• 1.

2 Motion
• What is motion?
• Change in position with time.

• The motion of an object can be mathematically defined in terms of distance ,

displacement ,velocity ,acceleration and time.
• Distance
-Distance is a measure of how far an object moves.
-It is a scalar quantity.
Displacement
-Displacement is a distance travelled in a particular direction from a specific
point.
-It is a vector quantity.
Example
Kyu Kyu leaves her house and walks 300m to post a letter in a letter box , and
then walks back to her house.
Distance =300m+300m =600m
Displacement =300m(east)+ 300(west)
=0m
• Example
• Cindy leaves her house to go to the library . She walks 400m east along East
Street and then 300m north along North Street to reach the library.
Distance =400m+300m =700m

Displacement = (300)2 +(400)2

= 500m (north east)
north street

East street
Speed
The speed of a body is the distance that it has travelled in unit time.
𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅
speed =
𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏
𝒔
v=
𝒕
Speed - distance travelled per unit time
For example :If a car travels 300 km in five hours, its average speed is 300
km/5 h = 60 km/h.
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑
average speed =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
(or)
𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 +𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑
𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 =
2
Velocity is the distance travelled in unit time in a given direction.

distance moved in a given direction

velocity =
time taken

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕
(or) velocity = = speed in a given direction
𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏

Velocity - change in displacement per unit time

Speed is a scalar quantity and velocity is a vector quantity.
Distance is a scalar and displacement is a vector quantity.
Acceleration
When the velocity of an object changes, the object accelerates.
Acceleration is defined as the change of velocity in unit time.

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒗−𝒖 ∆𝒗

𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 = = =
𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒕 ∆𝒕

V =final velocity, u = initial velocity

An acceleration is positive if the velocity increases, and negative if it decreases.

A negative acceleration is also called a deceleration or retardation.
Test yourself
1 What is the average speed of (a) a car that travels 400 m in 20 s
(b) an athlete who runs 1500 m in 4 minutes?
𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅
Ans: (a) average speed =
𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏

𝟒𝟎𝟎𝒎
= = 20m/s
𝟐𝟎𝒔

𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅

(b) average speed =
𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏

𝟏𝟓𝟎𝟎𝒎
= = 6.25m/s
𝟒𝒙𝟔𝟎𝒔
2 A train increases its speed steadily from 10 m/s to 20 m/s in 1 minute.
(a) What is its average speed during this time, in m/s?
(b) How far does it travel while increasing its speed?

𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 +𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑

Ans:(a) 𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 =
2
10𝑚/𝑠+20𝑚/𝑠
=
2
= 15m/s

(b) distance =15m/s x 60s =900m

3( a) A motorcyclist starts from rest and reaches a speed of 6 m/s after
travelling with constant acceleration for 3 s. What is his acceleration?
(b) The motorcyclist then decelerates at a constant rate for 2 s. What is his
acceleration?
𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 − 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦
Ans : (a)𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = = 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒
6𝑚/𝑠
= =2m/s2
3𝑠

𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 − 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦

(b) 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛= 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛

0−6𝑚/𝑠
= = -3m/s2
2
4 An aircraft travelling at 600 km/h accelerates steadily at 10 km/h per
second. Taking the speed of sound as 1100 km/h at the aircraft’s
altitude, how long will it take to reach the ‘sound barrier’?

change of speed
• Ans: time taken =
acceleration

(1100−600)km/h 500km/h
= =
10km/h/s 10km/h/s
= 50s
Distance–time graphs
An object travelling with constant speed covers equal distances in equal times.
Its distance–time graph is a straight line.
The gradient of a distance–time graph represents the speed of the object.

Fig: distance–time Graph (constant speed)

- slope, or gradient, of a distance–time graph represents the speed.
-If the line is steep the object is moving fast.
-If it is not very steep then the object is moving more slowly.
The graph shows The line is flat, so the slope is zero.
That the speed is zero – the object isn’t moving.
Changing speed
When you drop a ball its speed gets bigger as it falls. A distance–time graph for
the ball will not be a straight line because the speed is not constant.

