CHAPTER 2

Motion

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Audio Assessment

Review Concepts in Motion

? Inquiry g Multilingual eGlossary

Launch Lab
Animal Race
A cheetah can run at a speed of almost 120 km/h. It is the
fastest runner in the world. A horse can reach a speed of
64 km/h, an elephant’s top speed is about 40 km/h, and a
tortoise walks at a speed of about 0.3 km/h. The speed of an
object is calculated by dividing the distance that the object
travels by the time it takes it to move that distance. How does
your speed compare to the speeds of these animals?
Make a three-tab book.
For a lab worksheet, use your StudentWorks™ Plus Online. Label it as shown. Use it
? Inquiry Launch Lab to organize your notes
on motion.

Displacement Velocity Acceleration

Motion

0042_0043_C02CO_894583.indd 42 5/3/10 12:15 PM

 THEME FOCUS Motion and Forces Section 1 • Describing Motion
Objects are in motion all around us.
Section 2 • Velocity and
BIG Idea Motion occurs when an object changes its Momentum
position.
Section 3 • Acceleration

Chapter 2 • Motion 43

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 SC.912.P.12.2: Analyze the motion of an object in terms of its position, velocity, and acceleration (with respect to
Section 1 a frame of reference) as functions of time. ALSO COVERS MA.912.S.1.2

Reading Preview Describing Motion

Essential Questions MAIN Idea Position describes where an object is, and speed
describes how fast the object is moving.
◗ How are distance and
displacement different? Real-World Reading Link How would you describe the trip from your
◗ How is an object’s speed home to your school? You might include whether you walked or rode a
calculated? bus, how far away the school was, and how long it took to get there.
◗ What information does a Scientists describe motion in a similar, but very specific way.
distance-time graph provide?

Review Vocabulary Motion and Position

meter: the SI unit of length, You do not always need to see something move to know that
abbreviated m motion has taken place. For example, suppose you look out a
window and see a mail truck stopped next to a mailbox, as
New Vocabulary
shown in Figure 1. One minute later, you look out again and
motion
see the same truck stopped farther down the street. Although
displacement
speed you did not see the truck move, you know it moved because its
position relative to the mailbox changed.
g Multilingual eGlossary
Reference points A reference point is needed to deter-
mine the position of an object. In Figure 1, the reference point
might be a mailbox. Motion is a change in an object’s position
relative to a reference point. How you describe an object’s motion
depends on the reference point that is chosen. For example, the
description of the mail truck’s motion in Figure 1 would be
different if the reference point were a tree instead of a mailbox.
After a reference point is chosen, a frame of reference can be
■ Figure 1 As the mail truck follows created. A frame of reference is a coordinate system in which
its route, it stops at each mailbox
along the street.
the position of the object is measured. The x-axis and y-axis
Explain How do you know the mail
of the reference frame are drawn so that they are perpendicular
truck has moved? to each other and intersect the reference point.

9:00 A.M. 9:01 A.M.

44 Chapter 2 • Motion

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 Coordinate systems Figure 2 shows a map of the city
4
where the mail truck is delivering mail with a coordinate sys- Mail
3
tem drawn on it. The x-axis is in the east-west direction, the truck N
y-axis is in the north-south direction, and each division repre- 2
sents a city block. The post office is located at the origin. The 1
mail truck is located at 3 blocks east (x = 3) and 2 blocks north Post
0 office
(y = 2) of the post office. -1

Change in Position -2

Have you ever run a 50-m dash? Describing how far and in -3
what direction you moved was an important part of describing -4
-4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4
your motion.
■ Figure 2 A coordinate system is
Distance In a 50-m dash, each runner travels a total dis- like a map. The reference point is at
tance of 50 m. The SI unit of distance is the meter (m). Longer the origin, and each object’s position
can be described with its coordinates.
distances are measured in kilometers (km). One kilometer is
Identify the position of the
equal to 1,000 m. Shorter distances are measured in centime- orange car.
ters (cm) or millimeters (mm). One meter is equal to 100 cm
and to 1,000 mm.
Displacement Suppose a runner jogs to the 50-m mark
and then turns around and runs back to the 20-m mark, as
VOCABULARY
shown in Figure 3. The runner travels 50 m in the original
SCIENCE USAGE V. COMMON USAGE
direction (east) plus 30 m in the opposite direction (west), so Position
the total distance that she ran is 80 m. How far is she from the Science usage
starting line? The answer is 20 m. Sometimes, you may want the location of an object in relation to
a reference point
to know the change in an object’s position relative to the start-
The cat’s position was 3 meters west of
ing point. An object’s displacement is the distance and direc- the house.
tion of the object’s change in position. In Figure 3, the runner’s
Common usage
displacement is 20 m east. a point of view; a job or rank
The length of the runner’s displacement and the total dis- After graduation, I accepted a teller
tance traveled would be the same if the runner’s motion were in position at the bank.
a single direction. For example, if the runner ran east from the
starting line to the finish line without changing direction, then
the distance traveled would be 50 m and the displacement
would be 50 m east.

N 0m 10 m 20 m 30 m 40 m 50 m

20 m 30 m
FINISH
S TA R T

■ Figure 3 An object’s displacement

is not the same as the total distance
that the object traveled. The runner’s
displacement is 20 m east of the
starting line. However, the total
distance the runner traveled is 80 m.
50 m Describe the difference between
the total distance traveled and the
displacement.

Section 1 • Describing Motion 45

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 st
10 m east hea
5m 5m
n ort 3 m north
east east
5m 5 m west 5m
10 m east east 4 m east

Displacements in the same direction can Displacements in opposite directions Displacements that are not in the same
be added. can be subtracted. direction or opposite directions cannot
be directly added or subtracted.

■ Figure 4 These arrows represent

the students’ walks. The green arrows Adding displacements You know that you can add
show the first part of the walk and the
purple arrows show the second part.
distances together to get the total distance. For example,
The red arrows show the students’ 2 m + 3 m = 5 m. But how would you add the displacements
displacements. 5 m east and 10 m east? Directions in math problems are much
like units: you can add numbers with like directions. For exam-
ple, suppose a student walks 5 m east, stops at a crosswalk, and
then walks another 5 m east, as shown on the left in Figure 4.
FOLDABLES His displacement is
Incorporate information
from this section into 5 m east + 5 m east = 10 m east
your Foldable.
But what if the directions are not the same? Then compare
the two directions. If the directions are exactly opposite, the
distances can be subtracted. Suppose a student walks 10 m east,
turns around, and walks 5 m west, as shown in the center of
Figure 4. The size of the displacement would be

10 m − 5 m = 5 m
The direction of the total displacement is always the direction
of the larger displacement. In this case, the larger displacement
is east, so the total displacement is 5 m east.
Now suppose the two displacements are not in the same
direction or in opposite directions, as illustrated on the right in
Figure 4. Here, the student walks 4 m east and then 3 m north.
The student walks a total distance of 7 m, but the displacement
is 5 m in a roughly northeast direction. 4 m east and 3 m north
Rules for cannot be directly added or subtracted, and they should be dis-
Table 1 Adding cussed separately. The rules for adding displacements are sum-
Displacements marized in Table 1.
1. Add displacements in the same Speed
direction. Think back to the mail truck moving down the street. You
2. Subtract displacements in could describe the movement by the distance traveled or by the
opposite directions. displacement. You might also want to describe how fast the
3. Displacements that are not in the truck is moving. To do this, you need to know how far it travels
same or in opposite directions in a given amount of time. To describe how fast an object
cannot be directly added moves, scientist use the object’s speed. Speed is the distance an
together. object travels per unit of time.

