LESSON 1

KINEMATICS
Lesson 1 Characteristics of Motion

Learning Outcomes
In this lesson, you are expected to have:

a. Learned the concept and background of kinematics;

b. described the characteristics of linear motion including distance,
displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration, instantaneous and average
speed, velocity and acceleration, and calculate these quantities from a
given set of experimental data;
c. Identified and explain the kinds of motion; and
d. Understand the steps in solving problems in kinematics.

Time Frame: 3 hours

Let’s begin
Motion is a fundamental observable phenomenon. The study of kinetics involves
describing, measuring analysing motion without considering the forces and masses
involved in that motion. Uniformly accelerated motion is described in terms of
relationship between measurable vector and scalar quantities, including displacement,
speed, velocity, acceleration and time.

Fuel the Thrill

Identify whether Distance, Displacement, Speed or Velocity

1. 10 m
2. 10 m/s
3. 10 m East
4. 10 m/s North

Let’s discuss

Characteristics of Motion

There are different types of motion occurring around us all the time. Some
examples are the movement of people walking, athletes running on tracks, cars being
driven along roads, airplanes flying in the sky, footballs being kicked, compact discs
rotating on CD players, trains travelling along tracks, mail being sorted and basketball
falling through the ring and so on. This movements form an important part of everyday
life.

Figure 1 Different types of motion

Movement involves a change in position in a certain time. Therefore, quantities

like distance, time, speed and acceleration with their measurements must be
considered when describing the motion of an object. Our knowledge of Physics enables
us to analyze the motion of an object precisely. For example, airplane pilots need to
know their exact position in the air, how long it will take to fly to their destination, how
much fuel to take and the effect of the wind on their speed and direction of flight.

Manufacturers of motor vehicles need to know whether their vehicles will stop
within certain limits, accelerate and use fuel at acceptable rates, withstand collision and
have sufficient power to climb steep hills and overtake other vehicles. Traffic accident
investigation also requires knowledge of motion. Physics can be used to reconstruct an
accident and to determine the speed and direction of the vehicles before the collision.

In the study of motion, we find ways to specify the position of the object at any
time.

Graphing is the most common method used to explain the characteristics of

motion. The geographical system of the north, south, east and west is also convenient
to use. A number line such as the x-axis marked in units allows us to specify the
position along a straight line. The zero can represent a starting point, with the positive
and negative numbers giving the direction. The positions of a point on the line are
described by a number, a unit, and a sign to indicate the direction. The direction is the
line itself indicating which way, positive or negative along the line. We usually use
direction to make sense of how the motion is going. Displacement is a change in
position in a certain direction. It is a change that is obtained by subtracting or adding
one vector from or to another, the result is a vector. The average speed of a moving
object is the distance travelled divided by the time taken. Therefore, displacement
divided by the time taken gives the average displacement per unit time which is the
velocity. Velocity is a vector quantity because the information about direction is in the
displacement.

Distance, Displacement, Speed and Velocity

Motion in one dimension was described using the quantities displacement (s),
time (t), velocity (v) and acceleration (a). It is also true for motion in two dimensions but
the vector nature of some of the quantities needs further clarification. It is also important
to redefine the quantities covered in the last unit regarding their vector or scalar nature.

Distance and displacement are both quantities describing length. However, a

distance is a scalar while displacement is a vector, requiring a direction. Both quantities
use the symbol, s, and both units of measurements are in metres.

Example, d = 10m: Distance s =10m east: Displacement

Distance

Distance is the length of actual path travel from the starting point to the finishing
point. It has a magnitude (size) but no direction.
A girl walks 5 metres from point A to point B in the classroom and backs to point
A another 5 metres. The distance travelled by the girl from point A to B and from B to A
is 10 metres, but does not give the girl’s direction. Since distance is a scalar quantity
and does not give direction, the total length she travelled is 10 metres (5m +5m =10m).

B 5m A

B 5m A
Girl walking in a 5m length
Displacement

Displacement is the distance in a straight line in a certain direction from the

starting point. It has magnitude (size) and direction. To understand this, we can simply
study the diagram in Figure 3 below. Consider a girl walking west (point B) 5m in the
classroom and then back to east (point A) 5 metres. The displacement of the girl will be
zero. This is because the girl walks 5m in the west direction which is negative and the
east direction to be positive. This gives us negative 5m plus positive 5m east which will
cancel out giving us a net displacement of zero. (-5 +5 = 0 m).

B 5m A

B 5m A

Girl walking 5m West and then 5m East

Displacement is a vector that joins the initial position to the final position of an
object.

distance

displacement
A

Displacement and distance illustration

 IMPORTANT CONCEPTS TO REMEMBER
• Displacement is that vector from the beginning position to the end position of a
motion.

