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Physics g9 Three

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24 views9 pages

Physics g9 Three

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tesfayee779
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes: Unit 3 -

Motion in a Straight Line

Contents

1 Motion in a Straight Line 2


1.1 Position, Distance, and Displacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 Speed and Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.1 Average Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.2 Instantaneous Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.3 Average Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.4 Instantaneous Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3 Acceleration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4 Uniform Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.5 Graphical Representation of Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.5.1 Position-Time Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.5.2 Velocity-Time Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 2

1 Motion in a Straight Line


This unit explores the fundamentals of motion, focusing on objects moving
in a single direction (straight line).

1.1 Position, Distance, and Displacement


”Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep
moving.”
– Albert Einstein

To describe motion, we use these key concepts:

• Frame of Reference: A coordinate system to specify the location of


objects in space and time.

• Position: The location of an object relative to a reference point (often


the origin).

• Distance: The total length of the path traveled by an object. It’s a


scalar quantity.

• Displacement: The change in position of an object, measured as a


straight line from the starting point to the ending point. It’s a vector
quantity, so it includes direction.

Figure 1: Diagram illustrating Position, Distance, and Displacement

Example: Imagine a person walking 3 meters east, then 4 meters north.

• Distance: 3 m + 4 m = 7 m

• Displacement: 5 m northeast (found using the Pythagorean theorem)


Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 3

1.2 Speed and Velocity


Both speed and velocity describe how fast an object moves, but velocity also
includes direction.

1.2.1 Average Speed


Average Speed: The total distance traveled divided by the total time taken.
Total Distance
Average Speed =
Total Time

1.2.2 Instantaneous Speed


Instantaneous Speed: The speed of an object at a particular moment in
time. Think of the reading on your car’s speedometer.

Figure 2: A car speedometer showing instantaneous speed

1.2.3 Average Velocity


Average Velocity: The total displacement divided by the total time taken.
Total Displacement
Average Velocity =
Total Time
Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 4

1.2.4 Instantaneous Velocity


Instantaneous Velocity: The velocity of an object at a particular moment
in time, including both speed and direction.

1.3 Acceleration
Acceleration: The rate at which velocity changes over time. It can be a
change in speed, direction, or both.

Understanding Acceleration
• Formula:
∆v
a=
∆t
where:

– a = acceleration
– ∆v = change in velocity
– ∆t = change in time

• Units: Meters per second squared (m/s²)

• Positive Acceleration: Speeding up.

• Negative Acceleration (Deceleration): Slowing down.


Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 5

Figure 3: Examples of Positive and Negative Acceleration

1.4 Uniform Motion


Uniform Motion: Motion at a constant velocity. This means moving in a
straight line at a constant speed.

• Examples:

– A train traveling at a steady speed on a straight track.


– An object gliding through space with no forces acting on it.

1.5 Graphical Representation of Motion


Graphs help visualize how position, velocity, and acceleration change over
time.

1.5.1 Position-Time Graphs


• X-axis: Time

• Y-axis: Position

• Slope of the Graph: Represents velocity.

– Steeper slope = higher velocity


– Horizontal line (zero slope) = object at rest
Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 6

Figure 4: Position-Time Graph

1.5.2 Velocity-Time Graphs


• X-axis: Time

• Y-axis: Velocity

• Slope of the Graph: Represents acceleration.

– Positive slope = positive acceleration


– Negative slope = negative acceleration (deceleration)
– Horizontal line (zero slope) = constant velocity

• Area under the Curve: Represents displacement.


Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 7

Figure 5: Velocity-Time Graph

Review Questions
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. A car travels 100 kilometers in 2 hours. What is its average speed?

(a) 25 km/h
(b) 50 km/h
(c) 100 km/h
(d) 200 km/h

2. Which of the following is a vector quantity?

(a) Time
(b) Speed
(c) Displacement
(d) Distance
Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 8

3. An object is moving with a constant velocity. Which of the following


statements is true?
(a) It is accelerating.
(b) It is at rest.
(c) It is changing direction.
(d) It has zero acceleration.
4. A ball is thrown straight up in the air. At the highest point of its
trajectory, its velocity is:
(a) Maximum
(b) Zero
(c) Constant
(d) Negative
5. What does a horizontal line on a velocity-time graph indicate?
(a) Constant acceleration
(b) Constant velocity
(c) The object is at rest
(d) The object is changing direction

Short-Answer Questions
1. Explain the difference between distance and displacement. Give an ex-
ample where distance and displacement have different values.
Answer: Distance is the total length of the path traveled, while dis-
placement is the straight-line distance from start to end (with direc-
tion). Example: A person walks 4 meters east, then 3 meters north.
Distance = 7 meters, Displacement = 5 meters northeast.
2. What is acceleration? How is acceleration represented on a velocity-
time graph?
Answer: Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. On a velocity-
time graph, acceleration is represented by the slope of the line.
3. Describe a real-life situation that involves both positive and negative
acceleration.
Answer: A car accelerating from a stoplight (positive acceleration),
then slowing down to stop at the next red light (negative acceleration).
Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 9

4. A cyclist rides 5 kilometers east, then turns around and rides 3 kilo-
meters west.

(a) What is the total distance traveled?


(b) What is the cyclist’s displacement?

Answer: (a) 8 km (b) 2 km east

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