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 Calculating speed Any change over time is called a rate.
For example, you could describe how quickly water is leaking Common
Table 2
from a tank by stating how many liters are lost each hour. This Speeds
would be the rate of water leakage. If you think of distance as Motion Speed (m/s)
the change in position, then speed is the rate of change in posi-
tion. Speed can be calculated from this equation. Olympic
10 m/s
100-m dash
Car on city street
Speed Equation 16 m/s
(35 mph)
distance (in meters)
speed (in meters/second) = __ Car on interstate
30 m/s
time (in seconds) highway (65 mph)
d
s=_
t
Commercial
250 m/s
airplane

In SI units, distance is measured in meters and time is mea- ? Inquiry Virtual Lab
sured in seconds. Therefore, the SI unit for speed is meters per
second (m/s). Sometimes, it is more convenient to express speed
in other units, such as kilometers per hour (km/h). Table 2
shows the speeds of some common objects.

SC.912.P.12.2: Analyze the motion of an object in terms of its position, velocity, and acceleration
(with respect to a frame of reference) as functions of time. MA.912.S.1.2: Determine appropriate
EXAMPLE Problem 1 and consistent standards of measurement for the data to be collected in a survey or experiment.

Calculate Speed A car traveling at a constant speed covers a distance of

750 m in 25 s. What is the car’s speed?

Identify the Unknown: speed: s

List the Knowns: distance: d = 750 m

time: t = 25 s

Set Up the Problem: s = _td= _

750 m
25 s
_750 m
Solve the Problem: s= = 30 m/s
25 s
Check the Answer: 30 m/s is approximately the speed limit on a U.S.
interstate highway, so the answer is reasonable.

PRACTICE Problems Find Additional Practice Problems in the back of your book.

1. A passenger elevator travels from the first floor to the 60th floor, a distance Review
of 210 m, in 35 s. What is the elevator’s speed? Additional Practice Problems
2. A motorcycle is moving at a constant speed of 40 km/h. How long does it
take the motorcycle to travel a distance of 10 km?
3. How far does a car travel in 0.75 h if it is moving at a constant speed of
88 km/h?
4. Challenge A long-distance runner is running at a constant speed of 5 m/s.
How long does it take the runner to travel 1 km?

Section 1 • Describing Motion 47

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 ■ Figure 5 The cyclist’s speed varies
from 0 km/h to 30 km/h during his trip. Speed Changing over Distance
Explain how you can describe the
speed of an object when the speed 30 Going downhill
is changing.
25 Climbing
steep hill
Stopping for

Speed (km/h)
20 red light

15
Constant speed

10
Gaining
5 speed

0
1 2 3 4 5
Distance (km)

Constant speed Suppose you are in a car traveling on a

nearly empty freeway. You look at the speedometer and see that
SC.912.P.12.2: Analyze the motion of an object in the car’s speed hardly changes. If the car neither slows down
terms of its position, velocity, and acceleration (with
respect to a frame of reference) as functions of time. nor speeds up, the car is traveling at a constant speed. If you are
traveling at a constant speed, you can calculate your speed by
dividing any distance interval over the time it took you to
travel that distance. The speed you calculate will be the same
regardless of the interval you choose.
? Inquiry MiniLab
Changing speed Usually, speed is not constant. Think
Measure Average about riding a bicycle for a distance of 5 km. The bicycle’s speed
Speed will vary, as in Figure 5. As you start out, your speed increases
from 0 km/h to 20 km/h. You slow down to 10 km/h as you
Procedure pedal up a steep hill and speed up to 30 km/h going down the
1. Read the procedure and safety other side of the hill. You stop for a red light, speed up again,
information, and complete the
lab form. and move at a constant speed for a while. Finally, you slow
2. Mark a point on the floor with down and come to a stop.
tape. Place a toy car at this Checking your watch, you find that the trip took 15 min.
point. How would you express your speed on such a trip? Would you
3. Give the toy car a gentle push use your fastest speed, your slowest speed, or some speed
forward. At the same time, start
a stopwatch. between the two? Two common ways of expressing a changing
4. Record the time it takes for the speed are average speed and instantaneous speed.
car to come to a stop.
Average speed Average speed is one way to describe the speed
5. Use a meterstick to measure
the distance the car traveled.
of the bicycle trip. Average speed is the total distance traveled
divided by the total time of travel. It can be calculated using the
Analysis relationships between speed, distance, and time. For the bicycle
1. Calculate the average speed of trip just described, the total distance traveled was 5 km and the
total time was _
the car in m/s. 1
h, or 0.25 h. Therefore, the average speed was
2. Infer How would the average 4
speed change if you gave the
car a harder push? Try it. s=_
d
t
=_
5 km
= 20 km/h
0.25 h

48 Chapter 2 • Motion

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 Instantaneous speed Suppose you watch a car’s speedometer,
like the one in Figure 6, go from 0 km/h to 80 km/h. A speed-
ometer shows how fast a car is going at one point in time, or at
one instant. The speed shown on a speedometer is the instanta-
neous speed. Instantaneous speed is the speed at a given point
in time. When something is speeding up or slowing down, its
instantaneous speed is changing. The speed is different at every
point in time. If an object is moving with constant speed, the
instantaneous speed does not change. The speed is the same at
■ Figure 6 A speedometer gives the
every point in time. car’s instantaneous speed. Instant-
aneous speed is the speed at one
Reading Check Identify two examples of motion in which an object’s instant in time.
instantaneous speed changes.

Graphing Motion
The motion of an object over a period of time can be shown
on a distance-time graph. For example, the graph in Figure 7
shows the distance traveled by three swimmers during a
30-minute workout. Time is plotted along the horizontal axis of
the graph, and the distance traveled is plotted along the vertical
axis of the graph.
Each axis must have a scale that covers the range of numbers
to be plotted. In Figure 7, the distance scale must range from
0 to 2,400 m and the time scale must range from 0 to 30 min.
Next, the x-axis is divided into equal time intervals, and the
y-axis is divided into equal distance intervals.
Once the scales for each axis are in place, the data points can
be plotted. In Figure 7, there is a data point plotted for each
swimmer every two and a half minutes. After plotting the data
points, a line is drawn connecting the points.

Distance-Time Graph

2,400 Mary
2,200
2,000
1,800 Kathy
Concepts in Motion
Distance (m)

1,600
1,400 Animation
1,200 Julie
1,000 ■ Figure 7 This graph shows how far
800 each girl swam during a 30 minute
workout. Time is divided into 2.5-min-
600
ute intervals along the x-axis. Distance
400
swam is divided into 200-m intervals
200
along the y-axis.
0
0 10 20 30 Examine the graph and determine
Time (min) which girl swam the farthest during
the workout.

