s). It can
accelerate at a = 2 m/s2.
(a) If the runway is x = 150 m long, can this plane reach the
speed of before it runs off the end of the runway?
(b) If not, what is the minimum length required for the
runway?

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Example: Runway Design
You’re designing an airport. A plane that will use this airport must reach a
speed of vmin = 100 km/h (27.8 m/s). It can accelerate at a = 2 m/s2. (a) If
the runway is x = 150 m long, can this plane reach the speed of before it
runs off the end of the runway? (b) If not, what is the minimum length
required for the runway?
Table of Knowns & Unknowns

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Example: Runway Design
Solutions
(a) v2 = (v0)2 + 2a(x – x0)
v2 = 0 + 2(2.0)(150 – 0) = 600 m/s2
So v = (600)½ = 24.5 m/s
Note that this means take the
square root! That obviously matters!
(b) Use Eq. (3) again with
v = vmin = 27.8 m/s. Solve for
x – x0 = [v2 – (v0)2]/(2a)
x = [(27.8)2 – 0]/[2(2.0)]
So x = 193 m.
To be safe, make the runway 200 m long!
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Example: Acceleration of a Car
How long does it take a car to cross a 30 m wide intersection
after the light turns green if it accelerates at a constant 2.0 m/s2?

Obviously, it
starts from rest!!

Known: x0 = 0, x = 30 m, v0 = 0, a = 2.0 m/s2

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Wanted: t. 12
Example: Acceleration of a Car

Obviously, it
starts from rest!!
Known: x0 = 0, x = 30 m, v0 = 0, a = 2.0 m/s2
Wanted: t. Use: x = x0 + v0t + (½)at2 = 0 + 0 + (½)at2
Þ t = (2x/a)½ = 5.48 s
NOTE! The square root obviously matters!
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Example: Air Bags
You need to design an air bag system that can protect the driver at a speed of
100 km/h = 28 m/s (60 mph) if the car hits a brick wall. Estimate how fast
the air bag must inflate to effectively protect the driver. How
does the use of a seat belt help the driver?
(1)
(2)

(3)
(4)

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Example: Air Bags

Known: x0 = v0 = 28 m/s, v = 0
Car obviously stops when crash ends!
Wanted unknown: t. But we don’t
know acceleration a or distance x
either! This has
to be a 2 step problem! (1)
(2)
(3)
(4)

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Example: Air Bags
Known: x0 = v0 = 28 m/s v=0
Car obviously stops when crash ends! 
Wanted unknown: t. But we don’t
know acceleration a or distance x
either! Estimate x = 1.0 m. This has
to be a 2 step problem!
First, use (2) to solve for a:
0 = (v0)2 + 2a(x – 0) so
a = - (v0)2∕(2x) = - (28)2 ∕(2) = - 390 m/s2 (1)
This is a HUGE acceleration!! (2)
(3)
(4)
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Example: Air Bags

Known: x0 = v0 = 28 m/s v=0

Car obviously stops when crash ends! 
Wanted unknown: t.
But we don’t know acceleration a or
distance x either! Estimate x = 1.0 m
This has to be a 2 step problem!
First, use (2) to solve for a:
0 = (v0)2 + 2a(x – 0) so (1)
a = - (v0)2∕(2x) = - (28)2 ∕(2) = - 390 m/s2 (2)
This is a HUGE acceleration!! (3)
Now, use (1) to solve for t:
0 = v0 + at so t = - (v0) ∕a = 0.07 s !!! (4)
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Example: Fastball

Known: x0 = 0, x = 3.5 m, v0 = 0, v = 44 m/s

07/15/2024 Wanted: a 18
Example: Fastball

Known: x0 = 0, x = 3.5 m, v0 = 0, v = 44 m/s

Wanted: a Use: v2 = (v0)2 + 2a (x - x0)
 a = (½)[v2 - (v0)2]/(x - x0) = 280 m/s2 !

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Example: 2 Moving Objects: Police &
Speeder
A car, speeding at v0S = 150 km/h (42 m/s) passes a still police car (v0P = 0)
which immediately takes off (accelerates!) in hot pursuit. Using simple
assumptions, such as that
the speeder continues at constant speed v0S = 42 m/s
(& also that the acceleration aP of the police car is constant!),
ESTIMATE how long it takes the police car to overtake the speeder. Then
ESTIMATE the police car’s speed at that moment & decide if the
assumptions were reasonable.

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Example: 2 Moving Objects: Police &
Speeder

Note! Before working this problem, we need to work another problem, which
will give us an ESTIMATE of the acceleration aP of the police car. In order to do
this, we take numbers from ads for the type of car the police drive. These claim
that this car can accelerate from rest to 100 km/h (28 m/s) in 5.0 s. Using v = v0 +
aPt with these numbers gives 28 = 0 + aP(5) or aP = 5.6 m/s2. So, to solve this
problem of the police car catching up to the speeder, we use this ESTIMATE for
the acceleration aP

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 Problem now restated is: A car, speeding at v0S = 150 km/h (42 m/s) passes
a still police car (v0P = 0) which immediately takes off (accelerates!) in hot
pursuit. Assume that the speeder continues at constant speed v0S = 42 m/s &
that aP = 5.6 m/s2. ESTIMATE how long it takes the police car to overtake
the speeder. Then ESTIMATE the police car’s speed at that time & decide if
the assumptions were reasonable.

Solution: The speeder moves at constant speed v0S = 42 m/s so, at

some time t later it has moved a distance xS = v0St. In that same time
t the police car has moved a distance xP = (½)aPt2 When the police
car catches the speeder, the two distances must be the same. So, we
equate them and solve for t: xS = v0St = xP = (½)aPt2. This is a
quadratic equation for t, which has 2 solutions; t = 0 & t = 15 s.
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 The Problem also asks: ESTIMATE the police car’s speed at that time (t = 15 s) &
decide if the assumptions were reasonable.
Use : vP = v0P + aPt
Gives: vP = 84 m/s (300 km/h ≈ 190 mph!)
Not only unreasonable, but also very dangerous!
For the assumptions we’ve made, the x versus t & v versus t
curves are shown here:
More reasonable v
versus t curves are:

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Example: Carrier Landing
A jet lands on an aircraft carrier at velocity
v0 = 140 km/h (63 m/s).
a) Calculate the acceleration (assumed constant) if it
stops in t = 2.0 s due to the arresting cable that snags
the airplane & stops it.
b) If it touches down at position x0 = 0, calculate
it’s final position.

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Example: Carrier Landing

Solutions
a) v0 = 63 m/s, t = 2.0 s = time to stop.
When it is stopped, v = 0. So, use v = v0 + at = 0, which gives
a = - (v0/t) = - (63/2) = -31.5 m/s2
b) Use x = x0 + v0t + (½)at2 , which gives
x = x0 + v0t + (½)at2 = 0 + (63)(2) + (½)(-31.5)(2)2 = 63 m

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Lecture Summary
Motion under Constant Acceleration

Numericals

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Thank You – talaqyano?

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