IGCSE PHYSICS

1.2 Motion
1.2.1 Speed & Velocity
1.2.2 Acceleration
1.2.3 Distance-Time Graphs
1.2.4 Speed-Time Graphs
1.2.5 Calculating Acceleration from Speed-Time
Graphs
1.2.6 Freefall

Mr. Hakeem Ali

Mr. Hakeem Abbas IGCSE Physics 1 1
IGCSE Physics
1.2 Motion 1.2.1 Speed & Velocity
Speed
 The speed of an object is the distance it travels
per unit time
 Speed is a scalar quantity
 This is because it only contains a magnitude
(without a direction)

Velocity
 The velocity of a moving object is similar to its speed, except it also describes the
object’s direction
 The speed of an object only contains a magnitude - it’s a scalar quantity
 Example

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1.2 Motion 1.2.2 Acceleration

Acceleration
 Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity

Rearranging equation: v = u + at

Solving a problem
Example The car on the right passes post A with a velocity of 12 m/s. If it
has a steady acceleration of 3 m/s2, what is its velocity 5 s later, at B?

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1.2 Motion 1.2.1 Speed & Velocity
Solving Problems:
1 A car travels 600 m in 30 s. What is its average speed? 4 A car has an acceleration of 2 m/s2.
a. What does this tell you about the velocity of the car?

2 How is velocity different from speed?

What is meant by an acceleration of -2 m/s2?

3 A car has a steady speed of 8 m/s.

a How far does the car travel in 8 s? 5 A car takes 8 s to increase its velocity from 10 m/s to
30 m/s. What is its average acceleration?

b How long does the car take to travel 160 m?

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1.2 Motion 1.2.1 Speed & Velocity

Distance-Time Graphs
A distance-time graph shows how the distance of an
object moving in a straight line (from a starting position)
varies over time:

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1.2 Motion 1.2.3 Distance-Time Graphs
Distance-Time Graphs
A distance-time graph shows how the distance of an object moving in a straight line (from a starting position) varies
over time:

Constant Speed on a Distance-Time Graph

 The slope of the straight line represents the magnitude of the
 Distance-time graphs also show the following
speed:
information:
 A very steep slope means the object is moving at a large speed
 If the object is moving at a constant speed
 A shallow slope means the object is moving at a small speed
 How large or small the speed is
 A flat, horizontal line means the object is stationary (not
 A straight line represents constant speed
moving)

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1.2 Motion 1.2.3 Distance-Time Graphs

Using Distance-Time Graphs

The speed of a moving object can be calculated from the gradient of the line on a distance-time graph:

 The rise is the change in y (distance) values

 The run is the change in x (time) values

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1.2 Motion 1.2.3 Distance-Time Graphs

Worked example
A distance-time graph is drawn below for part of a train journey. The train is travelling at a constant speed.
Calculate the speed of the train.

The distance travelled (rise) = 8 km = 8000 m

The time taken (run) = 6 mins = 360 s

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1.2 Motion 1.2.3 Distance-Time Graphs

Worked example
Ahmed decides to take a stroll to the park. He finds a bench in a quiet spot and takes a seat, picking up where
he left off reading his book on science. After some time reading, Ahmed realises he lost track of time and runs
home. A distance-time graph for his trip is drawn below.

a) How long does Ahmed spend reading his book?

b) There are three sections labelled on the graph, A, B

and C. Which section represents Ahmed running home?

c) What is the total distance travelled by Ahmed?

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1.2 Motion 1.2.3 Distance-Time Graphs
Worked example
Ahmed decides to take a stroll to the park. He finds a bench in a quiet spot and takes a seat, picking up where he left off
reading his book on Black Holes. After some time reading, Ahmed realises he lost track of time and runs home.
A distance-time graph for his trip is drawn below.
a) How long does Ahmed spend reading his book?
b) There are three sections labelled on the graph, A, B and C.
Which section represents Ahmed running home?
c) What is the total distance travelled by Ahmed?

Answer
(a) Ahmed spends 40 minutes reading his book
(b) Section C represents Ahmed running home
(c) The total distance travelled by Ahmed is 0.6 km

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1.2 Motion 1.2.1 Speed & Velocity
Speed–time graphs
On a speed–time graph, the gradient of the line is numerically equal to the acceleration.
On a speed–time graph, the area under the line is numerically equal to the distance travelled.

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1.2 Motion 1.2.4 Speed-Time Graphs
Speed-Time Graphs
 A speed-time graph shows how the speed of a moving object varies with time
 The red line represents an object with increasing speed
 The green line represents an object with decreasing speed

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1.2 Motion 1.2.5 Calculating Acceleration from Speed-Time raphs

Calculating Acceleration
The acceleration of an object can be calculated from the
gradient of a speed-time graph

Acceleration on a Speed-Time Graph

 Speed-time graphs also show the following information:
 If the object is moving with a constant acceleration or
deceleration
 The magnitude of the acceleration or deceleration

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1.2 Motion 1.2.4 Speed-Time Graphs

Using Speed-Time Graphs

 distance travelled by an object can be found by determining the area beneath the graph

 If the area beneath the graph forms a triangle (the object is

accelerating or decelerating) then the area can be
determined using the formula:

 If the area beneath the graph is a rectangle (constant

velocity) then the area can be determined using the formula:

The distance travelled can be found

from the area beneath the graph

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1.2 Motion 1.2.4 Speed-Time Graphs
Worked example
The speed-time graph below shows a car journey which lasts for 160
seconds. Calculate the total distance travelled by the car on this journey.