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 Speed on distance-time graphs If an
Distance-Time Graph
object moves with constant speed, the increase in
2,400 Mary distance over equal time intervals is the same. As a
2,200
result, the line representing the object’s motion is a
2,000
1,800 Kathy straight line. For example, look at the graph of the
v = 80 m/min
Distance (m)

1,600 swimmers’ workouts in Figure 8. The straight red

1,400 line represents the motion of Mary, who swam with
1,200 v = 60 m/min Julie
a constant speed of 80 m/min. The green line rep-
1,000
800
resents the motion of Julie, who did not swim with
600 v = 0 m/min a constant speed. She swam with a constant speed
v = 80 m/min
400 of 40 m/min for 10 minutes, rested for 10 minutes,
200
v = 40 m/min and then swam with a constant speed of 80 m/min
0
0 10 20 30 for 10 minutes.
Time (min) The graph shows that the line representing the
■ Figure 8 An object’s speed is equal to the slope
motion of the faster swimmer is steeper. The
of the line on a distance-time graph. steepness of a line on a graph is the line’s slope.
Identify the part of the graph that shows one of The slope of a line on a distance-time graph
the swimmers resting for 10 min. equals the object’s speed. Because Mary has a
greater speed (80 m/min) than Kathy (60 m/min),
the line representing her motion has a larger slope.
Now look at the green line representing Julie’s
motion. During the time she is resting, her line is
horizontal. A horizontal line on a distance-time
graph has zero slope and represents an object
at rest.

Section 1 Review SC.912.P.12.2, MA.912.S.1.2

Section Summary 5. MAIN Idea Describe the trip from your home to school using the
words position, distance, displacement, and speed.
◗ Motion occurs when an object changes its
position relative to a reference point. 6. Explain whether the size of an object’s displacement could be
greater than the distance the object travels.
◗ Displacement is the distance and direction
of a change in position from the starting 7. Describe the motion represented by a horizontal line on a distance-
point. time graph.
◗ Speed is the rate at which an object’s 8. Describe the difference between average speed and constant speed.
position changes. 9. Think Critically During a trip, can a car’s instantaneous speed ever
◗ On a distance-time graph, time is the be greater than its average speed? Explain.
x-axis and distance is the y-axis.
◗ The slope of a line plotted on a distance-
time graph is the speed. Apply Math
10. Calculate Speed Michiko walked a distance of 1.60 km in 30 min.
Find her average speed in m/s.
11. Calculate Distance A car travels at a constant speed of 30.0 m/s for
0.80 h. Find the total distance traveled in km.

50 Chapter 2 • Motion Assessment Online Quiz

0044_0050_C02S1_894583.indd 50 5/7/10 9:43 AM

 SC.912.P.12.2: Analyze the motion of an object in terms of its position, velocity, and acceleration (with respect to
Section 2 a frame of reference) as functions of time. ALSO COVERS: MA.912.S.1.2

Reading Preview Velocity and Momentum

Essential Questions MAIN Idea An object’s velocity describes the object’s speed and
direction of motion.
◗ What is the difference between
speed and velocity? Real-World Reading Link Cars, trucks, and many other vehicles can
◗ How is the motion of two objects go both backward and forward. The driver must put the car in the proper
relative to each other described? gear for each direction. What could happen if the driver put the car into
◗ How can an object’s momentum reverse instead of forward?
be calculated?

Review Vocabulary Velocity

speed: rate of change of position You turn on the radio and hear a news story about a hurri-
cane. The storm, traveling at a speed of 20 km/h, is located
New Vocabulary 500 km east of your location. Should you worry?
velocity Unfortunately, you do not have enough information to
momentum
answer that question. Knowing only the speed of the storm is
g Multilingual eGlossary not much help. Speed describes only how fast something is mov-
ing. To decide whether you need to move to a safer area, you also
need to know the direction that the storm is moving. In other
words, you need to know the velocity of the storm. Velocity
includes the speed of an object and the direction of its motion.
Velocity has the same units as speed, m/s. If you had been told
that the hurricane was traveling straight toward your house at
20 km/h, you would have known to evacuate.
FOLDABLES Velocity and speed Because velocity depends on direc-
Incorporate information tion as well as speed, the velocity of an object can change even
from this section into if the speed of the object remains constant. For example, the
your Foldable.
race cars in Figure 9 have constant speeds through the turn.
Even though the speeds remain constant, their velocities
changes because they change direction thoughout the turn.
Reading Check Describe how velocity and speed are different.

■ Figure 9 These cars travel at

constant speed, but not with constant
velocity. The cars’ velocities change
because their direction of motion
changes.

Section 2 • Velocity and Momentum 51

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 Same speed, different velocities It is possible for two objects
to have the same speed but different velocities. For example, the
two escalators pictured in Figure 10 are moving at the same
speed but in opposite directions. The speeds of the two sets of
passengers are the same, but their velocities are different
because they are moving in different directions. Cars traveling
in opposite directions on a road with the same speed also have
different velocities.
Motion of Earth’s Crust
Can you think of something that is moving so slowly that
■ Figure 10 The two escalators you cannot detect its motion, but you can see evidence of its
move with a speed of 0.5 m/s. But
the left escalator’s velocity is 0.5 m/s motion over long periods of time? As you look around the
downward and the right escalator’s surface of Earth from year to year, its basic structure seems
velocity is 0.5 m/s upward.
the same. Mountains, plains, and oceans seem to remain
unchanged. Yet, if you examined geologic evidence of what
Earth’s surface looked like over the past 250 million years, you
would see that large changes have occurred. Figure 11 shows
how, according to the theory of plate tectonics, the positions of
VOCABULARY landmasses have changed during this time. Changes in the
WORD ORIGIN landscape occur constantly as continents drift slowly over
Velocity Earth’s surface.
from the Latin veloci– meaning fast,
swift, or rapid.
These moving plates cause geologic changes, such as the
The students found that the velocirap- formation of mountain ranges, earthquakes, and volcanic
tor’s velocity was 10 m/s north. eruptions. The movement of the plates changes the size of the
oceans. The Pacific Ocean is getting smaller, and the Atlantic
Ocean is getting larger. The plates’ movement also changes the
shape of the continents as they collide and spread apart.
Plates move so slowly that their speeds are given in units of
Concepts in Motion centimeters per year. Along the San Andreas Fault in Califor-
Animation nia, two plates move past each other with an average speed of
about 1 cm per year. The Australian Plate moves faster and
■ Figure 11 Geologic evidence sug-
gests that Earth’s surface is changing.
pushes Australia north at an average speed of about 17 cm/y.
The continents have moved slowly over Therefore, the velocity of the Austrailian plate is 17 cm/y north.
time and are still moving today.

About 250 million years ago, the continents formed a super- Pangaea separated into smaller pieces. About 66 million years
continent called Pangaea. ago, the continents looked like the figure above.

52 Chapter 2 • Motion

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 70 km 60 km

20 km/h
20 km/h
10 km/h
10 km/h

10 km 60 km 20 km 40 km
30 km 20 km 10 km 0 km 10 km 20 km 30 km 40 km 50 km 60 km 30 km 20 km 10 km 0 km 10 km 20 km 30 km 40 km 50 km 60 km
West East West East

2:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M.

