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A Level Physics OCR 

3.1 Kinematics

CONTENTS
3.1.1 Displacement, Velocity & Acceleration
3.1.2 Motion Graphs
3.1.3 Displacement & Velocity-Time Graphs

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3.1.1 Displacement, Velocity & Acceleration YOUR NOTES


Displacement, Speed, Velocity & Acceleration
Scalar quantities
Scalar quantities only have a magnitude (size)
Distance: the total length between two points
Speed: the total distance travelled per unit of time
Vector quantities
Vector quantities have both magnitude and direction
Displacement: the distance of an object from a fixed point in a specified direction
Velocity: the rate of change of displacement of an object
Acceleration: the rate of change of velocity of an object
Equations for Velocity & Acceleration

Equations linking displacement, velocity and acceleration

 Worked Example
A car accelerates uniformly from rest to a speed of 150 km h–1 in 6.2 s.Calculate the
magnitude of the acceleration of the car in m s–2.

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Instantaneous Speed / Velocity

The instantaneous speed (or velocity) is the speed (or velocity) of an object at any given
point in time
This could be for an object moving at a constant velocity or accelerating
An object accelerating is shown by a curved line on a displacement – time graph
An accelerating object will have a changing velocity
To find the instantaneous velocity on a displacement-time graph:
Draw a tangent at the required time
Calculate the gradient of that tangent

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The instantaneous velocity is found by drawing a tangent on the displacement time graph YOUR NOTES
Average Speed / Velocity 
The average speed (or velocity) is the total distance (or displacement) divided by the total
time
To find the average velocity on a displacement-time graph, divide the total displacement
(on the y-axis) by the total time (on the x-axis)
This method can be used for both a curved or a straight line on a displacement-time
graph

 Worked Example
A cyclist travels a distance of 20 m at a constant speed then decelerates to a traffic
light 5 m ahead. The whole journey takes 3.5 s.Calculate the average speed of the
cyclist.

Step 1: Write the average speed equation

Average speed = total distance ÷ total time
Step 2: Calculate the total distance
Total distance = 20 + 5 = 25 m
Step 3: Calculate the average speed
Average speed = 25 ÷ 3.5 = 7.1 m s-1

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3.1.2 Motion Graphs YOUR NOTES


Motion Graphs
Three types of graph that can represent motion are displacement-time graphs, velocity-
time graphs and acceleration-time graphs
Displacement-Time Graph
On a displacement-time graph:
The gradient (or slope) equals velocity
The y-intercept equals the initial displacement
A diagonal straight line represents a constant velocity
A positive slope represents motion in the positive direction
A negative slope represents motion in the negative direction
A curved line represents an acceleration
A horizontal line (zero slope) represents a state of rest
The area under the curve is meaningless
Remember the displacement-time graph can have positive or negative values on the
displacement axis. However, a distance-time graph only has positive

Displacement-time graph for different scenarios

Velocity-Time Graph
On a velocity-time graph:
Slope equals acceleration
The y-intercept equals the initial velocity
A straight line represents uniform acceleration

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A positive slope represents an increase in velocity (acceleration) in the positive YOUR NOTES
direction 
A negative slope represents an increase in velocity (acceleration) in the negative
direction
A curved line represents the non-uniform acceleration
A horizontal line (zero slope) represents motion with constant velocity
The area under the curve equals the displacement or distance travelled
Remember the velocity-time graph can have positive or negative values on the
displacement axis. However, a speed-time graph only has positive

Velocity-time graph for different scenarios

Acceleration-Time Graph
On an acceleration-time graph:
The slope is meaningless
The y-intercept equals the initial acceleration
A horizontal line (zero slope) represents an object undergoing constant acceleration
The area under the curve equals the change in velocity

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Acceleration-time graphs for different velocity scenarios

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3.1.3 Displacement & Velocity-Time Graphs YOUR NOTES


Displacement-Time Graphs
Displacement-time graphs show the changing position of an object in motion
They also show whether an object is moving forwards (positive displacement) or
backwards (negative displacement)
Velocity = Gradient of a displacement-time graph
The greater the slope, the greater the velocity
A negative gradient = a negative velocity (the object is moving backwards)

 Worked Example
A car driver sees a hazard ahead and applies the brakes to bring the car to rest.What
does the displacement-time graph look like?

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Velocity-Time Graphs YOUR NOTES

Velocity-time graphs show the speed and direction of an object in motion over a specific 
period of time
The area under a velocity-time graph is equal to the displacement of a moving object
Displacement = Area under a velocity-time graph
Acceleration is any change in the velocity of an object in a given time
As velocity is a vector quantity, this means that if the speed of an object changes, or its
direction changes, then it is accelerating
An object that slows down tends to be described as ‘decelerating’
Acceleration = Gradient of a velocity-time graph
Motion of a Bouncing Ball
For a bouncing ball, the acceleration due to gravity is always in the same direction (in a
uniform gravitational field such as the Earth's surface)
This is assuming there are no other forces on the ball, such as air resistance
Since the ball changes its direction when it reaches its highest and lowest point, the
direction of the velocity will change at these points
The vector nature of velocity means the ball will sometimes have a:
Positive velocity if it is travelling in the positive direction
Negative velocity if it is travelling in the negative direction
An example could be a ball bouncing from the ground back upwards and back down again
The positive direction is taken as upwards
This will be either stated in the question or can be chosen, as long as the direction is
consistent throughout
Ignoring the effect of air resistance, the ball will reach the same height every time before
bouncing from the ground again
When the ball is travelling upwards, it has a positive velocity which slowly decreases
(decelerates) until it reaches its highest point

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At point A (the highest point):

The ball is at its maximum displacement
The ball momentarily has zero velocity
The velocity changes from positive to negative as the ball changes direction

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The acceleration, g, is still constant and directed vertically downwards YOUR NOTES
At point B (the lowest point): 
The ball is at its minimum displacement (on the ground)
Its velocity changes instantaneously from negative to positive, but its speed
(magnitude) remains the same
The change in direction causes a momentary acceleration (since acceleration =
change in velocity / time)

 Worked Example
The velocity-time graph of a vehicle travelling with uniform acceleration is shown in

the diagram below.

Calculate the displacement of the vehicle at 40 s.

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Summary of Gradients & Areas

The gradient of a displacement-time graph is the velocity
The gradient of a velocity-time graph is the acceleration
The area under a velocity-time graph is the displacement
The area under an acceleration-time graph is the velocity

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 Exam Tip
Always check the values given on the y-axis of a motion graph - students often
confuse displacement-time graphs and velocity-time graphs.The area under the
graph can often be broken down into triangles, squares and rectangles, so make
sure you are comfortable with calculating area!

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