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Lesson 3. KINEMATICS

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17 views23 pages

Lesson 3. KINEMATICS

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chrishagapas20
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© © All Rights Reserved
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KINEMATICS

lesson 3

ENGR. CARMELA R. MIRANDILLA, M.Eng., ASEANG Eng.


The study of motion is called kinematics,
and it is here that we begin our study of
physics. We will follow a method that has
proven very effective in science. We start
by studying simple situations and then
study gradually more complex physical
problems. We will consider motion in one
dimension, without regard to the forces
that influence the motion. Next week, we
will extend the discussion to motion in
two or three dimensions, but first we
need a good understanding of the basic
concepts involved, namely, displacement,
velocity, and acceleration.
Displacement and Velocity
The position of an object moving along the x-axis is described by its x
coordinate. The change in the object's position is its displacement Δx. If
the object is at position x1 at time t1 and at x2 at time t2, then Δx = x2 −
x1. Displacement is a vector. However, for motion in one dimension we
can specify the displacement simply in terms of the x coordinate of the
particle. If the particle is to the right of the origin, its coordinate is
positive. If it is to the left of the origin, its coordinate is negative. We
define the average velocity as

If we choose our origin such that x1 = 0 and t1 = 0, then the position x at


later time t is x = vt.
Instantaneous Velocity and Acceleration
If an object experiences a displacement Δx in a time Δt, its
instantaneous velocity is

Velocity is a vector, but in one dimension we can indicate direction


merely by giving the sign of the velocity.
Velocity is the slope of a graph of x versus t, as illustrated in the figure.
When the slope is positive, the object is moving to the right. When the
slope is negative, the object is moving to the left. When the slope is
zero, the object is stopped.
The rate at which velocity is changing is measured by acceleration. Thus
if an object has velocity v1 at time t1 and velocity v2 at time t2, its
average acceleration is

and its instantaneous acceleration is


Acceleration has units of velocity/time: m/s/s = m/s2

Velocity has units of distance/time: m/s


Illustrative graphs of displacement, velocity, and acceleration for a moving object are
shown in the figure. Note that v can be deduced from the x versus t curve by
remembering that v is the slope of x versus t. Similarly, a can be deduced from v
versus t, since a is the slope of v versus t.
Acceleration is the second derivative of displacement.
Constant Acceleration
Many interesting phenomena involve motion with constant
acceleration. In this case, it is easy to obtain expressions for velocity
and displacement by integrating the acceleration.

Then,
We can determine the constant by observing that if at time t = 0 the
velocity has initial value v0, then v0 = 0 + c1, so c1 = v0 and

We can integrate the velocity to obtain the displacement x.


If at time t = 0, the value of x is x0 (the initial position), then x0 = c2 and

In most problems, it is convenient to choose the origin at the position


of the object at t = 0, that is, to set x0 = 0. Therefore the equation
becomes
The case of zero acceleration (constant velocity) is important and
results in simple equations.
Sample problems:
1) A motorist drives for 2 h at 100 km/h and for 2 h at 80 km/h. What
is the average speed of the motorist?
2) A motorist drives 120 km at 100 km/h and 120 km at 80 km/h.
What is the average speed of the motorist for the trip?
Freely Falling
Bodies
Consider an object moving upward or downward along a vertical axis.
Let us neglect any air effects and consider only the influence of gravity
on such an object. It has been found that all objects, large and small,
experience the same acceleration due to the force of gravity. This
acceleration varies slightly with altitude, but for objects near the
surface of the Earth the acceleration is approximately constant. The
acceleration is always directed downward, since it is caused by the
downward force of gravity. We label the vertical axis the y-axis, with
upward taken as the positive direction. We take y = 0 at some
convenient point, such as sea level or floor level. We call the magnitude
of the acceleration due to the force of gravity g. The value of g is
approximately 9.81 m/s2.
Note that the acceleration of an object
acted on only by the force of gravity is
−g, since the acceleration is downward
and hence negative. This is true
whether the object is falling
downward, moving upward, or
momentarily stopped at its highest
point. Taking y as our independent
variable and setting a = −g = constant,
these equations become
Sample problem:
A rock is dropped from rest from the Golden Gate Bridge. How far will
it have fallen after 1 s? After 2 s? After 3 s? How fast will it be moving
at each time?
Summary of
key
equations

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