■ Figure 12 If the house is chosen

Relative Motion for the reference point, the car
Have you ever watched cars pass you on the highway? Cars appears to be traveling 10 km/h west
and the hurricane appears to be travel-
traveling in the same direction often seem to creep by, while ing 20 km/h west.
cars traveling in the opposite direction seem to zip by. This
apparent difference in speeds is because the reference point—
your vehicle—is also moving.
The choice of a moving reference point affects how you
describe motion. For example, the motion of a hurricane can be
described using a stationary reference point, such as a house.
Figure 12 shows the locations and velocities of a hurricane and
a car relative to a house at 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. The distance
between the hurricane and the house is decreasing at a rate of
20 km/h. The distance between the house and the car is
increasing at a rate of 10 km/h.
How would the description of the hurricane’s motion be dif-
ferent if the reference point were a car traveling at 10 km/h
west? Figure 13 shows the motion of the hurricane and the
house relative to the car. A person in the car would say that the
hurricane is approaching with a speed of 10 km/h and that the
house is moving away at a speed of 10 km/h. It is important to
■ Figure 13 If the car is chosen as
notice that Figure 12 and Figure 13 show the same changes, but the reference point, the hurricane
they use different reference points. Velocity and position always appears to be moving towards the car
depend on the point of reference chosen. at 10 km/h and the house is moving
away from the car at 10 km/h.

70 km 60 km

10 km/h 10 km/h

10 km/h 10 km/h

10 km 60 km 20 km 40 km
10 km 0 km 10 km 20 km 30 km 40 km 50 km 60 km 70 km 80 km 10 km 0 km 10 km 20 km 30 km 40 km 50 km 60 km 70 km 80 km
West East West East

2:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M.

Section 2 • Velocity and Momentum 53

0051_0055_C02S2_894583.indd 53 5/3/10 12:21 PM

 Momentum
Typical
Table 3 An object is moving at 2 m/s toward a glass vase. Will the
Momentums
vase be damaged in the collision? If the object has a small mass,
Momentum like a bug, a collision will not damage the vase. But if the object
Object
(kg·m/s) has a larger mass, like a car, a collision will damage the vase.
Tossed baseball 0.15 A useful way of describing both the velocity and mass of an
object is to state its momentum. The momentum of an object is
Person walking 100
the product of its mass and velocity. Momentum is usually repre-
Car on interstate 45,000 sented by the symbol p.

? Inquiry Video Lab Momentum Equation

momentum (in kg·m/s) = mass (in kg) × velocity (in m/s)

p = mv
Video What’s PHYSICAL and
EARTH SCIENCE Got To Do With It? The unit for momentum is kg·m/s. Like velocity, momentum
has a size and a direction. An object’s momentum is always in
the same as the direction as its velocity. Table 3 shows the sizes
of the momentums of some common objects.

SC.912.P.12.2: Analyze the motion of an object in terms of its position, velocity, and acceleration
(with respect to a frame of reference) as functions of time. MA.912.S.1.2: Determine appropriate
EXAMPLE Problem 2 and consistent standards of measurement for the data to be collected in a survey or experiment.

Solve for Momentum At the end of a race, a sprinter with a mass of 80.0 kg
has a velocity of 10.0 m/s east. What is the sprinter’s momentum?
Identify the Unknown: momentum: p
List the Knowns: mass: m = 80.0 kg
velocity: v = 10.0 m/s east
Set Up the Problem: p = mv = (80.0 kg) × (10.0 m/s) east
Solve the Problem: p = (80.0 kg)(10.0 m/s) east = 800.0 kg·m/s east
Check the Answer: Our answer makes sense because it is greater than
the momentum of a walking person, but much
smaller than the momentum of a car on the highway.

PRACTICE Problems Find Additional Practice Problems in the back of your book.

12. What is the momentum of a car with a mass of 1,300 kg traveling north at Review
a speed of 28 m/s? Additional Practice Problems
13. A baseball has a momentum of 6.0 kg·m/s south and a mass of 0.15 kg.
What is the baseball’s velocity?
14. Find the mass of a person walking west at a speed of 0.8 m/s with a
momentum of 52.0 kg·m/s west.
15. Challenge The mass of a basketball is three times greater than the mass of a
softball. Compare the momentums of a softball and a basketball if they
both are moving at the same velocity.

54 Chapter 2 • Motion

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 30 m/s
30 m/s
900,000 kg·m/s
45,000 kg·m/s

30,000 kg

1,500 kg

■ Figure 14 Both the car and the

Comparing momentums Think about the car and the truck have a velocity of 30 m/s west,
truck in Figure 14. Which has the larger momentum? The but the truck has a much larger
momentum.
truck does because it has more mass. When two objects travel
at the same velocity, the object with more mass has a greater
momentum. A difference in momentums is why a car traveling
at 2 m/s might damage a porcelain vase, but an insect flying at
2 m/s will not.
Now consider two 1-mg insects. One insect flies at a speed of
2 m/s, and the other flies at a speed of 4 m/s. The second insect
has a greater momentum. If two objects have the same mass,
the object with the larger velocity has the larger momentum.

Section 2 Review SC.912.P.12.2, MA.912.S.1.2

Section Summary 16. MAIN Idea Describe a car’s velocity as it goes around a track at a
constant speed.
◗ The velocity of an object includes the
object’s speed and its direction of motion 17. Explain why streets and highways have speed limits rather than
relative to a reference point. velocity limits.
◗ An object’s motion is always described rel- 18. Identify For each of the following news stories, determine wheth-
ative to a reference point. er the object’s speed or velocity is given: the world record for the
hundred-meter dash is about 10 m/s; the wind today is 30 km/h
◗ The momentum of an object is the product
from the north-west; a 200,000 kg train was traveling north at
of its mass and velocity: p = mv.
70 km/h when it derailed; a car was issued a ticket for traveling at
140 km/h on the interstate.
19. Think Critically You are walking toward the back of a bus that is
moving forward with a constant velocity. Describe your motion
relative to the bus and relative to a point on the ground.

Apply Math
20. Calculate Momentum What is the momentum of a 100-kg football
player running north at a speed of 4 m/s?
21. Compare the momentums of a 6,300-kg elephant walking 0.11 m/s
and a 50-kg dolphin swimming 10.4 m/s.

Assessment Online Quiz Section 2 • Velocity and Momentum 55

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 SC.912.P.12.2: Analyze the motion of an object in terms of its position, velocity, and acceleration (with respect to a
frame of reference) as functions of time. ALSO COVERS: SC.912.N.4.1, MA.912.S.1.2, MA.912.S.3.2
Section 3

Reading Preview Acceleration

Essential Questions MAIN Idea Acceleration describes how the velocity of an object
is changing with time.
◗ How are acceleration, time, and
velocity related? Real-World Reading Link If you have ever ridden on an airplane, you
◗ What are three ways an object know that the plane taxis at a slow speed. Once on the runway, you are
can accelerate? pressed back against your seat as the plane speeds up until it is going fast
◗ How can an object’s acceleration enough to take off. When the plane speeds up, it is accelerating.
be calculated?
◗ What are the similarities and Velocity and Acceleration
differences between straight line
motion, circular motion, and You are sitting in a car at a stoplight when the light turns
projectile motion? green. The driver steps on the gas pedal and the car starts
moving faster and faster. Just as speed is the rate of change of
Review Vocabulary position, acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. When
velocity: describes the speed and the velocity of an object changes, the object is accelerating.
direction of a moving object
Remember that velocity includes the speed and direction of
New Vocabulary an object. Therefore, a change in velocity can be either a change
acceleration in speed or a change in direction. Acceleration occurs when an
centripetal acceleration object changes its speed, its direction, or both.
g When you think of acceleration, you probably think of
Multilingual eGlossary
something speeding up. However, an object that is slowing
Video
down also is accelerating, as is an object that is changing direc-
BrainPOP
tion. Figure 15 shows the three ways an object can accelerate.

