NCERT Solutions for Class 9

Physics
Chapter 8 – Motion

1. An object has moved through a distance. Can it have zero displacement?

If yes, support your answer with an example.
Ans: Yes. An object can have zero displacement if it has moved through a
distance. Displacement is defined as the shortest distance from the initial point to
the final point.
Hence, if the starting (initial) point is the same as the final point then the
displacement of the object is zero.
Suppose a man is walking in a square park of length 20m . He starts from point
A and walks along all the corners of the park through points B, C and D and
comes back to the same point A.

Image source: Self-created

The total distance covered by the man = 20m + 20m + 20m + 20m = 80m .
As the starting point and final point are same, the shortest distance between his
initial and final position is zero
Therefore, the displacement is zero.

2. A farmer moves along the boundary of a square field of side 10m in 40s
.What will be the magnitude of displacement of the farmer at the end of 2
minutes 20 seconds?
Ans: It is given that,
Farmer takes 40s to cover a square field of side 10m .

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 Dis tance = 4 10 = 40m
Dis tan ce
It is known that, Speed =
Time
40
 Speed = =1
40
Therefore, speed of the farmer is 1m / s .
In 2 minutes 20 seconds distance travelled is Speed  Time .
 Dis tan ce = 1  (2  60 + 20)
 Dis tan ce = 140m
140
Number of rounds farmer covered = = 3.5
40
After 2 minutes 20 seconds the farmer will be at the opposite end of starting
point, completing 3 and half rounds.
a) If the farmer starts from any corner of the field: The displacement will be equal
to the diagonal of the field.
 Displacement = 102 + 102 = 14.14m
b) If the farmer starts from the middle point of any side of the field: The final
point will be the middle point of the side opposite to the initial point.
 Displacement = 10m
Therefore, the magnitude of displacement if the farmer starts at any corner is
14.14m and if the farmer starts from middle point of any side is 10m .

3. Which of the following is true for displacement?

a) It cannot be zero.
Ans: Not true. When the initial and final position of the object is the same, then
the displacement is zero.

b) Its magnitude is greater than the distance travelled by the object.

Ans: Not true. Displacement is the measure of the shortest distance between
initial and final position of an object.
Therefore, it is always smaller than or equal to the magnitude of distance travelled
by the object.

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4. An artificial satellite is moving in a circular orbit of radius 42250km .
Calculate its speed if it takes 24 hours to revolve around the earth?
Ans: It is given that,
Radius of the circular orbit, r = 42250km
Time taken by the satellite to revolve around earth, t = 24h
Speed of the artificial satellite, v = ?
It is known that,
2r
v=
t
2  3.14  42250
v=
24
 v = 1.105 104 km / h
1.105  104
v= km / s
3600
 v = 3.069km / s
Therefore, the speed of the artificial satellite is v = 3.069km / s .

5. Distinguish between speed and velocity.

Ans: The differences between speed and velocity are as follows:

Speed Velocity
a) The distance travelled by an a) The displacement of an object
object in a given interval of in a given interval of time is
time is speed. velocity.
b) Speed does not have any b) Velocity has a unique
direction. direction.
c) Speed is either positive or zero c) Velocity can be negative,
but not negative. positive or zero.

6. Under what condition(s) is the magnitude of average velocity of an object

added equal to its average speed?
Ans: It is known that,
Total distance covered
Average speed =
Total time taken

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 Displacement
Average velocity =
Total time taken
Therefore, the magnitude of average velocity of an object is equal to its average
speed when total distance covered is equal to the displacement.

7. What does the odometer of an automobile measure?

Ans: The distance covered by an automobile is recorded by the odometer of an
automobile.

8. What does the path of an object look like when it is in uniform motion?
Ans: An object has a straight-line path when it is in uniform motion.

9. During an experiment, a signal from a spaceship reached the ground

station in five minutes. What was the distance of the spaceship from the
ground station? The signal travels at the speed of light, that is, 3  108 ms −1 .
Ans: It is given that,
Time taken by a signal to reach ground from a spaceship
= 5min = 5  60 = 300sec
Speed of the signal is equal to speed of light = 3  108 ms −1
It is known that,
Distance travelled
Speed =
Time taken
 Distance travelled = Speed  Time taken
 Distance travelled = 3 108  300 = 9 1010 m
Therefore, the distance of the spaceship from the ground station is 9 1010 m .