Calculate the area of each enclosed shape under the line

Area 1 = area of a triangle = ½ × base × height = ½ × 40 × 17.5 = 350 m
Area 2 = area of a rectangle = base × height = 30 × 17.5 = 525 m
Area 3 = area of a triangle = ½ × base × height = ½ × 20 × 7.5 = 75 m
Area 4 = area of a rectangle = base × height = 20 × 17.5 = 350 m
Area 5 = area of a triangle = ½ × base × height = ½ × 70 × 25 = 875 m

Calculate the total distance travelled by finding the total area under the line
Add up each of the five areas enclosed:
total distance = 350 + 525 + 75 + 350 + 875
total distance = 2175 m

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1.2 Motion 1.2.1 Speed & Velocity

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1.2 Motion 1.2.1 Speed & Velocity

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1.2 Motion 1.2.6 Freefall
Acceleration of Free Fall
 In the absence of air resistance, all objects fall with the same acceleration
 This is called the acceleration of freefall (this is also sometimes called acceleration due to gravity)
 Acceleration of freefall=g=9.81m/s2

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1.2 Motion 1.2.6 Freefall
Motion of Falling Objects
 Falling Objects without Air Resistance
 In the absence of air resistance, all objects falling in a uniform gravitational field, fall with the same acceleration,
regardless of their mass
 So long as air resistance remains insignificant, the speed of a falling object will increase at a steady rate, getting
larger the longer it falls for.

In the absence of air resistance objects fall with constant acceleration

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1.2 Motion 1.2.6 Freefall
Falling Objects with Air Resistance
 Objects falling through fluids (fluids are liquids or gases) in a uniform gravitational field, experience two forces:
 Weight (due to gravity)
 Friction (such as air resistance)
 A skydiver jumping from a plane will experience:
 A downward acting force of weight (mass × acceleration of freefall)
 An upward acting force of air resistance (frictional forces always oppose the direction of motion)
 The force of air resistance increases with speed. This is illustrated in the image below:

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1.2 Motion 1.2.6 Freefall
Graph showing how the velocity of a skydiver changes during the descent
 Initially, the upwards air resistance is very small because the
skydiver isn't falling very quickly
 Therefore, there are unbalanced forces on the
skydiver initially
 As the skydiver speeds up, air resistance increases,
eventually growing large enough to balance the downwards
weight force
 Once air resistance equals weight, the forces are balanced
 This means there is no longer any resultant force
 Therefore, the skydiver's acceleration is zero - they now
travel at a constant speed
 This speed is called their terminal velocity
 When the skydiver opens the parachute, the air resistance
increases
 This is due to the increased surface area of the
parachute opening
 The upward force of air resistance on the skydiver
increases, slowing the acceleration of the skydivers
fall
 The skydiver decelerates
 Eventually, the forces balance out again, and a new
slower terminal velocity is reached

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1.2 Motion 1.2.6 Freefall
 Initially, the upwards air resistance is very small because the skydiver isn't falling very quickly
 Therefore, there are unbalanced forces on the skydiver initially

 As the skydiver speeds up, air resistance increases, eventually growing large enough to balance the downwards
weight force
 Once air resistance equals weight, the forces are balanced
 This means there is no longer any resultant force
 Therefore, the skydiver's acceleration is zero - they now travel at a constant speed
 This speed is called their terminal velocity

 When the skydiver opens the parachute, the air resistance increases
 This is due to the increased surface area of the parachute opening
 The upward force of air resistance on the skydiver increases, slowing the acceleration of the skydivers fall
 The skydiver decelerates
 Eventually, the forces balance out again, and a new slower terminal velocity is reached

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1.2 Motion 1.2.5 Calculating Acceleration from Speed-Time raphs

a) gravitational field strength b) accelerates c) friction d) falls at a steady speed

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1.2 Motion Practice questions

Practice
questions
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1.2 Motion Practice questions

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1.2 Motion Practice questions

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1.2 Motion Practice questions

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1.2 Motion Practice questions

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1.2 Motion Practice questions

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1.2 Motion Practice questions

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1.2 Motion Practice questions

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1.2 Motion Practice questions

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1.2 Motion Practice questions

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1.2 Motion Practice questions

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1.2 Motion Practice questions

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1.2 Motion Practice questions

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1.2 Motion Answers-MCQ

1.2 Motion
Level Q.no. Answer
Easy 1
2
3
4
5
Medium 1
2
3
4
5
1.2 Motion
Hard 1
2
3
4
5

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