Subject: General Physics 1

Topic: Kinematics: Motion Along a Straight Line

Prepared by: Johnrel S. Neri Grade Level: 12
Semester: First Week: 2

QUEST

What you are expected to learn:

 Explain ways of describing motion:

 Differentiate from displacement; speed from velocity; average speed from
instantaneous speed
 Recognize whether or not a physical situation involves constant velocity or
constant acceleration STEM_GP12KINIb-13
 Give an operational definition of acceleration
 Derive kinematic equations and apply them in solving motion problems

EQUIP

Kinematics in One Dimension

Kinematics analyses the positions and motions of objects as a function of time,

without regard to the causes of motion. It involves the relationships between the
quantities displacement (d), velocity (v), acceleration (a), and time (t). The first three
of these quantities are vectors.

A vector is a physical quantity with direction as well as magnitude, for example,

velocity or force. In contrast, a quantity that has only magnitude and no direction, such
as temperature or time, is called a scalar. A vector is commonly denoted by an arrow
drawn with a length proportional to the given magnitude of the physical quantity and
with direction shown by the orientation of the head of the arrow.

DISTANCE AND DISPLACEMENT

Distance and displacement are two quantities that may seem to mean the same thing
yet have distinctly different definitions and meanings.

Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to "how much ground an object has covered"
during its motion.
Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to "how far out of place an object is"; it is
the object's overall change in position.

What are the differences between distance and displacement?

Motion may be described by specifying how far something

has travelled in changing position and time. The total path
length traversed by an object moving from one location to
another is known as distance while the separation of that
object and a reference point is known as displacement.
Distance is a scalar quantity which has only magnitude
while displacement is a vector quantity which has both
magnitude and direction.
Distance (scalar): dT = d1 + d2 + d3.... Displacement (vector):
√

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SPEED AND VELOCITY

The motion of an object can only be described by determining how fast or how
slow it moves. The measure of how fast something is moving known as speed. Speed is
the rate at which distance is covered at a given time.

Speed is a scalar quantity that refers to "how fast an object is moving." Speed can be
thought of as the rate at which an object covers distance.

Velocity is a vector quantity that refers to "the rate at which an object changes its
position."

Experience tells you that a vehicle rarely travels at a constant speed especially in
heavy traffic. You can tell the speed of the vehicle at any instant by looking at the
vehicle’s speedometer. The speed at any instant is called instantaneous speed

Average speed is the distance traveled divided by the total time elapsed in
travelling that distance:
( )
( )
( )

When an object gains speed at a constant rate, the average speed can be calculated on
the basis of the two speeds (v1 and vf) recorded. Thus, the average speed is:

When a direction is associated with speed, you have a new quantity known as velocity.
For uniform motion in a straight line, the magnitude of the displacement of the net
displacement is the same as the distance traveled in a given time interval. The
magnitude of the velocity is likewise the same as the speed. The difference between
speed and velocity is that speed is a scalar quantity whereas velocity is a vector
quantity.

From the definition of velocity, it follows that to have a constant velocity, both
speed and direction must be constant. Motion at constant velocity is motion in a straight
line at uniform speed.

Sample Problem 1.

Rachel watches a thunderstorm from her window. She sees the flash of lightning bolt
and begins counting the seconds until she hears the clap of thunder 5.0 seconds later. Assume
that the speed of sound in air is 340 m/s and the light was seen instantaneously. How far away
was the lightning bolt?

Given. V=340.0 m/m

Find.
Solution.
= (340.0 m/s )(5.0s)
= 1700m

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Sample Problem 2.

A car starts from the rest and attains a speed of 50 m/s in 15 seconds. How far has the
car traveled in 15 seconds?

Given. V1=0
Vf=50 m/s
t=15s
Find: d
Solution: d = v.t
=( )

( )( )
= (25m/s) (15s)
=375m

Mission 1

1. A man walks 7 km in 2 hours and 2 km in 1 hour in the same direction.

a) What is the man's average speed for the whole journey?

b) What is the man's average velocity for the whole journey?

ACCELERATION: CHANGING VELOCITY

For the motion of an object in which the velocity changes in either magnitude
(speed) or direction or both, you will have a new quantity known as acceleration which
is a vector quantity. An object is accelerating when it speeds up, slows down (usually
called deceleration) or changes direction. Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity
at a given time interval.
( )
( )

where vf is the final velocity and vi is the initial velocity.

The unit for acceleration is m/s2

Sample Problem 3.

