UNIT G481 Module 1 1.1.

3 KINEMATICS  DISPLACEMENT (s) / metre (m) 1

 Candidates should be able to :

 The distance
The distance moved
moved by
by aa body
body in
in aa specified
specified direction.
 Define displacement, instantaneous speed, average speed,
velocity and acceleration.
 It is a VECTOR quantity, so its value may be positive or negative
 Select and use the relationships : depending on the direction from the starting point.

average speed = distance  To explain the difference between DISTANCE MOVED and
time DISPLACEMENT we will work out these two quantities for the ball
as it is passed along the ground, from player to player during a match.
Acceleration = change in velocity
Time E 3m

D Distance moved = 8 m + 5 m + 5.5 m + 3 m = 21.5 m

 Apply graphical methods to represent displacement, speed, 5.5 m Displacement = 11.5 m

velocity and acceleration. 11.5 m
C 5m

B
 Determine velocity from the gradient of the displacement
against time graph. 8m
A

 Determine displacement from the area under a velocity

against time graph.  SPEED (v) / metre per second (m s-1)

 Determine acceleration from the gradient of a velocity  The

Therate
rateofofchange
changeofof distance.
against time graph.

 It is a SCALAR quantity (i.e. it has size but no specified direction).

 Instantaneous speed is the speed at any given instant.

 Average
Average speed
speed = distance
= distance / time
time
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UNIT G481 Module 1 1.1.3 KINEMATICS  VELOCITY (v) / metre per second (m s-1) 2

 To explain the difference between INSTANTANEOUS SPEED and

AVERAGE SPEED, we can consider a car journey. The instantaneous  The rate of change of displacement of a body.
speed is continually changing and this is indicated by the speedometer (m)
reading. The average speed is calculated by dividing the distance
travelled by the time taken. VELOCITY = CHANGE IN DISPLACEMENT
TIME TAKEN
 Measuring Speed in the Laboratory (m s-1) (s)
v = Δs
 Using One Light Gate
Δt
The timer starts when the leading
edge of the card breaks the light
beam and it stops when the trailing
edge passes through  Is a VECTOR quantity, so its value may be positive or negative
depending on the direction of motion.
The computer calculates the speed
directly by dividing the card length
by the time taken for it to go
through the light gate.  A body moves with CONSTANT (or UNIFORM) velocity if it goes
through equal changes in displacement in equal time intervals.

 Using a Ticker-Timer
A body moving with non-constant velocity is said to be undergoing
The ticker-timer marks dots on the acceleration.
tape at intervals of 1/50 s (0.02 s)
and the dot pattern on the tape acts
as a record of the trolley’s motion. 2
 ACCELERATION (a) / metre per second (m s-2)
Even dot spacing = constant speed.

Increasing dot spacing = increasing  The rate of change of velocity of a body.

Speed. (m s-1)
ACCELERATION = VELOCITY CHANGE
Decreasing dot spacing = decreasing
Speed.
TIME TAKEN
(s)
The distance moved by the trolley every second can be obtained by measuring the (m s-2)
distance of every fifth dot from the start of the tape. This gives the trolley’s v = Δv
distance at intervals of 0.1 s. A results table can then be drawn up and a distance
against time graph can be plotted. The gradient of such a graph gives the speed
Δt
of the trolley.
© 2008 FXA
UNIT G481 Module 1 1.1.3 KINEMATICS  PRACTICE QUESTIONS (1) 3

 It is a VECTOR quantity so its value may be positive or negative. 1 (a) Calculate the average speed of an Olympic sprinter whose time
for the 100 m sprint is 9.91 s.

 A body is said to be accelerating if :

(b) How far will a snail crawl in 1.5 minutes, if its average speed is
1.5 mm s-1 ?
 Its speed changes, or
 Its direction changes.
(c) A trolley with a 10 cm long card passed through a light gate. If
So an object which is moving in a circular path at constant speed is the time recorded by the digital timer was 0.5 s, calculate the
accelerating because its direction is continually changing. average speed of the trolley in m s-1.

(d)
 Acceleration Equation

a
u v

acceleration = velocity change / time The diagram above shows two ticker-tapes (a) and (b). Describe
acceleration = final velocity- initial velocity the motion of the trolleys which produced these tapes.
t Time taken
2 A fishing trawler uses echo sounding to measure the depth of water
a = v - u beneath its keel. If the reflected ultrasonic waves are detected
t 0.65 s after they are transmitted, calculate the depth of the water.
(speed of sound in water = 1500 m s-1)

3 (a) The Earth completes one full revolution about its axis in 24 hours.
If the Earth’s radius is 6400 km, calculate its rotational speed.

