PAWAR PUBLIC SCHOOL, DOMBIVALI

Chapter 4 – MOTION IN A STRAIGHT LINE

(Frame of references, Motion in a straight line- one dimension, Position time graph, speed and
velocity, uniform and non-uniform motion, average speed, velocity, average velocity, instantaneous
velocity and uniformly accelerated motion, velocity-time graph and position-time graphs, Relations
for uniformly accelerated motion-Graphical treatment)

 Frame of references- In order to know the change in position of an object, a reference point is
required. Point O in the figure is the reference point or Origin and together with three axes, this
system is called the coordinate system. A coordinate system with time frame is called frame of
reference.
o Objects changing positions with time with respect to the frame of reference are in motion
while those which do not change position are at rest.
o For a moving car, for the frame of reference outside the car, it appears moving. While for the
frame of reference inside the car, the car appears stationary.

 Types of frame of reference

 Inertial Frame of Reference

 Non-inertial Frame of Reference

Inertial Frame of Reference

An inertial frame of reference is a frame where Newton’s law holds true. That means if no external force is
acting on a body it will stay at rest or remain in uniform motion. Suppose a body is kept on the surface of the
earth, for a person on earth it is at rest while for a person on the moon it is in motion so which is my inertial
frame here?
Actually, the term inertial frame is relative i.e., first we assume a reference frame to be the inertial frame of
reference. So, a more general definition of an inertial frame would be: Inertial frame is at rest or moves with
constant velocity with respect to my assumed inertial reference frame.

Non-inertial Frame of Reference

Now we can define a non-inertial frame as a frame that is accelerated with respect to the assumed inertial
frame of reference. Newton’s law will not hold true in these frames. So in the above example if I assume
earth to be an inertial reference frame the moon becomes a non-inertial reference frame as it is in accelerated
motion with respect to earth. But if we want to make Newton’s law hold here we need to take some
mysterious forces also known as pseudo forces.
 Concept of point mass- If a body covers a very large distance as compared to its size, then to study
its motion, its size or dimensions can be neglected. And the object can be regarded as point mass
object.
OR,
 The mass of an object, which is concentrated at a point is called ''point mass''. It has no internal
structures like shape and size.
Examples :
(i) In the event of motion of Earth around the Sun , Earth can be treated as point mass .
(ii) When stone is thrown in space, stone is considered as point mass .

 Motion and Rest-

o Rest: An object is said to be at rest if it does not change its position with respect to its
surroundings with time.
o Motion: An object is said to be in motion if the position changes with respect to it
surrounding and time.
o Rest and motion are the relative terms because they depend on the observer’s frame of
reference. It means a body can be in motion with respect to one thing and at same time it can
be at rest to another thing.

(i) Motion in one dimension (ii) Motion in two dimensions (iii) Motion in three dimensions

One dimensional motion is the If a particle is moving along a curved A particle moving in usual three
motion of a particle moving along path in a plane, then it is said to be in dimensional space has three
a straight line. two-dimensional motion. dimensional motion.

This motion is sometimes known In this motion, two of the three In this motion, all the three
as rectilinear or linear motion. rectangular coordinates specifying the coordinates specifying the position
position of object change with time. of an object change with respect to
In this motion, only one of the time.
three rectangular coordinates
specifying the position of the
object changes with time.
Examples Examples Examples

·Motion of a train along a straight ·Motion of a coin on a carrom board. ·A bird flying in the sky.
railway track.
·An insect crawling over the floor of a ·Random motion of a gas molecule.
·An object falling freely under room.
gravity close to Earth. ·Flying of a kite on a windy day.

