Displacement Velocity Acceleration
Displacement Velocity Acceleration
Displacement Velocity Acceleration
uk
(1) Hence on a displacement-time graph the velocity can be found by evaluating the gradient. The standard unit of velocity is metre per second (ms-1). Example The displacement of an object (in metres) follows the relationship
Find an expression for the velocity of the object. State the velocity of the object at s.
1 2
3
4
Differentiation Integration
Distance travelled under constant Velocity Distance travelled under constant Acceleration
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At
10s is 51ms-1.
Velocity can be determined manually from a displacement-time graph by finding the gradient.
Example The curved line in the following graph represents an objects displacement with respect to time. Determine the velocity at 2s. Answer Drawing a tangent to the line we can see that the gradient = 12/2. Hence the velocity is 6ms-1.
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Displacement in terms of velocity Since integration is the inverse of differentiation, equation (1) may be re-written as follows:
(2) where the displacement at time Example The velocity of an object (in ms-1) follows the relationship 0 is taken to be zero.
Find a general expression for the displacement of the object. State the displacement of the object after 3s. Answer
At
3s ,
Since the integral represents the area under the graph, then the displacement can be determined by finding the area underneath a velocity-time graph
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Example The following graph represents an objects velocity plotted against time. Determine the distance travelled after 3s.
Answer The area under the graph between 0 and 3s has the shape of a trapezium. The area of the trapezium is 24 so the distance travelled is 24m.
Acceleration in terms of velocity and displacement Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time. It is the second derivative of the displacement;
(3) Answer The standard unit for acceleration is metres per second squared ms-2.
At
3s ,
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Find a general expression for the acceleration of the object. State the acceleration of the object at 3s. Answer The general expression for
At .
3s the acceleration is
Velocity in terms of acceleration Since integration is the inverse of differentiation, equation (2) may be re-written as follows:
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Exercise The acceleration of an object is given by the expression: . Determine an expression for the velocity. State the velocity at t=3s. Answer Integrating the expression above, we obtain the formula for the acceleration:
ms-2.
Estimate the acceleration at t=3s and the displacement after 2s. By finding the gradient at t=3 the estimate for the acceleration is 2ms -2. By finding the area under the graph between 0 and 2s the estimate for the displacement is 12m.