 A body moves with CONSTANT (or UNIFORM) acceleration if it (b) The Earth takes 365.3 days to make one complete orbit of the
goes through equal velocity changes in equal time intervals. Sun. Given that the average orbital radius is 1.5 x 1011 m,
calculate its average orbital speed in (i) km h-1, (ii) m s-1.
(e.g. a body falling under gravity in a vacuum moves with a constant
acceleration of 9.81 m s-2) Explain why this is its average speed and not its velocity.

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UNIT G481 Module 1 1.1.3 KINEMATICS  GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF MOTION 4

4 (a) A high performance sports car accelerates from rest to reach a  DISPLACEMENT-TIME (s/t) GRAPHS
velocity of 25 m s-1 in 3.5 s. Calculate its acceleration.
 In this type of motion graph, DISPLACEMENT (s) is
(b) A bullet is fired into a large, wooden block. The bullet strikes plotted vertically against TIME (t) horizontally.
the block with a velocity of 250 m s-1 and slows down with a
constant deceleration of 280 m s-2. Calculate its velocity after  DISPLACEMENT and DISTANCE can be read directly
0.55 s. from the graph.

 GRADIENT OF AN s/t GRAPH = VELOCITY

5

 Gradient = 0 , so velocity = 0

The displacement is not changing with time, so this is the

s/t-graph for a stationary object.

 Gradient is CONSTANT, so velocity is CONSTANT.

So this is the s/t-graph for an object moving at

Constant Velocity.

 The steeper the gradient, the GREATER is the velocity.

The diagram shows the path taken by an athlete when she runs a
200 m race in 24 s from the start position at S to the finish at F.

(a) Calculate the athlete’s average speed.  The gradient of this s/t-graph suddenly becomes
negative. This means that its velocity is negative after
time = T, i.e. the object is moving back the way it came.
(b) Explain how the magnitude of the average velocity of the athlete
would differ from her average speed. A quantitative answer is
not required.  The gradient is NOT CONSTANT (in fact decreasing).
(OCR Physics AS-Module 2821-June 2003) So this is the s/t-graph for an object whose velocity is
DECREASING ( i.e. DECELERATING or having a
NEGATIVE ACCELERATION).

© 2008 FXA
UNIT G481 Module 1 1.1.3 KINEMATICS 3 The diagram opposite shows a ‘Big 5
Wheel’ at a fairground. The wheel
 PRACTICE QUESTIONS (2) is rotating in a vertical plane and
the carriages travel round a circle
1 The displacement/time graph of diameter 40 m at a constant
shown opposite represents the speed, completing one revolution
motion of a tram along a straight in 3.5 minutes.
track.

Study the graph and try to (a) A carriage moves through half
describe the tram’s journey as a revolution, from X to Y.
fully as you can.
Calculate :

2 (a) A police car joins a straight motorway at (i) The speed of the carriage.
Junction 4 and travels for 8.5 km at
constant speed for 300 s. (ii) The magnitude of the average velocity of the carriage.

It then exits the motorway at Junction 5, (b) The carriage continues to rotate and returns to point X. For the
rejoins on the opposite side and travels for complete revolution, calculate :
6.2 km at constant speed for 280 s to
reach the scene of an accident. (i) The speed of the carriage.

Calculate : (ii) The average velocity of the carriage.

(i) The displacement from Junction 4 (iii) Comment on your answer.

to the accident scene.

(ii) The velocity of the police car on each side of the motorway. (c) Describe how the instantaneous velocity of the carriage at Y
differs from the average velocity of the carriage after travelling
from X to Y.
(b) Sketch a displacement/time graph to represent the motion of
the police car. (OCR Physics AS - Module 2821 - January 2002)

© 2008 FXA
UNIT G481 Module 1 1.1.3 KINEMATICS 6
 VELOCITY-TIME (v/t) GRAPHS
4
In this type of motion graph, VELOCITY (v) is plotted
vertically against TIME (t) horizontally.

 GRADIENT OF A v/t GRAPH = ACCELERATION

Gradient is CONSTANT, so acceleration is CONSTANT.

So this is the v/t graph for an object moving with

constant acceleration.

The steeper the gradient the GREATER the

Fig. 1 Fig. 2
acceleration.

Fig.1 shows a long rope tied at one end to a high support. A girl swings
Backwards and forwards across a pool using the free end of the rope.

Fig. 2 shows the variation with time (t) of the displacement (x) of Gradient = 0, so acceleration = 0
the girl from A to B and back to A.
The velocity is not changing with time, so this is the
v/t graph for an object moving with constant velocity.

(a) State what the gradient of the graph represents and explain why
the graph shows both negative and positive gradients.
Gradient is CONSTANT and NEGATIVE.
(b) Mark on Fig. 2 with a cross :
This is the v/t graph for an object moving with
Constant deceleration.
 A position where the girl’s speed is zero (label Z).