Michael is driving his sports car at 30 m/s when he sees a dog on the road ahead. He
slams on the brakes and comes to a stop in 3,0 seconds. What was the acceleration of
Michael’s car?
Given: Vi = 30 m/s
Vf = 0

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Find: a
Solution:

The car slows down at the rate of 10 m/s every second. This is negative acceleration
which is known as deceleration

KINEMATIC EQUATIONS: QUANTITATIVE DESCRIPTION OF MOTION

The description of motion in one dimension with constant acceleration requires

only three basic equations that will allow you to develop simple relationships among
kinematic quantities-displacement, velocity, acceleration and time.

Using the following equations, you can derive some kinematic equations.

Equation 1
Equation 2
Equation 3

First from equation 1, v=d/t, you can derive, d=v.t

Substituting equation 2 in d=v.t, you will have ( )

Equation 4

Deriving vf=vi + at from equation 3 and substituting it in equation 4, you will have
( )
⌊ ⌋

Combining like terms, yields

( )

Distributing t and simplifying give

Equation 5

Another equation could be derived if you substitute equation 2 and equation3 in

d= v.t. Thus,
( )( )
Simplifying,

Equation 6

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Type of Motion Behavior of Physical Quantities Equation
Stationary Object  Constant displacement d=constant
Or  Zero velocity v=0
Object at Rest  Zero acceleration a=0
Constant Velocity  Increasing or decreasing displacement d=vt
Or  Constant velocity
Uniform Velocity  Constant speed
 No change in direction a=0
 Zero acceleration
Constant  Increasing or decreasing displacement or
Acceleration  Increasing or decreasing magnitude of
Or velocity
Uniformly  Constant speed but changing direction
Accelerated Motion  Constant acceleration a= constant =

Sample Problem 4

Albert is riding his scooter at a velocity of 80 km/h, when he sees an old woman
crossing the road 45m away. He immediately steps hard on the brakes to get the
maximum deceleration of 7.5 m/s2. How far will he go before stopping? Will he hit the
old woman?
Given: Vi= 80km/h or 22.22 m/s
Vf= 0
a= -7.5 m/s2
Find: d
Solution:
( )
( )

Since the old woman is 45 m away, Albert will be able to stop without hitting her.

FREE FALL

When an object is dropped, the object starts from rest and gains speed as it falls.
This gain in speed indicates that the object accelerates as it falls because of gravity, g.

Christian Huygens, who invented the pendulum clock in 1656, was the first to
measure g. He showed that g could be calculated from the swing of the pendulum using
only a ruler and a good timepiece.

In general, the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity decreases as you

move farther from the center of the earth: 9.7804 m/s2 at the equator and 9.8321 m/s2 at
the North and South poles. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures has
adopted 9.80665 m/s2 as the standard value of g. Thus, for practical purposes, the
value of g is 9.80 m/s2 or approximately 10 m/s2.

The displacement of falling objects in a given period of time is computed by the

equation:

The final velocity of falling objects can be calculated by the equations:

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Sample Problem 5

The time a male bungee jumper is freely falling is 1.5 seconds.

a. What is the velocity of the jumper at the end f 1.5 seconds?
b. How far does he fall?

Given: Vi = 0 ( jumper starts from rest )

t = 1.5 s
g = 9.8 m/s2
Find:
a. vf b. d
Solution:
a. vf = vi + gt
= 0+ (9.8 m/s2) (1.5s)
Vf = 14.7 m/s or 15 m/s
b.
( )( )

( )( )

Sample Problem 6

A juggler tosses three balls alternately vertically upward. Each ball has an initial
velocity of 5m/s. How high does each ball rise? How does each ball remain in the air?

Given: Vi = 5 m/s
g = -9.8 m/s2
Find: a. d b. tT
Solution:
a. at the highest point of the path of the ball, vf=0. Thus,

( )
( )

d= 1.28 m

b. the time to rise is half the total time.

( )
( )
( )
= 2 (0.51s)
= 1.02 s

TERMINAL VELOCITY

Terminal velocity is the maximum velocity attained by an object falling through a

fluid. It occurs when the drug force balances the gravitational force on the object. At this

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instance, the object has reached its limiting velocity and can no longer accelerate.

The fact that falling objects do reach a terminal velocity is indeed a fortunate
circumstance for us. Do you know how skydivers manage to land safely?

If a skydiver jumps from the plane and freely before opening the parachute, a
terminal velocity of 105 m/s could be attained. When spread-eagled, the terminal
velocity is reduced to about 54 m/s, and the terminal velocity is only 6 m/s with an open
parachute which enables the skydiver to land safely.
In the absence of air resistance, a raindrop falling from an altitude of 1000m
would acquire a velocity of about 140 m/s by the time it reaches the ground level. The
impact of this on a person would be great enough to cause physical harm or enormous
damage.

MISSION 2

NAME:_____________________________ GRADE & SECTION:__________________

Solve and answer the following problems below.

