MECHANICS

MOTION IN ONE
DIMENSION
Example1: A car is stopped at a traffic light. It then travels along a straight line,
so that its distance from the light is given by x(t)=bt2-ct3, where b=2.4 m/s2 and
c=0.12 m/s3.
x(5)= b52-c53=2.4*52-0.12*53=60-15=45m
x(10)= b102-c103=2.4*102-0.12*103=240-120=120m

(a) Calculate the average velocity of the car for the time interval, t=0 to t=5s and t=0
to t=10s; x(0)=0
v(av)=[x(t)-x(0)]/t
v(av) (from t=0 to 5s)= (45-0)/5=9m/s
v(av)(from t=0 to t=10s)=(120-0)/10=12 m/s

(b) Calculate the instantaneous velocity of the car at t=0, 5 and 10s;

v(instantaneous)= dx(t)/dt = 2bt-3ct2

v (instantaneous, t(=0)=0

v(instantaneous, t(=5s))=2bt-3ct2=2*2.4*5-3*0.12*25
=24-9=15m/s
v(instantaneous, t(=10s))=2bt-3ct2=2*2.4*10-3*0.12*100

=48-36=12m/s

(c ) How long after starting from rest is the car again at rest.

Car at rest , v (instantaneous)=0

v(instantaneous)=2bt-3ct2=0

Or t(2b-3ct)=0

i.e., t=0 or t=2b/3c=2*2.4/3*0.12=4.8/0.36=13.33s

Example2. Two cars start 200m apart and drive towards each
other at 10 m/s. On the front of one of them, an energetic
grasshopper jumps back and forth between the cars with a
constant horizontal velocity of 15 m/s relative to the ground.
The insect jumps the instant he lands, so he spends no time in
resting on either car. What total distance does the
grasshopper travel before the cars hit ?

Time taken by the cars to hit=

distance /av. Velocity=100/10=10s
Distance travelled by the
grasshopper=speed*time=15*10=150m.
Example 3.The acceleration of a particle is
given by ax(t)= -2+3t.
(a) Find the initial velocity v0x such that the particle will
have the same x-coordinate at t=4s as it had at t=0.
a x (t ) = dv x
dt = −2 + 3t
dv x = (−2 + 3t )dt
Integrating both sides
vt t

∫ dv
v0
x = ∫ (−2 + 3t )dt
0

3t 2
⇒ vt − v 0 = −2t +
2
3t 2
⇒ vt = v0 − 2t +
2
dx 3t 2
= v0 − 2t +
dt 2
xt t
3t 2
∫
x0
dx = ∫
0
(v0 − 2t +
2
)dt
 t3
x t − x 0 = (v 0 t − t + )
2
(1)
2
If xt (t = 4s) is the same as x0 , from (1) we have L.H .S zero
t2
t (v 0 − t + ) = 0
2
16
(v 0 − 4 + ) = 0
2
v0 = 4 − 8 = −4m / s

(b) What will be the velocity at t=4.0s

3t 2
vt = v0 − 2t +
2
48
vt = −4 − 8 +
2
vt = −4 − 8 + 24 = 12m / s
Quick Question : A ball is thrown
upward, While the ball is in free fall,
does its acceleration
(a) increase
(b) decrease
(c ) increase and then decrease
(d) decrease and then increase
(e) None of these
Quick Question : After the ball is thrown
upward and is in air, its speed
(a) increases
(b) decreases
(c ) increases and then decreases
(d) decreases and then increases
Example4. Determined to test the law of gravity for him, A student walks
off the skyscraper 180m high, stopwatch in hand, and starts his free fall
(0 initial velocity). Five seconds later, Superman arrives at the scene and
dives off the roof to save the student. Superman leaves the roof with an
initial velocity v0 that he produces by pushing himself downwards from
the edge of the roof. He then falls with same acceleration as freely falling
body.
(a) What must be the value of v0 so that superman catches the student
just before they reach the ground.
(a)Finding time taken by the student to reach ground using 2nd Eq. of
motion:

Time taken by superman to reach ground=t-5=6.06-5=1.06s

Superman’s initial speed can be calculated using 2nd Eqn. of motion
 (b) On the same graph, sketch the x-t
for the student and superman.
Take superman’s initial speed to have
the same value as calculated in
part (a).

(c ) If the height of skyscraper is less than some minimum, even

Superman cant reach the student before he hits the ground. What
is the minimum height?

