Lecture No.

03 BSCS/SE/AI- 1 st

Course: Applied Physics

Instructor: Dr. Tahir Ejaz

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General Principles of Mechanics

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Key Learning Objectives
Upon Completion of this lecture, you will be able to understand:
Difference between average acceleration and instantaneous acceleration
How to solve Graphical Problems

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Key Terms
Instantaneous Velocity
Average Acceleration
Instantaneous Acceleration

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Acceleration
An object’s velocity can change with time. An object with a velocity
that is changing with time is said to be accelerating.
Definition: Average acceleration = ratio of change in velocity to
elapsed time.
aave  = (v2 - v1)/(t2 - t1)
Acceleration is a vector.
Instantaneous acceleration

Units: velocity/time = distance/(time)2 = m/s2

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Example: Average Acceleration
A car accelerates along a straight
road from rest to 90 km/h in 5.0 s.
Find the magnitude of its average
acceleration.
Note: 90 km/h = 25 m/s
aave =

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Example: Average Acceleration
A car accelerates along a straight road
from rest to 90 km/h in 5.0 s. Find the
magnitude of its average acceleration.

Note: 90 km/h = 25 m/s

aave = = (25 m/s – 0 m/s)/5s = 5 m/s2

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Conceptual Question
Velocity & Acceleration are both vectors.
Are the velocity and the acceleration
always in the same direction?

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 Conceptual Question
Conceptual Question
Velocity & Acceleration are both vectors.
Are the velocity and the acceleration
always in the same direction?
NO!!
If the object is slowing down, the acceleration vector
is in the opposite direction of the velocity vector!

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Example: Car Slowing Down

A car moves to the right on a straight highway (positive x-axis).

The driver puts on the brakes. The initial velocity (when driver
hits brakes) is v1 = 15.0 m/s. It takes t = 5.0 s to slow down
to v2 = 5.0 m/s. Calculate the car’s average acceleration.

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Example: Car Slowing Down

A car moves to the right on a straight highway (positive x-axis).

The driver puts on the brakes. The initial velocity (when driver
hits brakes) is v1 = 15.0 m/s. It takes t = 5.0 s to slow down
to v2 = 5.0 m/s. Calculate the car’s average acceleration.
a= = (v2 – v1)/(t2 – t1) = (5 m/s – 15 m/s)/(5s – 0s)
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a = - 2.0 m/s2 11
Deceleration

The same car is moving to the left instead of to the right. Still
assume positive x is to the right. The car is decelerating & the
initial & final velocities are same as before. Calculate the
average acceleration now.

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Deceleration
• “Deceleration” is a word which means
“slowing down”. We try to avoid using it in
physics. Instead (in one dimension), we talk
about
positive & negative acceleration.
• This is because (for one dimensional motion)
deceleration does not necessarily mean the
acceleration is negative!

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ConceptualConceptual
Question Question

Velocity & Acceleration are both vectors.

Is it possible for an object to have a zero
acceleration and a non-zero velocity?

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Conceptual Question
Velocity & Acceleration are both vectors.
Is it possible for an object to have a zero
acceleration and a non-zero velocity?
YES!!
If the object is moving at a constant velocity,
the acceleration vector is zero!

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 Conceptual Question
Velocity & acceleration are both vectors.
Is it possible for an object to have a zero velocity and a
non-zero acceleration?

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Conceptual Question Conceptual Question

Velocity & acceleration are both vectors.

Is it possible for an object to have a zero velocity and a non-
zero acceleration?
YES!!
If the object is instantaneously at rest (v = 0) but is either on the verge of starting
to
move or is turning around & changing
direction, the velocity is zero, but the acceleration is not!

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As already noted, the instantaneous acceleration is the average
acceleration in the limit as the time interval becomes infinitesimally short.

The instantaneous slope

of the velocity versus time
curve is the instantaneous
acceleration.

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Example: Analyzing with graphs: The figure shows the velocity v(t) as a function of
time for 2 cars, both accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in a time 10.0 s. Compare (a) the
average acceleration; (b) the total distance traveled for the 2 cars.

Solution: (a) Ave. acceleration:

a = Both have the same ∆v & the
same ∆t so a is the same for both.

(b) Total distance traveled: Except for t

= 0 & t = 10 s, car A is moving faster
than car B. So, car A will travel farther
than car B in the same time.

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Example: The figure shows
the velocity v(t) as a function of time
for 2 cars, both accelerating from 0 to
100 km/h in a time 10.0 s.
Compare
(a) the average acceleration;
(b) the total distance
traveled for the
2 cars.

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 Example: The figure shows
the velocity v(t) as a function
of time for 2 cars, both
accelerating from 0 to 100
km/h in a time 10.0 s.
Compare
(a) the average acceleration;
(b) the total distance
traveled for the Solution: (a) Ave. acceleration:
2 cars. a=

Both have the same ∆v & the same

∆t so a is the same for both.
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 Example: The figure shows
the velocity v(t) as a function
of time for 2 cars, both
accelerating from 0 to 100
km/h in a time 10.0 s.
Compare
(a) the average acceleration;
(b) the total distance Solution: (b) Total distance
traveled for the
traveled: Except for t = 0 & t = 10 s,
2 cars.
car A is moving faster than car B. So,
car A will travel farther than car B in the
same time.

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Assignment 1 : Average Velocity & Speed
Problem: Use the figure & table to find the displacement & the
average velocity of the car between positions (A) & (F).

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Lecture Summary

Instantaneous Velocity

Average Acceleration

Instantaneous Acceleration

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Thank You - Questions?

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