Reading Check Identify three ways that an object can accelerate.

Like velocity and momentum, acceleration has a direction.

If you look at the car in Figure 15, you will see that when it is
speeding up, its acceleration and velocity are in the same
direction. When the car is slowing down, its acceleration is in
the opposite direction of its velocity. When the car changes
■ Figure 15 An object, such as this direction, the acceleration is not in the same direction or
car, is accelerating if it is speeding up, opposite direction as the car’s velocity.
slowing down, or changing direction.

Acceleration Acceleration
Velocity

Velocity Velocity
Acceleration

Speeding Up Slowing Down Changing Direction

56 Chapter 2 • Motion

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 ■ Figure 16 For objects that are
speeding up and slowing down, the
Speed of Tamara’s Car slope of the line on a speed-time
Moving at a graph is the acceleration.
25
constant speed Identify the time intervals when
Speed (km/h)

20 Tamara’s car is not accelerating.

Speeding up Slowing down to
15 enter parking lot
Slowing down at
a red light
10 Parking
Stopped at
5 Pulling out red light
of driveway
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Time (min)

SC.912.P.12.2: Analyze the motion of an object in

terms of its position, velocity, and acceleration (with
Speed-time graphs and acceleration When an respect to a frame of reference) as functions of time.
object travels in a straight line and does not change direction, a
graph of speed versus time can provide information about an
object’s acceleration. Figure 16 shows the speed-time graph of
Tamara’s car as she drives to the store. Just as the slope of a line
on a distance-time graph is the object’s speed, the slope of a ? Inquiry MiniLab
line on a speed-time graph is the object’s acceleration. For Determine the Direction
example, when Tamara pulls out of her driveway, the car’s of Acceleration
acceleration is 0.33 km/min2, which is equal to the slope of the
line from t = 0 to t = 0.5 min. Procedure
Calculating acceleration Acceleration is the rate of 1. Read the procedure and safety
information, and complete the
change in velocity. To calculate the acceleration of an object, lab form.
the change in velocity is divided by the length of the time inter- 2. Tape a bubble level onto the
val over which the change occurred. The change in velocity is top of a laboratory cart and
final velocity minus the initial velocity. If the direction of center the bubble. Tie a string
to the front of the cart.
motion does not change and the object moves in a straight line,
3. Pull the cart forward, and
the size of the change in velocity can be calculated from the observe the direction of the
change in speed. Then, the acceleration of an object can be cal- motion of the bubble.
culated from the following equation. 4. Move the cart at a constant
speed, and observe the direc-
tion of the motion of the
Acceleration Equation bubble.
5. Allow the cart to coast to a
acceleration change in velocity (in meters/second) stop, and observe the direction
= ____ of the motion of the bubble.
(in meters/second2) time (in seconds)
vf - vi
_ Analysis
a= t
1. Relate the motion of the bub-
ble to the acceleration of the
cart.
In SI units, velocity has units of m/s and time has units of s, 2. Predict how the bubble would
so the SI unit of acceleration is m/s2. In some cases, your calcu- move if you tie the string to the
back of the cart and repeat the
lations will result in a negative acceleration. The negative sign experiment in the opposite
means in the opposite direction. For example, an acceleration of direction. Try it.
−10 m/s2 north is the same as 10 m/s2 south.

Section 3 • Acceleration 57

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 SC.912.P.12.2: Analyze the motion of an object in terms of its position, velocity, and acceleration
(with respect to a frame of reference) as functions of time. MA.912.S.1.2: Determine appropriate
EXAMPLE Problem 3 and consistent standards of measurement for the data to be collected in a survey or experiment.

Calculate Acceleration A skateboarder has an initial velocity of 3 m/s west and

comes to a stop in 2 s. What is the skateboarder’s acceleration?
Identify the Unknown: acceleration: a
List the Knowns: initial velocity: v i = 3 m/s west
final velocity: v f = 0 m/s west
time: t = 2 s
(v - v )
(0 m/s - 3 m/s)
Set Up the Problem: a=_
f
t
i
= __ west
2s
(0 m/s - 3 m/s)
Solve the Problem: a = __ = -1.5 m/s2 west
2s
The acceleration has a negative sign, so the direction
is reversed.
a = 1.5 m/s2 east
Check the Answer: The magnitude of the acceleration (1.5 m/s2) is
reasonable for a skateboard that takes 2 s to slow
from 3 m/s to 0 m/s. The acceleration is in the
opposite direction of the velocity, so the skateboard
is slowing down, as we expected.

PRACTICE Problems Find Additional Practice Problems in the back of your book.

22. An airplane starts at rest and accelerates down the runway for 20 s. At the Review
end of the runway, its velocity is 80 m/s north. What is its acceleration? Additional Practice Problems
23. A cyclist starts at rest and accelerates at 0.5 m/s2 south for 20 s. What is
the cyclist’s final velocity?
24. Challenge A ball is dropped and falls with an acceleration of 9.8 m/s2
downward. It hits the ground with a velocity of 49 m/s downward. How long
did it take the ball to fall to the ground?

Motion in Two Dimensions

So far, we have only discussed motion in a straight line. But
most objects are not restricted to moving in a straight line.
Recall that we cannot add measurements that are not in the
same or opposite directions. So, we will discuss motion in each
direction separately. For example, suppose a student walked
three blocks north and four blocks east. The trip could be
described this way: the student walked north for three blocks
at 1 m/s and then walked east for four blocks east at 2 m/s.
Recall that objects that change direction are accelerating.
For an object that is changing direction, its acceleration is not
in the same or opposite direction as its velocity. This means
that we cannot use the acceleration equation. Just as with dis-
placement and velocity, accelerations that are not in the same
or opposite directions cannot be directly combined.

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 Circular motion Think about a horse’s horizontal motion
on a carousel, such as the one in Figure 17. The horse moves in
a circular path. Its speed remains constant, but it is accelerating
because its direction of motion changes. The change in the
direction of the horse’s velocity is toward the center of the
carousel. The horse’s velocity is perpendicular to the inward
acceleration. Acceleration toward the center of a curved or cir-
cular path is called centripetal acceleration. In the same way,
Earth experiences centripetal acceleration as it orbits the Sun in
a nearly circular path.
Reading Check Define the term centripetal acceleration.