It is a curve and the slope of the

curve is increasing. This shows
that the speed is increasing.
• A distance–time graph that is slowing down would also be a curve, but the
line would become less and less steep. This would show that the speed is
decreasing.
Notes
● A distance–time graph shows how the distance moved
changes with time.

● A straight, upward-sloping line means a steady speed.

● If the line is horizontal, then the object is not moving.(rest)

● If the line is steeper, the object is moving faster.

• Figure shows the shape of a distance–time graph for an object that is at rest
over time interval OA and then moves at a constant speed in time interval
AB. It then stops moving and is at rest over time interval BC before moving
at a constant speed in time interval CD.

Speed at any point

equals the gradient
of the tangent.
Speed–time graphs
In Figure ; AB is the speed–time graph for an object moving with a constant
speed of 20m/s.

Fig : constant velocity

• The linear shape (PQ) of the speed–time graph shown in Figure means that the gradient and
the acceleration of the body, are constant over the time period OS.

Fig : constant acceleration

-The steeper gradient in time interval BC than in time interval OA shows that
the deceleration is greater than the acceleration.

- The object remains at rest over the time interval CD when its speed and
acceleration are zero.

Fig: Acceleration , constant speed and deceleration deceleration

Figure shows the speed of object change over time period OY – the acceleration is changing.
Values for the speed of the object at 1 s intervals are given in Table .The data shows that the
speed is increasing over time interval OY, but by a smaller amount each second so the
acceleration is decreasing.

Fig : Changing acceleration

-When the speed of the object is changing, the
gradient of the distance–time graph varies, as in
Figure.

-The upward curve of increasing

gradient of the solid green line shows the object
accelerating.
Non constant speed
-The opposite, upward curve of decreasing gradient
(indicated by the dashed green line) shows an object decelerating above T.
• Note that an object at rest will have zero speed and zero acceleration;
its speed–time graph is a straight line along the horizontal axis.

• The gradient of a speed–time graph represents the acceleration of the

object.

• An object is accelerating if the speed increases with time and

decelerating if the speed decreases with time.
Area under a speed–time graph
The area under a speed–time graph measures the distance travelled.

Fig :1 Fig : 2

Distance travelled =Area of rectangular + area of triangle

Distance travelled =Area of rectangular 1
= base x height = (base x height) + 𝑥𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑥 ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡
2
1
=OC xOA =(OS xOP) + xPR xRQ
2
= 5s x20m/s =100m 1
= (5s x20m/s) + x5s x20m/s
2
=100m +50m =150m
Test yourself
5 The speeds of a bus travelling on a straight road are given below at successive intervals of
1 second.

a Sketch a speed–time graph using the values.

Ans:
Speed (m/s)

Time (s)
b Choose two of the following terms which describe the acceleration of the bus:
constant changing positive negative
Ans :constant , positive

c. Calculate the acceleration of the bus.

∆𝒚 16𝑚/𝑠
Ans :acceleration =slope of graph = = 4𝑠
= 4𝑚/𝑠2
∆𝒙
d Calculate the area under your graph.
1
Ans :Distance travelled = under the graph = x 4s x 16m/s =32m
2
e How far does the bus travel in 4 s?
Ans :32m
6 The distance of a walker from the start of her walk is given below at successive intervals of
1 second.
a Sketch a distance–time graph of the following values.
Ans:
Distance (m)

Time(s)
b How would you describe the speed at which she walks?
constant changing increasing accelerating
Ans :
Constant

c Calculate her average speed.

𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑
average speed =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒

18m
=
6𝑠
= 3m/s
Equations for constant acceleration
First equation
If an object is moving with constant acceleration a in a straight line and its speed increases
from u(initial speed) to v(final speed) in time t, then
𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑣 −𝑢
𝑎= =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑡
𝑎𝑡 = 𝑣 − 𝑢
𝒗 = 𝒖 + 𝒂𝒕 …..(1)
Second equation
𝑢+𝑣
𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 =
2
𝑠 𝑢+𝑣
=
𝑡 2
𝒖+𝒗
𝒔= t ……(2)
𝟐
Third equation
From the first equation
𝑣 = 𝑢 + 𝑎𝑡
From equation two
𝑠 𝑢+𝑣
=
𝑡 2
𝑠 𝑢 + 𝑢 + 𝑎𝑡
=
𝑡 2
𝑠 2𝑢 + 𝑎𝑡
=
𝑡 2
2𝑢 𝑡+𝑎𝑡 2
𝑠=
2
𝟏
𝒔 = 𝒖 𝒕 + 𝒂𝒕𝟐 ……(3)
𝟐
Fourth equation
𝑣 2 = 𝑢 + 𝑎𝑡 2

𝑣 2 = 𝑢2 + 2𝑢𝑎𝑡 + 𝑎2 𝑡 2

2 2 1
𝑣 = 𝑢 + 2𝑎(𝑢𝑡 + 𝑎𝑡 2 )
2

1
But 𝑠 = 𝑢 𝑡 + 𝑎𝑡 2
2

𝒗𝟐 = 𝒖𝟐 + 𝟐𝒂𝒔 ….(4)
Worked example
A sprint cyclist starts from rest and accelerates at 1 m/s 2for 20 seconds.
Find her final speed and the distance she travelled.
u = 0 , a = 1 m/s2 , t = 20 s
v = u + at
v = 0 + 1 m/s2 × 20 s = 20 m/s
1
distance travelled 𝑠 = 𝑢 𝑡 + 𝑎𝑡 2
2
1
𝑠 = 0𝑥 20𝑠 + 𝑥1 m/s2 𝑥 (20)2
2
400
= =200m
2
practice
1 An athlete accelerates from rest at a constant rate of 0.8 m/s2 for 4 s. Calculate
the final speed of the athlete.
v = ?, u = 0 (from rest) , t =4s , a = 0.8 m/s2

𝑣 = 𝑢 + 𝑎𝑡
= 0 +0.8 x 4= 3.2m/s

2 A cyclist increases his speed from 10 m/s to 20 m/s in 5 s.

Calculate his average speed over this time interval.
v = 20m/s, u = 10m/s, t =5s , average speed =?
10+20
average speed = = 15𝑚/𝑠
2
• 3 Calculate the distance moved by a car accelerating from rest at a constant
rate of 2 m/s2 for 5 s.
u = 0 (from rest) , t =5s , a = 2 m/s2

1
• 𝑠 = 𝑢 𝑡 + 𝑎𝑡 2
2
1
• 𝑠 = (0) (5) + (2)(5)2
2
• = 25m
• Falling bodies
In air, a coin falls faster than a small piece
of paper. In a vacuum they fall at the same
rate, as may be shown with the apparatus
of Figure.
The difference in air is due to air resistance
having a greater effect on light bodies than
on heavy bodies.
The air resistance to a light body is large
when compared with the body’s weight.
With a dense piece of metal, the resistance
is negligible at low speeds.

Figure A coin and a piece of paper fall at the same

rate in a vacuum.
Acceleration of free fall

All bodies falling freely under the force of gravity do so with uniform
acceleration if air resistance is negligible .

This acceleration, called the acceleration of free fall(g),. Its value varies
slightly over the Earth but is constant in each place; on average it is about
9.8 m/s2, or near enough 10 m/s2.

For falling bodies (i.e. a = g = +9.8 m/s2)

For rising bodies since they are decelerating (i.e. a = −g = −9.8 m/s2).
Distance–time graphs for a falling object

For an object falling freely from rest in a uniform gravitational field without
air resistance, there will be constant acceleration g.

1
s = ut + at2,
2

u = 0 (the ball starts from rest) , a = g (m/s2).