10. When will you say a body is in

a) uniform acceleration?
Ans: When the magnitude and the direction of acceleration of a body is constant
i.e., velocity changes at equal rate then the body is said to be in uniform
acceleration.

b) non-uniform acceleration?
Ans: When acceleration of a body changes in magnitude or direction or both i.e.,

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velocity changes at unequal rate then the body is said to be in non-uniform
acceleration.

11. A bus decreases its speed from 80kmh −1 to 60kmh −1 in 5s . Find the
acceleration of the bus.
Ans: It is given that,
Initial speed of the bus, u = 80km / h
5
 u = 80  m / s = 22.22m / s
18
Final speed of the bus, v = 60km / h
5
 v = 60  m / s = 16.66m / s
18
Time taken to decrease speed, t = 5s
It is known that,
v−u
Acceleration, a =
t
16.66 − 22.22
a =
5
 a = −1.112m / s2
Therefore, the acceleration of the bus is −1.112m / s2 . The negative sign indicates
that the velocity of the car is decreasing. Decreasing acceleration is called
retardation.

12. A train starting from a railway station and moving with uniform
acceleration attains a speed 40km / h in 10 minutes. Find its acceleration.
Ans: It is given that,
Initial velocity of the train, u = 0 (Train is starting from rest)
Final velocity of the train, v = 40km / h
5
 v = 40  m / s = 11.11m / s
18
Time taken, t = 10  60 = 600s
It is known that,

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 v−u
Acceleration, a =
t
11.11 − 0
a =
600
 a = 0.0185m / s2
Therefore, the acceleration of the train is 0.0185m / s2 .

13. What is the nature of the distance-time graphs for uniform and non-
uniform motion of an object?
Ans: The distance-time graph for uniform motion of an object is a straight line.

Image source: Self-created

The distance-time graph for non-uniform motion of an object is a curved line.

Image source: Self-created

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14. What can you say about the motion of an object whose distance-time
graph is a straight line parallel to the time axis?
Ans: A straight line parallel to the x-axis in a distance-time graph indicates that
the position of the object does not change with time.

Image source: Self-created

Therefore, the object is said to be at rest.

15. What can you say about the motion of an object if its speed-time graph is
a straight line parallel to the time axis?
Ans: A straight line parallel to the time axis in a speed-time graph indicates that
the speed of the object does not change with time.

Image source: Self-created

Therefore, the object is moving uniformly.

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16. What is the quantity which is measured by the area occupied below the
velocity-time graph?
Ans: The area of the velocity-time graph is displacement.
Consider the following figure which shows the velocity-time graph of a uniformly
moving body.

Image source: Self-created

Let, the velocity of the body at time t be v .
Area of the shaded region = Length  Breadth
Where,
Length = l
Breadth = v
 Area = vt = velocity  time …… (1)
It is known that,
Displacement
Velocity =
time
 Displacement = Velocity  Time …… (2)
From equations (1) and (2)
 Area = Displacement
Hence, the area occupied below the velocity-time graph measures the
displacement of the body.

17. A bus starting from rest moves with a uniform acceleration of 0.1m / s2
for 2 minutes. Find

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a) the speed acquired
Ans: It is given that,
Initial velocity of the bus, u = 0 (Bus is starting from rest)
Acceleration of bus, a = 0.1m / s 2
Time taken, t = 2min = 120sec
Final velocity of the bus, v = ?
It is known that,
v−u
Acceleration, a =
t
v−0
 0.1 =
120
 v = 12m / s
Therefore, the speed acquired is v = 12m / s .

b) the distance travelled

Ans: It is known that,
From, third equation of motion: v2 − u 2 = 2as
 (12) 2 − (0) 2 = 2  (0.1)  s
 144 = 0.2s
 s = 720m
Therefore, the distance travelled is s = 720m .