Distance- Displacement-
 The length of the actual path traversed by an object  The shortest distance between the initial and final
is called the distance. positions of any object during motion is called
 It is a scalar quantity and it can never be zero or displacement.
negative during the motion of an object.  The displacement of an object in a given time can be
 It is a scalar quantity. positive, zero or negative.
 Its unit is metre.  It is a vector quantity.
 Its unit is metre.
Speed- Velocity-
 The time rate of change of position of the object in  The rate of change of displacement of an object in a
any direction is called speed of the object. particular direction is called its velocity.
 Speed (v) = Distance travelled (s) / Time taken (t)  Velocity = Displacement / Time taken
 Its unit is m/s.  Its unit is m/s.
 It is a scalar quantity.  It is a vector quantity.
 Its dimensional formula is [Mo L1 T-1].  Its dimensional formula is [Mo L1 T-1].
 It can never be zero or negative during the motion of  The velocity of an object can be positive, zero and
an object. negative.
Uniform Speed- If an object covers equal distances in Uniform Velocity- If an object undergoes equal
equal intervals of time, then its speed is called uniform displacements in equal intervals of time, then it is said to
speed. be moving with a uniform velocity.
Non-uniform or Variable Speed- If an object covers Non-uniform or Variable Velocity- If an object
unequal distances in equal intervals of time, then its undergoes unequal displacements in equal intervals of
speed is called nonuniform or variable speed. time, then it is said to be moving with a non-uniform or
variable velocity.
Average Speed- The ratio of the total distance travelled Average Velocity- The ratio of the total displacement to
by the object to the total time taken is called average the total time taken is called average velocity.
speed of the object. Average velocity = Total displacement / Total time
Average speed = Total distanced travelled / Total time taken
taken
Instantaneous Speed- When an object is travelling Instantaneous velocity- of a particle is the velocity at
with variable speed, then its speed at a given instant of any instant of time or at any point of its path.
time is called its instantaneous speed. or
“Instantaneous velocity or simply velocity is defined as
the limit of the average velocity as the time interval Δt
becomes infinitesimally small.”
Acceleration-
 The time rate of change of velocity is called acceleration.
 Acceleration (a) = Change in velocity (Δv) / Time interval (Δt)
 Its unit is m/s2
 Its dimensional formula is [Mo LT-2 ].
 It is a vector quantity.
 Acceleration can be positive, zero or negative.
 Positive acceleration means velocity increasing with time.
 Zero acceleration means velocity is uniform.
 Negative acceleration (retardation) means velocity is decreasing with time.
 Uniform Acceleration- If an object undergoes equal changes in velocity in equal time intervals it is called
uniform acceleration.
 Average Accelerating- It is the change in the velocity divided by the time-interval during which the change
occurs.

 Instantaneous Acceleration- It is defined as the limit of the average acceleration as the time-interval Δt goes
to zero.

Note-
• Positive slope – Body moves away from starting point
• Negative slope – Body returns to the starting point.

 Time-Displacement graph- Slope of graph gives average velocity.

Variable velocity

Variable velocity
(a) Greater the slope, greater is the velocity.
VB > VA

(b) If the graph line makes an angle greater than 90o with x-axis, then object is returning towards the
reference point. Here we get negative velocity.

(c) If a graph has several lines of different slopes, then it means that velocity of the object changes.
  Time-Velocity graph- Slope of graph gives acceleration.

(a) Displacement of an object is equal to area enclosed (b) Greater slope, greater is the
by the graph. acceleration. aA >aB
  Time-acceleration graph-

 Equations of Uniformly Accelerated Motion- If a body starts with velocity (u) and after time t its
velocity changes to v, if the uniform acceleration is a and the distance travelled in time t in s, then the
following relations are obtained, which are called equations of uniformly accelerated motion.
(i) v = u + at
(ii) s = ut + ½ at2
(iii) v2 = u2 + 2as
(iv) Distance travelled in nth second. Sn = u + ½ a (2n – 1)

Derivation-

By definition / Alternative method Graphical method Calculus method

 Motion Under Gravity- If an object is falling freely (u = 0) under gravity, then equations of motion
(i) v = u + gt
(ii) h = ut + ½ gt2
(iii) v2 = u2 + 2gh
(iv) hn = u + ½ g (2n – 1)

 Suppose a body is projected vertically upward from a point A with velocity u.

 Equation of motion along a smooth inclined plane-

If a body is coming down.

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