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3.1 Motion Is Relative

Speed is described using distance and time. Instantaneous speed is what a speedometer measures, while average speed considers total distance traveled over a period of time. Velocity considers both speed and direction of motion. Constant velocity means constant speed in a straight line, while rounding a corner maintains constant speed but changing velocity. Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity, defined as the change in speed when direction is constant. Galileo discovered objects in free fall accelerate at a constant rate of 9.8 m/s2 regardless of mass, implying constant downward acceleration.

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121 views3 pages

3.1 Motion Is Relative

Speed is described using distance and time. Instantaneous speed is what a speedometer measures, while average speed considers total distance traveled over a period of time. Velocity considers both speed and direction of motion. Constant velocity means constant speed in a straight line, while rounding a corner maintains constant speed but changing velocity. Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity, defined as the change in speed when direction is constant. Galileo discovered objects in free fall accelerate at a constant rate of 9.8 m/s2 regardless of mass, implying constant downward acceleration.

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3.

1 Motion Is Relative

1. As you read this in your chair, how fast are you moving relative to the chair? Relative to the
Sun?

My speed is zero relative to the chair, while my speed is 30 km/s relative to the sun.

3.2 Speed

2. What two units of measurement are necessary for describing speed?

Distance and time

3. What kind of speed is registered by an automobile speedometer: average speed or


instantaneous speed?

Instantaneous speed

4. What is the average speed in kilometers per hour of a horse that gallops a distance of 15 km
in a time of 30 min?

30 km/h

5. How far does a horse travel if it gallops at an average speed of 25 km/h for 30 min?

12.5 meters

3.3 Velocity

6. What is the main difference between speed and velocity?

Speed describes how fast something moves, while velocity describes how fast it moves with direction.

7. If a car moves with a constant velocity, does it also move with a constant speed?

Yes, because it is moving in a straight line at a constant speed.

8. If a car is moving at 90 km/h and it rounds a corner, also at 90 km/h, does it maintain a
constant speed? A constant velocity? Defend your answers.

It maintains a constant speed, but not a changing velocity since the direction of where it is
moving changes.

3.4 Acceleration

9. What is the acceleration of a car moving along a straight road that increases its speed from 0
to 100 km/h in 10 s?

10 km/h*s

10. What is the acceleration of a car that maintains a constant velocity of 100 km/h for 10 s?
(Why do some of your classmates who correctly answer the preceding question get this question
wrong?)

Zero, there is no acceleration because the car is not changing its velocity.
11. When are you most aware of your motion in a moving vehicle: when it is moving steadily in a
straight line or when it is accelerating? If you were in a car that moved with absolutely constant velocity
(no bumps at all), would you be aware of motion?

You are most aware when the vehicle is accelerating. Yes, you would be aware of the motion.

12. Acceleration is generally defined as the time rate of change of velocity. When can it be
defined as the time rate of change of speed?

It is when direction does not change.

13. What did Galileo discover about the amount of speed a ball gained each second when rolling
down an inclined plane? What did this say about the ball’s acceleration?

Galileo found that a ball rolling down an inclined plane picks up the same amount of speed in successive
seconds, which then implies constant acceleration.

14. What relationship did Galileo discover about a ball’s acceleration and the steepness of an
incline? What acceleration occurs when the plane is vertical?

Galileo found that acceleration down each incline was constant for each incline, with greater
accelerations for steeper incline. The steeper the slope of the incline, the greater the acceleration of the
ball.

3.5 Free Fall

15. What exactly is meant by a “freely falling” object?

Free fall occurs when a falling object is free of all restraints—no friction, with the air or otherwise—and
falls under the influence of gravity alone.

16. What is the gain in speed per second for a freely falling object?

10m/s^2

17. What is the speed acquired by a freely falling object 5 s after being dropped from a rest
position? What is the speed 6 s after?

50 m/s in 5 seconds; 60 m/s in 6 seconds

18. The acceleration of free fall is about 10 m/s2. Why does the seconds unit appear twice?

The unit of time, the second, enters twice—once for the unit of speed and again for the time interval
during which the speed changes.

19. When an object is thrown upward, how much speed does it lose each second (ignoring air
resistance)?

10 m/s
20. What relationship between distance traveled and time did Galileo discover for freely falling
objects released from rest?

Galileo found out that the distanced travelled is proportional to the square of time. So it is d=(1/2)gt^2.

21. What is the distance fallen for a freely falling object 1 s after being dropped from a rest
position? What is the distance for a 4-s drop?

5m in 1 second, 80m in 4 seconds

22. What is the effect of air resistance on the acceleration of falling objects?

Resistance affects the motion of the falling objects. It slows down the acceleration.

23. Consider these measurements: 10 m, 10 m/s, and 10 m/s2. Which is a measure of speed,
which of distance, and which of acceleration?

10/s is speed; 10 m is distance; 10 m/s^2 is acceleration

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