CHAPTER 2

Motion in One Dimension

2.1 MOTION OF CAR
Note the relationship
between the position of
the car and the points
on the graph
Compare the different
representations of the
motion
Pictorial presentation
Tabular presentation
Graphical presentation
KEY CONCEPTS
Displacement :Defined as the change in position during
some time interval
Represented as x
x x
f
- x
i
SI units are meters (m)
x can be positive or negative or zero
Different than distance the length of a path followed by
a particle
DISTANCE VS. DISPLACEMENT AN EXAMPLE
Assume a player moves from one end of the
court to the other and back
Distance is twice the length of the court
Distance is always positive
Displacement is zero
x = x
f
x
i
= 0
Since x
f
= x
i
AVERAGE VELOCITY
The average velocity is rate at which the displacement
occurs



The x indicates motion along the x-axis
The dimensions are length / time [L/T]
The SI units are m/s
Is also the slope of the line in the position time graph
t
x x
t
x
v
i f
avg x

,
AVERAGE SPEED
Speed is a scalar quantity
same units as velocity
total distance / total time:



The speed has no direction and is always expressed as
a positive number
Neither average velocity nor average speed gives details
about the trip described

t
d
s
avg

EXAMPLE 2.1
Find the displacement, average velocity, and average
speed of the car in Figure between positions A and
F.
INSTANTANEOUS VELOCITY, GRAPH
The instantaneous
velocity is the slope of
the line tangent to the
x vs. t curve
This would be the
green line
The light blue lines
show that as t gets
smaller, they approach
the green line
INSTANTANEOUS VELOCITY, EQUATIONS
The general equation for instantaneous velocity is




The instantaneous velocity can be positive, negative, or
zero
dt
dx
t
x
v
t
x

0
lim
INSTANTANEOUS SPEED
The instantaneous speed is the magnitude of the
instantaneous velocity
The instantaneous speed has no direction associated
with it
VOCABULARY NOTE
Velocity and speed will indicate instantaneous values
Average will be used when the average velocity or
average speed is indicated
PARTICLE UNDER CONSTANT VELOCITY
Constant velocity indicates the instantaneous
velocity at any instant during a time interval is the
same as the average velocity during that time
interval v
x
= v
x, avg

The mathematical representation of this situation is the
equation


OR

Common practice is to let t
i
= 0 and the equation
becomes: x
f
= x
i
+ v
x
t (for constant v
x
)
t
x x
t
x
v
i f
x

t v x x
x i f

PARTICLE UNDER CONSTANT VELOCITY,
GRAPH
The graph represents
the motion of a particle
under constant velocity
The slope of the graph
is the value of the
constant velocity
The y-intercept is x
i
AVERAGE ACCELERATION
Acceleration is the rate of change of the velocity



Dimensions are L/T
2
SI units are m/s
In one dimension, positive and negative can be used to
indicate direction
t
v v
t
v
a
i f
avg x

,
INSTANTANEOUS ACCELERATION
The instantaneous acceleration is the limit of the
average acceleration as t approaches 0



The term acceleration will mean instantaneous
acceleration
If average acceleration is wanted, the word average will be
included

2
2
0
lim
dt
x d
dt
dv
t
v
a
x x
t
x

INSTANTANEOUS ACCELERATION -- GRAPH
The slope of the
velocity-time graph is
the acceleration
The green line
represents the
instantaneous
acceleration
The blue line is the
average acceleration
GRAPHICAL COMPARISON
Given the displacement-
time graph (a)
The velocity-time graph is
found by measuring the
slope of the position-time
graph at every instant
The acceleration-time graph
is found by measuring the
slope of the velocity-time
graph at every instant
EXAMPLE 2.6
The position of a particle moving along the x axis
varies according to the expression x= 40t 5/3 t
3
,
where x is in meters and t is in seconds.

(A) Find the velocity at t=0
(B) Find the average acceleration in the time interval
t=0 to t= 2.0 s.
(C) Determine the acceleration at t = 2.0 s.
KINEMATIC EQUATIONS SUMMARY
PROBLEM
A particle starts from rest
and accelerates as shown
in Figure.
Determine
(A) the particles speed at
t =10.0 s and at t =20.0 s

(B) the distance traveled in
the first 20.0 s.
KINEMATIC EQUATIONS, SPECIFIC
For constant acceleration,



The average velocity can be expressed as the arithmetic
mean of the initial and final velocities
,
2
xi xf
x avg
v v
v
+
=
WHEN
When the acceleration is zero,
v
xf
= v
xi
= v
x
x
f
= x
i
+ v
x
t

The constant acceleration model reduces to the constant
velocity model
0 a
GRAPHICAL MOTION WITH CONSTANT ACCELERATION
A change in the
acceleration affects the
velocity and position
Note especially the
graphs when a = 0
TEST GRAPHICAL INTERPRETATIONS
Match a given velocity
graph with the
corresponding
acceleration graph
Match a given
acceleration graph with
the corresponding
velocity graph(s)
EXAMPLE 2.7
A jet lands on an aircraft carrier at a speed of 140 mi/h
(< 63 m/s).
(A) What is its acceleration (assumed constant) if it
stops in 2.0 s due to an arresting cable that
snags the jet and brings it to a stop

(B) If the jet touches down at position x
i
=0, what is
its final position?
EXAMPLE 2.8
A car traveling at a constant speed
of 45.0 m/s passes a trooper on a
motorcycle hidden behind a
billboard.
One second after the speeding car
passes the billboard, the trooper
sets out from the billboard to
catch the car, accelerating at a
constant rate of 3.00 m/s
2
.

How long does it take her to
overtake the car?
GALILEO GALILEI
1564 1642
Italian physicist and
astronomer
Formulated laws of
motion for objects in
free fall
Supported heliocentric
universe
FREE FALL -- OBJECT THROWN UPWARD
v = 0
v
o
0
a = -g
Acceleration is
a
y
= -g = -9.80 m/s
2

Let up be positive and
down be negative

Use the kinematic
equations
Generally use y instead
of x since vertical

The instantaneous velocity
at the maximum height is
zero


EXAMPLE 2.10
A stone thrown from the top of a building is
given an initial velocity of 20.0 m/s straight
upward.
The stone is launched 50.0 m above the
ground, and the stone just misses the edge
of the roof on its way down as shown in
Figure
(A) Determine the time at which the stone
reaches its maximum height.
(B) Find the maximum height of the stone.
(C) Determine the velocity of the stone
when it returns to the height from
which it was thrown.
(D) Find the velocity and position of the
stone at t=5.00 s.