Projectile motion If you have tossed a ball to someone, ■ Figure 17 The horizontal speed of
you have probably noticed that thrown objects do not travel in the horses in this carousel is constant,
but the horses are accelerating because
straight lines. They curve downward. That is why quarterbacks, their direction is changing constantly.
dart players, and archers aim above their targets. Anything that The acceleration of each horse is toward
the center of the circular carousel.
is thrown or shot through the air is called a projectile. Earth’s
gravity causes projectiles to follow a curved path.
Horizontal and vertical motion When you throw or shoot an
object, such as the rubber band in Figure 18, the force exerted by
your hand gives the object a horizontal velocity. For example,
after releasing the rubber band, its horizontal velocity is con-
stant. The rubber band does not accelerate horizontally. If there
were no gravity, the rubber band would move along the straight
dotted line in Figure 18.
However, when you release a rubber band, gravity causes it VOCABULARY
to accelerate downward. The rubber band has an increasing ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
vertical velocity. The result of these two motions is that the Constant
rubber band travels in a curve, even though its horizontal and not varying or changing over time; a
vertical motions are completely independent of each other. quantity that does not vary
The constant hum of the fan made it
difficult to sleep.

vh = 2.0 m/s vh = 2.0 m/s

vv = 0.0 m/s vh = 2.0 m/s

vv = 0.5 m/s ■ Figure 18 The student gives the

rubber band a horizontal velocity. The
vv = 1.0 m/s
horizontal velocity of the rubber band
remains constant, but gravity causes
the rubber band to accelerate down-
ward. The combination of these two
motions causes the rubber band to
move in a curved path.

Section 3 • Acceleration 59

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 Throwing and dropping If you were to throw a ball as hard as
you could in a perfectly horizontal direction, would it take lon-
ger to reach the ground than if you dropped a ball from the
same height? Surprisingly, it will not. A thrown ball and a
dropped ball will hit the ground at the same time. Both balls in
Figure 19 travel the same vertical distance in the same amount
of time. However, the ball thrown horizontally travels a greater
horizontal distance than the ball that is dropped.
Amusement park acceleration Riding roller coasters
in amusement parks can give you the feeling of danger, but
these rides are designed to be safe. Engineers use the laws of
physics to design amusement park rides that are thrilling but
harmless. Roller coasters are constructed of steel or wood.
Because wood is not as strong as steel, wooden roller coasters
do not have hills that are as high and as steep as some steel
roller coasters have.
■ Figure 19 The dropped ball and
the thrown ball in this multiflash pho-
The highest speeds and accelerations are usually produced
tograph have the same downward on steel roller coasters. Steel roller coasters can offer multiple
acceleration. steep drops and inversion loops, which give the rider large
accelerations. As riders move down a steep hill or an inversion
Concepts in Motion
loop, they will accelerate toward the ground due to gravity.
Animation When riders go around a sharp turn, they are also accelerated.
This acceleration makes them feel as if a force is pushing them
toward the side of the car.

Section 3 Review SC.912.P.12.2, MA.912.S.1.2

Section Summary 25. MAIN Idea Describe the acceleration of your bicycle as you ride it
from your home to the store.
◗ Acceleration is the rate of change of
velocity. 26. Determine the change in velocity of a car that starts at rest and
has a final velocity of 20 m/s north.
◗ The speed of an object increases if the
acceleration is in the same direction as the 27. Describe the motion of an object that has an acceleration of 0 m/s2.
velocity. 28. Think Critically Suppose a car is accelerating so that its speed is
◗ The speed of an object decreases if the increasing. First, describe the line that you would plot on a speed-
acceleration and the velocity of the object time graph for the motion of the car. Then describe the line that
are in opposite directions. you would plot on a distance-time graph.
◗ If an object is moving in a straight line, the
size of the change in velocity equals the
final speed minus the initial speed.
◗ Acceleration toward the center of a curved
Apply Math
29. Calculate Time A ball is dropped from a cliff and has an accelera-
or circular path is called centripetal tion of 9.8 m/s2. How long will it take the ball to reach a speed
acceleration. of 24.5 m/s?
30. Calculate Speed A sprinter leaves the starting blocks with an accel-
eration of 4.5 m/s2. What is the sprinter’s speed 2 s later?

60 Chapter 2 • Motion Assessment Online Quiz

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 LAB Motion Graphs
SC.912.P.12.2: Analyze the motion of an object in terms of its position, velocity, and acceleration (with respect to a
frame of reference) as functions of time. MA.912.S.3.2: Collect, organize, and analyze data sets, determine the best
format for the data and present visual summaries from the following: bar graphs, line graphs, stem and leaf plots,
circle graphs, histograms, box and whisker plots, scatter plots, cumulative frequency (ogive) graphs.

Objectives
n Measure the position of a moving object.
n Create a distance-time graph.
n Use a distance-time graph to explain how an
object is changing speeds.

Background: Cars are equipped with speedome-

ters that allow the driver to monitor the car’s speed.
Toy cars, however, do not have speedometers. How
would you determine the speed of a toy car? In this
6. Use the camera to record a video of the toy car’s
activity, you will graph the motion of a toy car. Your
motion.
distance-time graph will allow you to determine
whether the toy car is speeding up, slowing down, or 7. Set the camera to play the video frame by frame.
moving at a constant speed. Replay the video for 0.5 s, stopping to take a
measurement every 0.1 s.
Question: How is the changing speed of an object
represented on a distance-time graph? 8. Determine the toy car’s position for each 0.1 s
time interval by reading the meterstick in the
video. Record it in the data table.
Preparation
Materials Conclude and Apply
camera with video capabilities 1. Draw a distance-time graph for the toy car using
windup toy car the data that you collected.
meterstick 2. Calculate the toy car’s speed for each interval.
Safety Precautions 3. Rank the speeds of each 0.1 s interval. On your
graph, label the fastest as 1 and the slowest as 5.
4. Identify when the toy car’s speed increased,
decreased, and remained constant. (Hint: How
Procedure does the slope of the line change between intervals?)
1. Read the procedure and safety information, and 5. Infer how you might use a distance-time graph
complete the lab form. to check that a car’s speedometer is working.
2. Make a data table to record the position and
speed of the toy car every 0.1 s.
3. Mark a starting line on the lab table or the sur-
face recommended by your teacher. YOUR DATA
4. Place a meterstick parallel to the path that the toy Compare your graph to those made by your
car will take. Have one of the members of your classmates. Discuss possible reasons why the
group get ready to operate the camera. graphs might be different.
5. Place the toy car at the starting line.

? Inquiry Lab Chapter 2 • Lab 61

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 LAB The Momentum of Colliding Objects
SC.912.P.12.2: Analyze the motion of an object in terms of its position, velocity, and acceleration (with respect to a
frame of reference) as functions of time. MA.912.S.1.2: Determine appropriate and consistent standards of
measurement for the data to be collected in a survey or experiment. MA.912.S.3.2: Collect, organize, and analyze
data sets, determine the best format for the data and present visual summaries from the following: bar graphs, line
graphs, stem and leaf plots, circle graphs, histograms, box and whisker plots, scatter plots, cumulative frequency
(ogive) graphs.