18. A train is travelling at a speed of 90kmh −1 . Brakes are applied so as to

produce a uniform acceleration of −0.5ms−2 . Find how far the train will go
before it is brought to rest.
Ans: It is given that,
Initial speed of a train, u = 90km / h
5
 u = 90  = 25m / s
18
Final speed of the train, v = 0 (Train comes to rest finally)
Acceleration of train, a = −0.5m / s2
Distance covered by the train, s = ?
It is known that,
From, third equation of motion: v2 − u 2 = 2as
 (0) 2 − (25) 2 = 2  (−0.5)  s

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 −625 = −s
 s = 625m
Therefore, the train covers a distance of 625m before it comes to rest.

19. A trolley, while going down an inclined plane, has an acceleration of

2cm/s 2 . What will be its velocity 3s after the start?
Ans: It is given that,
Initial velocity of the trolley, u = 0 (Trolley is starting from rest)
Acceleration of the trolley, a = 2cm / s2 = 0.02m / s2
Time taken, t = 3s
Final velocity (after 3s of start) of the trolley, v = ?
It is known that,
From, first equation of motion: v = u + at
 v = 0 + 0.02(3)
 v = 0.06m / s
Thus, the velocity of the trolley is 0.06m / s after 3s from the start.

20. A racing car has a uniform acceleration of 4ms−2 . What distance will it
cover in 10s after start?
Ans: It is given that,
Initial velocity of the racing car, u = 0 (The racing car is initially at rest)
Acceleration of a racing car, a = 4m / s2
Time taken, t = 10s
It is known that,
1
From, second equation of motion: s = ut + at 2
2
1
 s = 0 + (4)(10) 2
2
 s = 200m
Therefore, the distance covered by racing car after 10s from start is 200m .

21. A stone is thrown in a vertically upward direction with a velocity of 5m/s

. If the acceleration of the stone during its motion is 10m / s −2 in the
downward direction, what will be the height attained by the stone and how
much time will it take to reach there?
Ans: It is given that,

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Initial velocity of the stone, u = 5m / s
Final velocity, v = 0 (Stone comes to rest after reaching maximum height)
Acceleration of the stone is equal to acceleration due to gravity, a = −10m / s2
(Negative sign because of downward direction)
Maximum height reached by the stone, s = ?
It is known that,
From, first equation of motion: v = u + at
 0 = 5 + (−10)t
 5 = 10t
 t = 0.5s
From, third equation of motion: v2 − u 2 = 2as
 (0) 2 − (5) 2 = 2(−10)s
 −25 = −20s
 s = 1.25m
Therefore, the height attained by the stone is 1.25m in 0.5s .

22. An athlete completes one round of a circular track of diameter 200m in

40s . What will be the distance covered and the displacement at the end of 2
minutes 20s ?
Ans: It is given that,
Diameter of a circular track, d = 200m
d
Radius of the circular track, r =
2
200
r= = 100m
2
Circumference of the circular track, c = 2r
 c = 2(100) = 200m
Time taken to cover one round, t = 40s
It is known that,
Distance travelled
Speed =
Time taken
200
 Speed =
40
 Speed = 50
Athlete runs for 2 minutes 20 s: Time in seconds = 120 + 20 = 140s

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Total distance covered in 140s = Speed  Time
200  22  140
 Distance = = 2200m
40  7
140
Number of rounds = = 3.5
40
Athlete will be diametrically opposite to the point where he started after
completing three rounds.
The displacement will be equal to diameter i.e., 200m
Therefore, the distance covered is 2200m and the displacement is 200m at the
end of 2 minutes 20 s.