Example 1 A body moves from A to C via B. It has travelled a total distance of

16m.

Distance = 10m + 6m
= 16m
N
Resultant = √102 + 62 B
10m
R² = √100𝑚 + 36𝑚 6m

R² = √136𝑚
A Displacement
12m representation
C
R = 11.67m East

The distance travelled is 16m. However, its displacement from the starting
position is 12m to the East or displacement is equal to 12m east. The displacement is
calculated using Pythagoras theorem which you will come across later in the unit.
Displacement is a vector quantity. For straight line motion, positive displacement shows
forwards motion while a negative displacement shows backward motion. Displacement
can also be referred to by compass direction.

IMPORTANT CONCEPTS TO REMEMBER

• Positive displacement is always to the right and negative displacement is always
to the left.

Now consider a person running around a circular track. The circumference of the
circular track is always the distance travelled, which is calculated by using c = 2𝜋r and
the displacement would be the diameter of the track. This is because the displacement
is always in a straight line in a certain direction.

In the Figure 5, the circular track is 400m and the radius is 63.69m, thus giving
us the diameter of 127.38 metres. Using the formula above as 400/2x3.14 =63.69 x 2
=127.38m.

Therefore the diameter is 127.38m which is now the runner’s displacement if he

runs halfway around the track. If the runner starts and completes the race, then the
displacement is zero.
 D = 127.38m
start

Displacement and distance representation in circular track

We will use letter d to represent the total distance travelled and s for the change in
displacement.

The change in displacement is defined by;

s = final displacement – initial displacement

If the motion consists of many parts, then the change in displacement is the sum
of the displacement in each part of the motion. Take for example, if an object starts at
an origin let us say 15m and then by -5m then by 2m, the change in displacement is 15
– 5 + 2 = 12m. The final displacement is 12 + 0 = 12m.

Measurement of time

Time is used to measure speed and velocity.

Time, t, is a scalar and is measured in seconds.
For example, t = 2min 10s which is equal to 130s.

Speed and velocity

In the last lesson, you learnt about the difference between scalar and vector
quantities. Now that we are studying motion, you expect to meet more vector quantities
because object has motions in particular directions. We use speed as a scalar which
has a magnitude (size) and velocity as a vector that has magnitude and direction. So
velocity is both the speed and direction of the motion of an object.

We can use some terms to describe the motion of a motor vehicle. The terms
commonly used include speed, velocity, acceleration and distance. The everyday use of
these terms is often different from the scientific usage. For example, most people use
the words speed and velocity to mean the same thing. But to the scientist, the two terms
have slightly different meanings.
When we talk about an object’s speed, we have no idea about its direction since it is a
scalar. We can say the speed is the time rate of change of distance. Velocity, on the
other hand, is the time rate of change of displacement. Both quantities use the symbol,
v, and both units of measurement are in metres per second, m/s.

For example v = 5m/s: Speed

v = 5 m/s¹East: Velocity.

IMPORTANT CONCEPTS TO REMEMBER

• Speed is the distance travelled in unit time.
• Velocity is the distance travelled in particular direction in unit time.

Velocity is a vector and is a derived quantity. It is related to the quantities displacement

and time and is build up from the fundamental quantities of length and time.
The average velocity of a moving object is found by dividing total displacement by the
total time taken.
s
Vav =
t
From the equation, the dimensions of the average velocity are LTˉ¹. While the average
velocity is a vector quantity, and therefore has direction and magnitude, average speed
is a scalar quantity and is found by dividing the total distance by the total time.

Average velocity
Two very simple required measurements for the calculation of an average
velocity are:
• displacement(s) of an object and
• time (t) for this displacement to occur.

Displacement, s, is the straight line distance from a reference position. The average
velocity is given the symbol Vav. Mathematically, average velocity is the displacement
undergone by an object in unit time.

In everyday situations, for example in a car, the units of velocity are kilometres per
hour (km/h) or (kmhˉ¹). However, SI units for velocity are metres per second(m/s) or
(msˉ¹) as displacement has unit of measures in metres (m) and the time taken in
seconds(s).

The table below shows the average velocity of some things you are familiar with in
both m/s (msˉ¹) and km/h (kmhˉ¹). These velocities are useful for future comparison.

Movement m/s Km/h

Snail 0.003 0.01
 Fast walker 2 7.2
Runner 5 18
Bicycling 14 50.4
Fast car 36 129
Sound in air 340 1224
Jet plane 600 2160
Earth around the Sun 30 000 108 000
Light and radio waves 300 000 000 1 080 000 000

If a car takes 10 seconds to travel along a straight road for 300 metres, it means
that the car travels at an average speed of 30 metres per second (30m/s or 30msˉ¹).
When an object moves, it changes its position. The speed at which it moves depends
on how far it moves and how long it takes.