𝟏
s = gt2
𝟐
Test yourself
7 .An object falls from a hovering helicopter and hits the ground at a speed of
30m/s. How long does it take the object to reach the ground and how far
does it fall? Sketch a speed–time graph for the object (ignore air resistance).
v = 30m/s, u = 0 (from rest) , t =? , a =g =10m/s2
𝑣−𝑢
a= 𝑡
𝑣−𝑢 30−0
t = 𝑎 = 10
t =3 s

𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑,𝑠
Average speed =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
30+0
s =𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 × 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 = × 3= 45 m
2
8 A stone falls from rest from the top of a high tower. Ignore air resistance and
take g = 9.8m/s2.
Calculate a the speed of the stone after 2 seconds
b how far the stone has fallen after 2 seconds.
v = ?, u = 0 (from rest) , t =2s , a =g =9.8m/s2
𝑣−𝑢
a = 𝑡
at=𝑣−𝑢
v = at + u =9.8 x 2 =20m/s

𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑,𝑠
Average speed =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
30+0
s =𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 × 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 = × 2= 20 m
2
9 At a certain instant a ball has a horizontal velocity of 12m/s and a vertical
velocity of 5m/s.
Calculate the resultant velocity of the ball at that instant.
vx= 12m/s , vy =5m/s
2 2 2 2
v= 𝑣𝑥 + 𝑣𝑦 = 12 + 5 = 144 + 25 = 169 =13m/s

𝑣𝑦 5
tan 𝜃 = = = 0.42
𝑣𝑥 12
𝜃 = 23°
The resultant velocity is 13m/s acting at 23° to the horizontal.
Air resistance: terminal velocity
When an object falls in a uniform
gravitational field, the air resistance
opposing its motion increases as its speed
rises, so reducing its acceleration.
Eventually, air resistance acting upwards
equals the weight of the object acting
downwards.
The resultant force on the object is then zero
since the gravitational force balances the
frictional force.
The object falls at a constant velocity, called
its terminal velocity, whose value depends
on the size, shape and weight of the
object.
• Exam-style questions
1 The speeds of a car travelling on a straight road are given below at successive intervals of 1
second.
a the average speed of the car in m/s [2]
b the distance the car travels in 4 s [3]
c the constant acceleration of the car. [2]

0+8
Ans a. Average speed = = 4m/s
2
b. s = 𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 × 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 = 4 × 4= 16 m
𝑣−𝑢 8−0
c. 𝑎= = =2m/s2
𝑡 4
2 If a train travelling at 10m/s starts to accelerate at 1m/s2 for 15s on a straight
track, calculate its final speed in m/s. [Total: 4]
• u = 10m/s , a = 1m/s2 ,t =15s v=?

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦
𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
𝑣−𝑢
a=
𝑡
v = u + at
= 10+1(15)
= 25m/s
3 .The distance–time graph for a girl on a cycle ride is shown in fig.
a Calculate i how far the girl travelled [1]
ii how long the ride took [1]
iii the girl’s average speed in km/h [1]
iv the number of stops the girl made [1]
v the total time the girl stopped [1]
vi the average speed of the girl excluding stops. [2]
Ans a i. s=60km
ii. (6pm-1pm) =5hr
𝑠 60
iii. average speed = = =12km/h
𝑡 5
iv. 2
1 1
v.( h +1h) =1 h
2 2
𝑠 60
vi. average speed = = =17km/h
𝑡 (5−1.5)
• 3 b. Explain how you can tell from the shape of the graph when the girl
travelled fastest. Over which stage did this happen? [2]

• The slope of the graph represent the speed of the girl. The steeper the slope ,
the speed of the girl increases.
Steepest line (EF)
4 The graph in Figure 1.2.15 represents the distance travelled by a car plotted
against time .
a State how far the car has travelled at the end of 5 seconds. [1]
b Calculate the speed of the car during the first 5 seconds. [1]
c State what has happened to the car after A.[2]
Ans a.100m
𝑠 100
b. v = = =20m/s
𝑡 5
c. slow down (or) speed decrease
• 4 d .Draw a graph showing the speed of the car plotted against time during
the first 5 seconds. [3]