Objectives Safety Precautions

n Observe and calculate the momentum of
different balls.
n Compare the results of collisions involving Procedure
Make a Plan
different amounts of momentum.
1. Read the procedure and safety information, and
Background: In bowling, the ball’s momentum complete the lab form.
is very important. The bowler must ensure that 2. Copy the data table.
the ball will travel toward the pins and not into 3. Use the balance to measure the mass of the
the gutter. The size of the momentum also mat- racquetball, tennis ball, and baseball. Record
ters. If the momentum is too small, the ball will these masses in your data table.
knock over very few pins.
4. Measure a 2-m distance on the floor, and mark it
Question: How do the mass and velocity of a with two pieces of masking tape. Arrange the
moving object affect its momentum? trough so that it begins at one line of tape and
extends about a meter beyond the other line
Preparation of tape.
5. Place the softball in the trough over the piece of
Materials tape. Starting from the other piece of tape, slowly
meterstick stopwatch roll the racquetball along the trough toward the
softball racquetball softball.
tennis ball baseball
masking tape balance
trough

62 Chapter 2 • Motion ? Inquiry Lab

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 Data Table
Action Time Velocity Mass Momentum Distance Softball Moved

Racquetball rolled slowly

Racquetball rolled quickly

Tennis ball rolled slowly

Tennis ball rolled quickly

Baseball rolled slowly

Baseball rolled quickly

6. Use a stopwatch to time how long it takes the Concllud

de and
Conclude d Apply
Apply
racquetball to roll the 2-m distance and hit the
softball. Record this time in your data table. 1. Infer from your graph how the distance that the
softball moves after each collision depends on
7. Measure and record the distance that the soft- the momentum of the ball that hits it.
ball moved. 2. Describe How do an object’s velocity and mass
8. Repeat steps 5–7, rolling the racquetball quickly. affect the amount of momentum that it has?
3. Explain why bowling balls have such a large
9. Repeat steps 5–7, rolling the tennis ball slowly mass. What would happen if you tried to bowl
and then quickly. with a table tennis ball? Explain.
10. Repeat steps 5–7, rolling the baseball slowly and 4. Infer When you bowl, should you roll the ball
then quickly. gently? Explain.

Analyze Your Data

1. Calculate the momentum of the rolled ball for YOUR DATA
each trial using the formula p = mv. Record Make a Graph As a class, make a momentum-
your calculations in the data table. distance graph using data from everyone in
2. Graph the relationship between the momentum the class. Discuss how this graph is similar
of each ball and the distance that the softball to and different from the graphs made by
moved. The x-axis should be momentum individual groups.
(kg·m/s), and the y-axis should be distance (m).

Chapter 2 • Lab 63

0061_0063_C02L1_894583.indd 63 5/7/10 10:09 AM

 No Driver? SC.912.P.12.2: Analyze the motion of an object in terms of its position,
velocity, and acceleration (with respect to a frame of reference) as
functions of time. SC.912.N.4.1: Explain how scientific knowledge and

No Worries! reasoning provide an empirically-based perspective to inform society’s

decision making.

he diesel-powered car nicknamed Stanley

T faced a difficult mission—drive more than

200 km across the Mojave Desert in less
than ten hours, navigating narrow tunnels, doz-
ens of sharp turns, and a winding mountain pass
with sheer drops on each side. The real chal-
lenge? Stanley, shown in Figure 1, was not
allowed to have a driver.

Grand challenge This was the setting for the Figure 1 Stanley, an autonomous vehicle
2005 DARPA (Defense Advanced Research designed by a team from Stanford University,
Projects Agency) Grand Challenge, a competition won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge.
won by Stanley and the Stanford Racing Team.
The competition was part of an ongoing effort to Eliminating dangerous driving Is this tech-
develop autonomous ground vehicles—vehicles nology useful in the civilian world? Human drivers
that drive and navigate without a remote control face many distractions. Factors like cell phone use
or a human driver. Using autonomous vehicles in and unexpected traffic situations contribute to
combat situations keeps soldiers off the battlefield almost 40,000 deaths in U.S. traffic accidents each
and protects lives. year. But autonomous cars would not be distracted
and could make rapid course and speed adjust-
Physics at the wheel How can a car drive ments and reduce accidents.
itself? To drive safely, it must interpret the envi-
ronment, evaluate its position relative to the Participants in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge
destination, navigate obstacles, and control speed proved that autonomous cars could function in a
and direction of motion. Light beams emitted by city setting. This competition required complex
lasers and radio waves given off by a radar unit maneuvers like merging into traffic, parking,
bounce off surrounding objects and geographical negotiating stop signs, and rerouting around
features. Reflection times determine distances unexpected roadblocks. Ultimately, cars like
between the car and these objects and help eval- Stanley could save lives on the battlefield and in
uate changes in position and terrain. our communities.

Additional position data is provided by the Global WebQuest

Positioning System (GPS) and sensors that mea- Design an Advertisement
sure wheel rotation and direction of motion. Brainstorm the potential benefits of using
Stanley’s sophisticated computer integrates all automated cars in a city setting. Use your
incoming data, compares it to a map of the route, ideas to design a poster to advertise an
and makes necessary adjustments in steering, automated car service. Share your poster
with the class.
throttling, and braking.

64 Chapter 2 • Motion

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 2
THEME FOCUS Motion and Forces
The motion of an object can be described by the distance it travels, its displacement, speed, velocity,
momentum, and acceleration.

BIG Idea Motion occurs when an object changes its position.

Section
n 1 Describing Motion
displacement (p. 45) MAIN Idea Position describes where an object is, and speed
motion (p. 44) describes how fast the object is moving.
speed (p. 46)
• Motion occurs when an object changes its position relative to a
reference point.
• Displacement is the distance and direction of a change in position
from the starting point.
• Speed is the rate at which an object’s position changes.
• On a distance-time graph, time is the x-axis and distance is y-axis.
• The slope of a line plotted on a distance-time graph is the speed.

Section
n 2 Velocity and Momentum
momentum (p. 54) MAIN Idea An object’s velocity describes the object’s speed and
velocity (p. 51) direction of motion.
• The velocity of an object includes the object’s speed and its direction
of motion relative to a reference point.
• An object’s motion is always described relative to a reference point.
• The momentum of an object is the product of its mass and velocity:
p = mv.
Section
n 3 Acceleration
acceleration (p. 56) MAIN Idea Acceleration describes how the velocity of an object
centripetal acceleration (p. 59) is changing with time.
• Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.
• The speed of an object increases if the acceleration is in the same
direction as the velocity.
• The speed of an object decreases if the acceleration and the velocity of
the object are in opposite directions.
• If an object is moving in a straight line, the size of the change in
velocity equals the final speed minus the initial speed.
• Acceleration toward the center of a curved or circular path is called
centripetal acceleration.