1. A car speeds up from 40 km/h to 55 km/h to overtake a truck. If this requires 15 s, what
is the (a) acceleration and (b) distance traveled by the car?

2. Nilo and Sophy are driving down the same road in the same direction, with Sophy ahead
of Nilo. Nilo is slowing down and Sophy is speeding up, yet the distance between their
cars id getting lesser. When could this happen? Cite a particular condition to prove your
answer.

STACK

Key concepts

Motion – is a phenomenon in which an object changes position over time.

Distance – is a numerical measurement of how far apart objects or points are.
Displacement – is an object’s change in position considering its starting position and
final position.
Speed – the speed of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position; it is thus
a scalar quantity (e.g 10 km/h)
Velocity - is equivalent to a specification of an object's speed and direction
of motion (e.g. 60 km/h to the north).
The average speed of an object tells you the (average) rate at which it covers
distance. If a car's average speed is 65 miles per hour, this means that the car's
position will change (on the average) by 65 miles each hour.
The average velocity of a body in a certain time interval is given as the displacement
of the body in that time interval divided by time.

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Instantaneous velocity - The velocity of an object under motion at a specific point of
time.
Acceleration is the rate of change of the velocity of an object with respect to time

An object's average acceleration over a period of time is its change in velocity

divided by the duration of period
Instantaneous acceleration, meanwhile, is the limit of the average acceleration over
an infinitesimal interval of time.
If the speed of the vehicle decreases, this is an acceleration in the opposite direction
and mathematically a negative, sometimes called deceleration
Uniform or constant acceleration is a type of motion in which the velocity of an object
change by an equal amount in every equal time period.
Free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it.

RESOURCES

Check Google Site:

 https://www.cliffnotes.com/study-guides/physics/classical-
mechanics/kinematics-in-one-dimension
 https://youtu.be/hpWuZh6oTew
 https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/1DKin/Lesson-
1/Distance-and-Displacement
 https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/1DKin/Lesson-
1/Speed-and-Velocity
Ramos, P. and Rabago, C. Practical and Explorational Physics
Modular Approach. Vibal Publishing House, Inc.

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ASSESSMENT WEEK 2
GENERAL PHYSICS 1
Name: _____________________ Date: ________________
Grade & Section: ____________ Teacher: _____________

I. Multiple choice
Directions: Choose the letter corresponding to the correct answer for each of the
following questions provided below. Write your answer before the number.

1. It is the maximum velocity attained by an object falling through a fluid.

a. Instantaneous velocity c. terminal velocity
b. uniform velocity d. Constant velocity
2. It is the rate of change of velocity at a given time interval
a. speed b. acceleration c. motion d. velocity
3. It is the rate of motion at a given direction.
a. displacement b. distance c. motion d. speed
4. It is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it
a. speed b. free fall. c. motion d. distance
5. The total path length traversed by an object in moving from one point to another.
a. speed. b. motion. c. displacement. d. distance

II. Solve the following. 2 points each.

6. An airplane accelerates down a runway at 3.20 m/s2 for 32.8 s until is finally lifts
off the ground. Determine the distance traveled before takeoff.

7. Upton Chuck is riding the Giant Drop at Great America. If Upton free falls for 2.60
seconds, what will be his final velocity and how far will he fall?

8. A car starts from rest and accelerates uniformly over a time of 5.21 seconds for a
distance of 110 m. Determine the acceleration of the car.

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ASSESSMENT WEEK 2
GENERAL PHYSICS 1
Name: _____________________ Date: ________________
Grade & Section: ____________ Teacher: _____________

III. Multiple choice

Directions: Choose the letter corresponding to the correct answer for each of the
following questions provided below. Write your answer before the number.

1. It is the maximum velocity attained by an object falling through a fluid.

a. Instantaneous velocity c. terminal velocity
b. uniform velocity d. Constant velocity
2. It is the rate of change of velocity at a given time interval
a. speed b. acceleration c. motion d. velocity
3. It is the rate of motion at a given direction.
a. displacement b. distance c. motion d. speed
4. It is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it
a. speed b. free fall. c. motion d. distance
5. The total path length traversed by an object in moving from one point to another.
a. speed. b. motion. c. displacement. d. distance

IV. Solve the following. 2 points each.

6. An airplane accelerates down a runway at 3.20 m/s2 for 32.8 s until is finally lifts
off the ground. Determine the distance traveled before takeoff.

7. Upton Chuck is riding the Giant Drop at Great America. If Upton free falls for 2.60
seconds, what will be his final velocity and how far will he fall?

8. A car starts from rest and accelerates uniformly over a time of 5.21 seconds for a
distance of 110 m. Determine the acceleration of the car.

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