If the time taken by student to reach the ground is less than

5s, then Superman will not be able to reach him.
Example 5. Two cars, A and B, travel in straight line. The distance of
A from the starting point is given as, xA(t)=pt+qt2, with p=2.6 m/s and
q=1.2 m/s2. The distance of B from the starting point is xB(t)=rt2-st3,
with r=2.8 m/s2 and s=0.2 m/s3. (a) Which car is ahead just after they
leave the starting point? (b) At what time(s) are the cars at the same
point, (c ) At what time(s) is the distance from A to B neither
increasing nor decreasing? (d) At what time(s) do A and B have the
same acceleration?

Just after the cars start, i.e., t=0 ⇒ vA(t)=2.6 m/s, vB(t)=0
 (b) xA(t)= xB(t)

At t=2.27 s car B overtakes car A and at

5.73s, car B is moving in –x direction
and crosses car A.
(c)

If the distance doesn’t change,

(d)
Example 6.An apple drops from the tree and falls
freely. The apple is originally at rest at a height H
above the top of the grass of a thick lawn, which
is made of blades of grass of height h. When the
apple enters the grass, it slows down at a
constant rate so that its speed is 0 when it
reaches ground level.
(a) Find the speed of the apple just before it enters the grass.
a) Use third Eq. of motion to find velocity of
apple when it falls through a height H
V(H)= √(2gH) (downwards)
(b) Find the acceleration of the apple while it is in the grass.
again, use third eq. of motion to find ‘a’ when apple is
in the grass i.e., for a distance h
0=V(H)2 – 2ah
or 2gH=2ah
or a=gH/h (upwards)
(c ) Sketch y-t, v-t and a-t graphs for the apple’s motion.
Example 7. An alert hiker sees a boulder fall from the top of a distant
cliff and notes that it takes 1.3 s for the boulder to fall the last third of
the way to the ground. What is the height of the cliff in m?

Total height of cliff=3H and time taken to cover first 2H is t.

Use 2nd Eq. of motion, 3H=g*(t+1.3)2/2 (A)
2H= g*t2/2 (B)

Divide (A) by (B), 3/2=(t+1.3)2/t2

3t2=2(t+1.3)2
3t2=2(t2+1.69+2.6t)
or t2-5.2t-3.38=0
t=[5.2+√(27.04+13.52)]/2=(5.2+6.36)/2=5.78s
The other solution is negative, meaningless.
Substituting t in (B), H= 9.8*5.782/4 =81.8 m
Total height of the cliff is 3H=245.5m
Example8. You are on the roof
of the Physics Building, 46.0 m
above the ground. Your Physics
professor, who is 1.80 m tall, is
walking alongside the building
at a constant speed of 1.20 m/s.
If you wish to drop an egg on
your professor’s head, where
should the professor be when
you release the egg? (Assume
free fall.)
Example8: To find the time taken, t, to reach the
right height

0
Example 9. Setting a new world record in a
100m race, Maggie and Judy cross the finish
line in a dead heat, both taking 10.2s.
Accelerating uniformly, Maggie took 2s and
Judy 3s to attain maximum speed, which
they maintained for the rest of the race.

(a) What was the acceleration of each sprinter?

(b) What were their respective maximum
speeds?
(c ) Which sprinter was ahead at the 6.00-s
mark, and by how much?
EXAMPLE 9 (A AND B).
 Maggie
Initial velocity vi = 0,
Acceleration of Maggie, am
1
Dis tan ce cov ered in 2 s, x = am 2 2 = 2am
2
velocity of Maggie after 2 s, vm = 2am ( v = vi + at )

x is covered at constant acceleration in 2s and 100-x is covered at constant velocity

in (10.2-2)s

100 − x = vm (10.2 − 2)
⇒ 100 − 2am = 2am 8.2
⇒ am = 5.4m / s 2
⇒ vm = 2am = 10.9m / s
  Judy
Initial velocity vi = 0,
Acceleration of Judy, a j
1 9
Dis tan ce cov ered in 3s, x′ = a j 32 = a j
2 2
velocity of Judy after 3s, v j = 3a j ( v = vi + at )

x’ is covered at constant acceleration in 3s

and 100-x′ is covered at constant velocity
in (10.2-3)s

100 − x′ = v j (10.2 − 3)
9
⇒ 100 − a j = 3a j 7.2
2
⇒ a j = 3.8m / s 2
⇒ v j = 3a j = 11.5m / s
(c ) Distance covered by Maggie in 6s,
x m 6 = x + 4v m
= 2am + 4 ×10.9
= 2 × 5.4 + 4 ×10.9 = 54.35m
Distance covered by Judy in 6s,
x j 6 = x′ + 3v j
9
= a j + 3 ×11.49
2
9
= × 3.83 + 3 ×11.49 = 51.7m
2
Maggie is ahead of Judy at the end of 6s
by 54.35-51.7=2.6m