23. Joseph jogs from one end A to the other end B of a straight road of 300m
in 2 minutes 50 seconds and then turns around and jogs 100m back to point
C in another 1 minute. What are Joseph’s average speeds and velocities in
jogging

a) from A to B
Ans: It is given that,
Distance from A to B = 300m
Time taken from A to B = 2min50sec = 170sec

Image source: Self-created

It is known that,
Total distance covered
Average speed =
Total time taken
300
 Average speed = = 1.765m / s
170
Displacement
Average velocity =
Total time taken
Displacement from A to B = Distance = 300m
300
Average velocity = = 1.765m / s
170
Therefore, the average speed and average velocity of Joseph from A to B are same
and is equal to 1.765m / s .
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b) from A to C?
Ans: It is given that,
Distance from A to B = 300m
Distance from B to C = 100m
Total distance from A to C = 300 + 100 = 400m

Image source: Self-created

Time taken from A to B = 2min50sec = 170sec
Time taken from B to C = 1min = 60sec
Total time taken from A to C = 170 + 60 = 230sec
It is known that,
Total distance covered
Average speed =
Total time taken
400
 Average speed = = 1.739m / s
230
Displacement
Average velocity =
Total time taken
Displacement from A to C = AB − BC = 300 − 100 = 200m
200
Average velocity = = 0.87m / s
230
Therefore, the average speed and average velocity of Joseph from A to C are
1.739m / s and 0.87m / s respectively.

24. Abdul, while driving to school, computes the average speed for his trip to
be 20kmh−1 . On his return trip along the same route, there is less traffic and
the average speed is 40kmh −1 . What is the average speed for Abdul’s trip?
Ans: It is given that,
Average speed of Abdul’s trip = 20km / h
Let, the distance travelled by Abdul to reach school and to return home be d .
Case 1: While driving to school

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Let, total time taken be t1 .
Total distance covered
Average speed =
Total time taken
d
 20 =
t1
d
 t1 = …… (1)
20
Case 2: While returning from school
Let, total time taken be t 2 .
Total distance covered
Average speed =
Total time taken
d
 40 =
t2
d
 t2 = …… (2)
40
Total distance covered in the trip
Average speed for Abdul’s trip =
Total time taken
Where,
Total distance covered in the trip = d + d = 2d
Total time taken = t1 + t 2
Substitute equation (1) and (2) in total time taken
d d
Total time taken = +
20 40
2d
 Average speed =
d d
+
20 40
2 80
 Average speed = =
2 +1 3
40
 Average speed = 26.67m / s
Therefore, the average speed for Abdul’s trip is 26.67m / s .

25. A motorboat starting from rest on a lake accelerates in a straight line at

a constant rate of 3.0m / s 2 for 8.0s . How far does the boat travel during this
time?
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Ans: It is given that,
Initial velocity of the motorboat, u = 0 ( Motor boat is initially at rest)
Acceleration of the motorboat, a = 3m / s 2
Time taken, t = 8s
Distance travelled by the motorboat, s = ?
It is known that,
1
From, second equation of motion: s = ut + at 2
2
1
 s = 0 + (3)(8) 2
2
 s = (3)(8)(4)
 s = 96m
Therefore, the boat travels a distance of 96m .

26. A driver of a car travelling at 52kmh −1 applies the brakes and accelerates
uniformly in the opposite direction. The car stops in 5 s. Another driver
going at 3kmh−1 in another car applies his brakes slowly and stops in 10s .
On the same graph paper, plot the speed versus time graphs for the two cars.
Which of the two cars travelled farther after the brakes were applied?
Ans: Car A: Initial speed of the car, u A = 52km / h
5
 u A = 52  = 14.4m / s
18
Time taken for the car to stop, t A = 5s
Final speed of the car becomes zero after 5s application of brakes.
Car B: Initial speed of the car, u B = 3km / h
5
 u B = 3  = 0.833m / s
18
Time taken for the car to stop, t B = 10s
Final speed of the car becomes zero after 10s application of brakes.
Plot of the two cars on a speed-time graph is shown below:

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Image source: https://www.sarthaks.com/301319/driver-car-travelling-applies-
the-brakes-and-accelerates-uniformly-opposite-direction
Distance covered by each car is equal to the area under the speed-time graph.
1
Distance covered by car A: s A =  OP  OR
2
1
 s A =  14.4  5
2
 s A = 36m
1
Distance covered by car B: s B =  OS  OQ
2
1
 s B =  0.83  10
2
 s B = 4.15m
Area of OPR is greater than area of OSQ .
Therefore, the distance covered by car A is greater than the distance covered by
car B. Thus, the car travelling with a speed of 52km / h travels farther after the
brakes were applied.