Review Vocabulary eGames Chapter 2 • Study Guide 65

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 2
SC.912.P.12.2, MA.912.S.1.2

39. In which of the following conditions does

Use Vocabulary
the car not accelerate?
A) A car moves at 80 km/h on a flat, straight
Compare and contrast the following pairs of terms.
highway.
31. speed—velocity B) The car slows from 80 km/h to 35 km/h.
C) The car turns a corner.
32. motion—displacement D) The car speeds up from 35 km/h to
80 km/h.
33. velocity—momentum
40. How is speed defined?
34. acceleration—velocity
A) acceleration/time
B) change in velocity/time
Check Concepts C) distance/time
D) displacement/time
35. Which of the following do you calculate
when you divide the total distance traveled 41. Which best describes why projectiles move
by the total travel time? in a curved path?
A) average speed A) They have constant horizontal velocity
B) constant speed
and vertical acceleration.
B) They have horizontal acceleration and
C) variable speed
constant vertical velocity.
D) instantaneous speed
C) They have horizontal momentum and
36. Which of the following is the SI unit of constant vertical velocity.
acceleration? D) They have horizontal acceleration and
A) s/km2 C) m/s2 vertical momentum.
B) km/h D) cm/s

37. Which of the following is not used in calcu- Interpret Graphics

lating acceleration?
A) initial velocity Use the table below to answer question 42.
B) average speed Distance-Time for Runners
C) time interval
Time (s) 1 2 3 4
D) final velocity
Sally’s distance (m) 2 4 6 8
38. A car, a bicycle, a mouse, and a bug have
Alonzo’s distance (m) 1 2 2 4
the same velocity. Which has the greatest
momentum? 42. Make a distance-time graph that shows the
A) the car motion of both runners. What is the average
B) the bicycle speed of each runner? Which runner stops
C) the mouse briefly? Over what time interval do they
D) the bug both have the same speed?

66 Chapter 2 • Motion Assessment Online Test Practice

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 2
43. THEME FOCUS Copy and complete this
concept map on motion.
Concepts in Motion Interactive Concept Map
A pply Math
49. Calculate Speed A cyclist must travel
800 km. How many days will the trip take
Motion
if the cyclist travels 8 h/day at an average
speed of 16 km/h?
can be described by

50. Calculate Acceleration A satellite’s speed is

a. velocity b.
5,000 m/s. After 1 min, it is 10,000 m/s.
What is the satellite’s acceleration?
which is a which which equals
change in includes 51. Calculate Displacement A cyclist leaves
home and rides due east for a distance of
position c. d. change in 45 km. She returns home on the same
velocity
time
bike path. If the entire trip takes 4 h, what
which equals
is her average speed? What is her
distance displacement?
time
52. Calculate Velocity The return trip of the
cyclist in question 51 took 30 min longer
Think Critically than her trip east, although her total time
was still 4 h. What was her velocity in each
44. Explain Why is knowing only a hurricane’s direction?
speed not enough information to be able to Use the figure below to answer question 53.
warn people to evacuate? Runners’ Motion

45. Evaluate Which of the following represents 60

Distance (m)

the greatest speed: 20 m/s, 200 cm/s, or 50

40 Runner #1
0.2 km/s? 30 Runner #2
20
46. Recognize Acceleration can occur when a
10
car is moving at constant speed. What must
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
cause this acceleration?
Time (s)
47. BIG Idea Determine If you walked 20 m, 53. Interpret a Graph Use the graph to
took a book from a table, and walked back determine which runner had the greater
to your seat, what are the distance you speed.
traveled and your displacement?
54. Calculate Mass Find the mass of a car that
48. Explain When you are describing the rate
has a speed of 30 m/s and a momentum of
that a race car goes around a track, should
45,000 kg·m/s.
you use the term speed or velocity to describe
the motion?

Assessment Online Test Practice Chapter 2 • Review 67

0066_0067_C02CR_894583.indd 67 5/3/10 12:22 PM

 Standardized Test Practice
Multiple Choice
Record your answers on the answer sheet 5. A skier is going down a hill at a speed of
provided by your teacher or on a sheet of paper. 9 m/s. The hill gets steeper and her speed
increases to 18 m/s in 3 s. What is her
1. If the speed of sound during a thunderstorm acceleration? SC.912.P.12.2
is 330 m/s, how long does it take for the sound A. 9 m/s 2
C. 27 m/s 2

of thunder to travel 1485 m? SC.912.P.12.2

B. 3 m/s 2
D. 6 m/s2
A. 45 s C. 4900 s
B. 4.5 s D. 0.22 s 6. Which of the following best describes an
object with constant velocity? SC.912.P.12.2
Use the figure below to answer questions 2–4. A. It is changing direction.
Speed Changing over Distance B. Its acceleration is increasing.
30
C. Its acceleration is zero.
D. Its acceleration is negative.
25
Use the table below to answer questions 7–9.
Speed (km/h)

20
Distance
Runner Time (min)
15 Covered (km)
Ling-Ling 12.5 42
10
LaToya 7.8 38
5 Bill 10.5 32
José 8.9 30
0
1 2 3 4 5
Distance (km)
7. What is Ling-Ling’s average speed?
A. 0.3 km/min C. 3.0 km/min SC.912.P.12.2
2. The graph shows how a cyclist’s speed B. 530 km/min D. 3.4 km/min
changed over a 0.25-h trip. What is the
cyclist’s average speed? SC.912.P.12.2 8. Which runner has the fastest average speed?
A. 2 km/h C. 20 km/h A. Ling-Ling C. Bill SC.912.P.12.2
B. 30 km/h D. 8 km/h B. LaToya D. José

3. Once the trip was started, how many times 9. If all four runners have the same mass, who
did the cyclist stop? SC.912.P.12.2 has the smallest momentum? SC.912.P.12.2
A. 0 C. 2 A. Ling-Ling C. Bill
B. 4 D. 5 B. LaToya D. José

4. What was the fastest speed that the cyclist 10. The movement of the Australian plate pushes
traveled? SC.912.P.12.2 Australia north at an average speed of about
A. 20 km/h 17 cm per year. What will Australia’s
B. 30 km/h displacement be in meters in 1,000 years?
C. 12 km/h A. 170 m north C. 1,700 m north
D. 10 km/h B. 170 m south D. 1,700 m south SC.912.P.12.2

68 Standardized Test Practice Assessment Standardized Test Practice

0068_0069_C02STP_894583.indd 68 5/3/10 12:18 PM

 Short Response Extended Response
Record your answers on the answer sheet Record your answers on a sheet of paper.
provided by your teacher or on a sheet of paper.
14. Describe three ways that your velocity could
Use the figure below to answer questions 11 and 12. change as you jog along a park’s path.
SC.912.P.12.2
Distance-Time Graph
2,400
15. Where would you place the location of a ref-
2,200 erence point in order to describe the motion
2,000 of a space probe traveling from Earth to
1,800 Jupiter? Explain your choice. SC.912.P.12.2
Swimmer C
1,600
16. Two cars approach each other. How does the
Distance (m)

1,400
Swimmer B
1,200 speed of one car relative to the other com-
1,000
pare with speed of each car relative to the
ground? SC.912.P.12.2
800

600 Swimmer A
Use the figure below to answer question 17.
400

200
v = 13 m/s

0 10 20 30
Time (min)

11. The graph shows the motion of three swim-

mers during a 30-min workout. Which
swimmer had the highest average speed over
the 30-min time interval? Explain.
SC.912.P.12.2
12. Did all of the swimmers swim at a constant 17. Two balls are at the same height and released
speed? Explain how you know. SC.912.P.12.2 at the same time. One ball is dropped and
hits the ground 5 s later. The other initially
13. If a car has a velocity of 40 km/h west and moves horizontally. When does the second
then comes to a stop in 5 s, what is its accel- ball hit the ground? How far does it travel
eration in m/s2? SC.912.P.12.2 horizontally? SC.912.P.12.2

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