 A position where the girl’s speed is a maximum (label M).

 The gradient is NOT CONSTANT and decreasing.

(c) Use Fig. 2 to calculate the maximum positive speed of the girl. So this is the v/t graph for an object moving with
decreasing acceleration.
Show on Fig. 2 how you determined your answer.
(OCR Physics AS - Module 2821 - January 2004)

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UNIT G481 Module 1 1.1.3 KINEMATICS  MOTION GRAPHS ANALYSIS 7

 The DISPLACEMENT of a moving object can be worked out

from its VELOCITY-TIME (v/t) GRAPH.

AREA UNDER A VELOCITY-TIME GRAPH = DISPLACEMENT

Consider an object moving with an

initial velocity (u) which accelerates
with a constant acceleration (a) to
reach a final velocity (v) after a
time (t).

This is the velocity-time graph

for the motion.  QUANTITIES OBTAINABLE FROM MOTION GRAPHS

displacement (s) = area under the velocity-time graph

s = area (1) + area (2)  Gradient of displacement-time graph = VELOCITY

s = +  Gradient of distance-time graph = SPEED

s = +  Gradient of velocity-time graph = ACCELERATION

s = +  Area under a velocity-time graph = DISPLACEMENT

(But v = u + at) s = +  Area under a speed-time graph = DISTANCE MOVED

s = +

This is the equation of motion which can be used to calculate displacement s

© 2008 FXA
UNIT G481 Module 1 1.1.3 KINEMATICS 3 (a) Define acceleration. 8
(b) The graph below shows the variation of velocity (v), with time (t),
 PRACTICE QUESTIONS (3) of a train as it travels from one station to the next.

1 The v/t graph opposite shows how

a car’s velocity changed with time.
At X, the driver started to slow
down as he approached traffic
lights. Use the graph to calculate :

(a) The car’s deceleration.

(b) The total distance travelled by

the car.
Use the graph to calculate :
(i) The acceleration of the train during the first 10.0 s,
2 The graph opposite shows (ii) The distance between the two stations.
how the velocity of a train (OCR Physics AS - Module 2821 - June 2001)
varied with time as it moved
along a straight track over a 4 The diagram opposite
50 minute period after leaving shows a graph of velocity
the station. against time for a train
that stops at a station.

(a) (i) Describe how the (a) For the time interval
displacement of the t = 40 s to t = 100 s,
train from the station changed with time. calculate :

(ii) Sketch a graph to show how the displacement in part (i) (i) The acceleration of the train,
varied with time. (ii) The distance travelled by the train.

(b) Calculate the distance travelled by the train during its acceleration
(b) (i) Calculate how far from the station the train was after 50 min. from rest to 25 m s-1.

(ii) Calculate the total distance travelled by the train in this time. (c) Calculate the journey time that would be saved if the train did not
stop at the station, but continued at a constant speed of 25 m s -1.
(OCR Physics AS - Module 2821 - January 2001)
© 2008 FXA
UNIT G481 Module 1 1.1.3 KINEMATICS 3 The diagram opposite shows the 9
path of a ball as it is passed
 HOMEWORK QUESTIONS between three players. Player A
passes the ball to player B who
1 An aircraft has a landing velocity of 50 m s-1 and decelerates immediately passes it to player C.
uniformly at 10 m s-2 until its velocity is reduced to 10 m s-1. The distances for each pass are
Calculate : shown in the diagram.

(a) The time taken to slow down to 10 m s-1. The ball takes 2.4 s to go from
player A to player C.
(b) The distance moved during the deceleration.
(Hint - Draw a v/t graph of the motion) (a) Calculate, for the total
journey of the ball :
(i) The average speed of the ball,

2 A sports car moves from rest with uniform acceleration to reach a (ii) The magnitude of the average velocity of the ball.
velocity of 25 m s-1 in 4 s. It then maintains this velocity for a
further 12 s, after which it decelerates uniformly until it comes to (b) Explain why the values of the average speed and average
rest 38 s after the start of the motion. velocity are different.
(OCR Physics AS - Module 2821 - January 2005)
Sketch a velocity-time graph for the whole journey and use it to
Calculate : 4

(a) The initial acceleration of the car,

(b) The final deceleration of the car, The table shows how the velocity of a saloon car changed during a
speed trial along a straight track.
(c) The total distance travelled,
(a) Draw a velocity-time graph for the motion.
(d) The average velocity of the car. (b) Deduce the car’s acceleration during the first 10 s from the
data given in the table.
(c) Calculate the car’s acceleration during the first 10 s using the
graph.
(d) Use the graph to calculate the car’s deceleration during the last
15 s.
(e) Use the graph to find the total distance trav-

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