Speed
(m/s)

20m/s

5s
time (s)
5 Figure shows an incomplete speed–time graph for a boy running a distance of
100m.
a Calculate his acceleration during the first 4 seconds. [2]
b Calculate how far the boy travels during
i the first 4 seconds [2]
ii the next 9 seconds? [2]
𝑣−𝑢 5−0
Ans a.a= = =1.25m/s2
𝑡 4
1
b.(i) distance = x base x height
2
1
= x4x5 =10m
2
(ii) distance =base x height
= 9 x 5 =45m
5c. Copy and complete the graph, showing clearly at what time he has covered
the distance of 100m. Assume his speed remains constant at the value shown by
the horizontal portion of the graph. [4]
Remaining distance =100m-10m-45m =45m
Time taken for remaining distance =distance/speed
= 45m /5m/s =9s
Total time for 100m =4 + 9 + 9 =22s

Graph need to extended horizontally to 22s .

6. The approximate speed–time graph for a car on a 5-hour journey is shown in Figure 1.2.17.
(There is a very quick driver change midway to prevent driving fatigue!)
a State in which of the regions OA, AB, BC, CD, DE the car is
i accelerating
ii decelerating
iii travelling with constant speed. [3]
(i) OA and BC
(ii) DE
(iii) AB and CD
b Calculate the value of the acceleration,
deceleration or constant speed in each
region. [3]
𝑣−𝑢 80−0
OA a = = =80km/h2
𝑡 1
AB v =80km/h
𝑣−𝑢 100−80
BC a= = = =40km/h2
𝑡 0.5
CD v = 100km/h
𝑣−𝑢 0−100
DE a = = =-200km/h2
𝑡 0.5
c Calculate the distance travelled over each region. [3]
• Distance = average speed x time
(0+80)
OA: distance = 𝑥 1 =40km
2
AB: distance = 80𝑥 2 =160km
(80+100)
BC: distance = 𝑥 0.5 =45km
2
CD: distance = 100𝑥 1 =100km
(100+0)
DE: distance = 𝑥 0.5 =25km
2
d Calculate the total distance travelled. [1]
(40+160+45+100+25)km =370km
e Calculate the average speed for the whole journey. [1]
Average speed = distance/ time =370km/5h =74km/h
f State what times the car is at rest. [1]
Zero and 5 hours.
7 The distance–time graph for a motorcyclist riding
off from rest is shown in Figure 1.2.18.
a Describe the motion. [2]
b Calculate how far the motorbike moves in
30seconds. [1]
c Calculate the speed. [2]
[Total: 5]
a. Constant speed
b. 600m
𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 600
c. speed = = =20m/s
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 30
8 A ball is dropped from rest from the top of a high building. Ignore air resistance
and take g = 9.8m/s2 . .
a Calculate the speed of the ball after (i) 1s (ii) 3s.
b Calculate how far it has fallen after (i) 1s (ii) 3 s.
a. (i) v =u + at = 0+ (9.8)x 1s =9.8m/s
(ii) v =u + at = 0+ (9.8)x 3s =29m/s
(0+9.8)
b. Distance = average velocity x time = x1s =4.9m
2
(0+29)
Distance = average velocity x time = x3s =44m
2
9 Fig shows the forces acting on a
raindrop which is falling to the ground.
a. (i), A is the force which causes the raindrop
to fall. Give the name of this force. [1]
ii B is the total force opposing the motion
of the drop. State one possible cause of
this force. [1]
b What happens to the drop when force A = force B? [2]
A(i) gravity (or) weight
(ii) Air resistance (or) upthrust
B . when force A = force B, the object falls at a constant velocity ,called terminal
velocity.