27. The following figure shows the distance-time graph of three objects A, B
and C. Study the graph and answer the following:

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Image source: https://www.teachoo.com/10085/3045/NCERT-Question-
6/category/NCERT-Questions/

a) Which of the three is travelling the fastest?

Ans: It is known that,
Distance
Speed =
Time

Image source: https://www.teachoo.com/10085/3045/NCERT-Question-

6/category/NCERT-Questions/
Class IX Physics www.vedantu.com 17
 y − axis Distance
Slope of graph = = = Speed
x − axis Time
Slope of the graph of object B is greater than objects A and C.
Therefore, object B is travelling the fastest.

b) Are all three ever at the same point on the road?

Ans: No, All the three objects A, B and C never meet at the same point.
Therefore, they were never at the same point on the road.

c) How far has C travelled when B passes A?

Ans: From the graph,
On distance axis: 7 small boxes = 4km
4
 1 small box = km
7

Image source: https://www.teachoo.com/10085/3045/NCERT-Question-

6/category/NCERT-Questions/
16
Initially, object C is 4 blocks away from the origin  km
7
Distance of object C from origin when B passes A is 8km .
16
Distance covered by C = 8 − = 5.714km
7
Therefore, C has travelled a distance of 5.714km when B passes A.

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d) How far has B travelled by the time it passes C?
Ans: From the graph,
Distance covered by B at the time it passes C = 9boxes

Image source: https://www.teachoo.com/10085/3045/NCERT-Question-

6/category/NCERT-Questions/
4 36
Distance = 9  = = 5.143km
7 7
Therefore, B has travelled a distance of 5.143km when B passes A.

28. A ball is gently dropped from a height of 20m . If its velocity increases
uniformly at the rate of 10m / s2 , with what velocity will it strike the ground?
After what time will it strike the ground?
Ans: It is given that,
Distance covered by the ball, s = 20m
Acceleration of the ball, a = 10m / s 2
Initial velocity of the ball, u = 0 (Ball is initially at rest)
Final velocity of the ball, v = ?
Time taken by the ball to strike ground, t = ?
It is known that,
From, third equation of motion: v2 − u 2 = 2as
 (v) 2 − (0) 2 = 2(10)(20)

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 v 2 = 400
 v = 20m / s
From, first equation of motion: v = u + at
 20 = 0 + (10)t
 20 = 10t
 t = 2s
Therefore, the ball strikes the ground after 2s with a velocity of 20m / s .

29. The speed-time graph for a car is shown as a figure.

Image source: https://www.teachoo.com/10087/3045/NCERT-Question-

8/category/NCERT-Questions/

a) Find out how far the car travels in the first 4 seconds. Shade the area on
the graph that represents the distance travelled by the car during the period.
Ans: Distance travelled by the car during the first 4 seconds is equal to the area
of the shaded region on the graph.

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Image source: https://www.teachoo.com/10087/3045/NCERT-Question-
8/category/NCERT-Questions/
1
Area =  4  6 = 12m
2
Therefore, the distance travelled by the car in first 4 seconds is 12m .

b) Which part of the graph represents uniform motion of the car?

Ans: Horizontal line after 6 seconds represents the constant motion.

Image source: https://www.teachoo.com/10087/3045/NCERT-Question-

8/category/NCERT-Questions/
Therefore, the shaded part of the graph between time 6 seconds to 10 seconds
represent the uniform motion of the car.

30. State which of the following situations are possible and give an example
for each of these:

a) an object with a constant acceleration but with zero velocity.

Ans: Possible.
For example, when a ball is thrown up at maximum height, it has zero velocity,
although it will have constant acceleration due to gravity, equal to 9.8m / s2 .

b) an object moving in a certain direction with an acceleration in the

perpendicular direction.
Ans: Possible.

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For example, when an object is moving in a circular track, its acceleration is
perpendicular to the direction of velocity.

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