The speed of a moving body is the distance travelled in unit time. When we talk
about an object’s speed, we have no idea about its direction (so speed is a scalar
quantity).
𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆
Speed = 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆
𝒅
s=𝒕
Here, v is the speed, s is the distance and t is the time taken. Speed has a
variety of units, for example, kilometres per hour (km/h) or in millimetres per second
(mm/s). However, the correct S.I. unit for speed is the metre per second (m/s).
𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅
Average speed = 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏
𝒅
Speedav = 𝒕
The average velocity of a moving object is found by dividing total displacement
by the total time taken.
𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅
Average velocity = 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏
𝒅
Velocityav = 𝒕
Definition of velocity is defined as speed in a particular direction. For example, 40
km/h East or 30 km/h West. Velocity is a vector quantity.
𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏
Velocity = 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏
𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕
Velocity = 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆
𝒔
V= 𝒕
 3km
N

2km
4km W E
displacement
D S
5km

Car travelling at various velocities

A car is travelling at a constant speed. Its velocity changes each second.

As with speed, we can also use the term average velocity to describe the motion
of an object like a car.
𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝚫𝒔
Average velocity = 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆
= 𝚫𝒕
Where ∆(delta) represents ‘change in‘, ∆t means change in time. The speed of a
car is sometimes given in kilometers per hour (km/h) or kmhˉ¹.
1000 1
1km / h =60 𝑥 60 = 36 m/s

Example 2
A car travels from one city to another 96km away in 1.2 hours. What is the car’s
average speed in:
a) km/h?
b) m/s?
Solution:
𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝟗𝟔
a) average speed = 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 = 𝟏.𝟐 = 80 km/h
𝟖𝟎 𝒎/𝒔
b) 80 km/h = 𝟑.𝟔
= 22.2 m/s

Example 3
A person rides a bicycle 2km east and then 2km north. The trip takes 2 hours. Find the:
a) person’s average speed and
b) average velocity.
Solution
𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝟒
a) average speed = 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 = 𝟐 = 2 km/h
𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕
b) average velocity = 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏
= 𝟐.𝟖𝟐
𝟐
= 1.41 km/h North East

Changing units

In many situations, the person solving the problem is required to change the
units of a given quantity. The following conversions are commonly required.
1 kilometer = 1000 meters
1 minute = 60 seconds
1 hour = 60 minutes
1 hour = 60 x 60 = 3600 seconds

Imagine a velocity of 20km/h is to be converted to m/s. Here, one unit should be

converted at a time.
Now 1 hour = 3600s

So, 20 000m/h = 20 000m in 3600 s

= 20 000/3600
= 5.55ms-1

In the laboratory you may require these conversions:

1mm = 10-3m (1¸1000 = 0.001= 10-3m)

1cm = 10-2m (1¸100 =0.01 = 10-2m)

Untwist the loop

Answer in a long bond paper.

1. Differentiate speed and velocity.

Speak your mind

Now check what you have just learnt by trying out the evaluation below!

(Copy and answer in a long bondpaper.)

1 Suppose you walk a distance of 4m to the blackboard in your classroom and then
back 3m.
(a) What distance have you covered?
(b) What is your displacement?
2. James walks 3km north, turns and walks 4km east, then walks 3km south. What;
a) will be the distance he has covered?
b) is his displacement?
3. A train covers 400m at a constant speed of 8ms-1. What is the time taken to travel
that distance?
4. Charlie walks in a straight line at a steady speed of 2m/s for 15 seconds. Work out
the distance Charlie travelled from the starting point after 10 seconds of walking.
5. A person rides a bicycle to a shop. The person travels 300m north along a straight
 road and then travels east for another 400m. The trip to the shop takes 2 minutes.
Find the person’s average
a) speed
b) velocity
6. A PMV travels two kilometers from one bus stop to another East of it in 20 minutes.
Calculate the:
a) distance travelled
b) displacement
c) speed
d) velocity
7. A boy walks 5km North East and then another 5km South East. It takes 2 hours.
Calculate:
a) The distance he travels
b) His displacement from his starting position
c) His speed
d) The velocity
8. A runner races around a circular track of radius 80m.
a) Work out the distance the runner covers if the start and the finish line are the
same? (use circumference = 2𝜋r)
b) Find the displacement as he crosses the finish line?
c) If the runner in the above question completes one circuit in 60 seconds, what
is the average speed?
d) What is the average velocity if the runner races halfway around the field in 30
seconds?
9. An airplane flies North 200km for 2 hours and then East 200kmh-1 for 1 hour.
a) What is the total distance flown?
b) Find the total displacement.
c) Calculate the average speed.
d) Work out its average velocity.

Extend your horizon

References