How fast do things move?

1.1
 Average speed

𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑
𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑=
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
• Example. A train travels 440 km in 3 hours. Calculate its
average speed in m/s.
 Speed and velocity
• When we use the word velocity we are stating a speed in a
certain direction.
• Definition: velocity is a speed in a defined direction
Distance-time graphs
The slope or gradient of a distance-time
graph increases with speed.

distance

st
fa
low
s

time
Distance–time graphs

We can calculate the speed of the runner

using the gradient of the graph.
Example. Calculate the speed of the runner
using the distance–time graph (Figure 1.2)
a) over the first 10 seconds, b) over the
time interval 10 s to 15 s.
Distance–time graphs
We can calculate the speed of the cyclist at any
point by drawing a tangent to the curve, and then
measuring the gradient.

Example. On the graph in Figure 1.3, a gradient has

been drawn at point A, 20 seconds after the start of
the ride. Calculate the speed at this time.
Investigating motion

1 Plot a graph of distance against time

2 Which student was slow to react as the walker
passed?
3 Use the graph to determine the walker’s speed: a)
over the first 10 m b) over the second 10 m.
 Study Questions

1 A helicopter flies from London to Paris in 2 hours, covering a distance of

300 km. Calculate the helicopter’s speed in km/h.

average speed =
 Study Questions
2 Curtis cycles to school. Figure 1.5 shows the
distance–time graph for his journey.
a) How long did Curtis stop at the traffic lights?
b) During which part of the journey was Curtis
travelling fastest?
40s
The last part, because the gradient of the graph is steepest.
3 A car travels 100 m in a time of 5 s at a constant speed. Sketch a distance–time graph
to show the motion of the car.
4 The table below shows average speeds and times recorded by top male athletes
in several track events. Copy and complete the table.

10.4

19.4s

44.9s
1491m

5.7
42196m
 5 Ravi, Paul and Tina enter a 30 km road race. Figure 1.6 shows Ravi’s and Paul’s
progress through the race.
a) Which runner ran at a constant speed? Explain your
answer.
b) Calculate Paul’s average speed for the 30 km run.
c) What happened to Paul’s speed after 2 hours?
Tina was one hour late starting the race. During the race
she ran at a constant speed of 15 km/h.
d) Copy the graph and add to it a line to show how Tina
ran.
e) Determine how far Tina had run when she overtook
Paul.
(a) Ravi, gradient has single value
(b) Average speed = 30 km/3.5h = 8.57 km/h
(c) Speed decreases (e) 24 km
6 Sketch a graph of distance travelled (y-axis) against time (x-axis) for a train coming
into a station. The train stops for a while at the station and then starts again.
7 Determine which of the answers below is the closest to the speed at point B of
Figure 1.3.
a) 4 m/s b) 10 m/s c) 15 m/s

Rise = 100 m

Run = 10 s
gradient = 100 m/10 s = 10 m/s
8 A sprinter runs 100 metres in 12.5 seconds. Work out her speed in m/s. 8 m/s

9 A jet can travel at 350 m/s. How far will it travel

at this speed in:
10 500 m (10.5 km)
a) 30 seconds
b) 5 minutes 105 000 m (105 km)
c) half an hour? 630 000 m (630 km)

10 A snail crawls at a speed of 0.0004 m/s. How long will it take to climb a
garden cane 1.6 m high? 4000 s
11 Look at the following sketches of distance-time graphs of moving
objects.

In which graph is the object:

a) moving backwards graph D
b) moving slowly graph C
c) moving quickly graph A
d) not moving at all? graph B
12 Sketch a distance-time graph to show the motion of a person walking quickly,
stopping for a moment, then continuing to walk slowly in the same direction.

10

6
distance

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

time
13 Plot a distance-time graph using the data in the following table. Draw a line of best
fit and use your graph to find the speed of the object concerned.

Distance (m) 0.00 1.60 3.25 4.80 6.35 8.00 9.60

Time (s) 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30
9

5
distance

0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3
time

Gradient =distance/time = 8 m/ 0.25s =32 m/s

 14 Explain the difference between the following terms:
a) average speed and instantaneous speed
b) speed and velocity.

a) Average speed is found by dividing the total distance a body has travelled by the
time it has taken; the speed may vary from moment to moment during this time.
The instantaneous speed is the speed at which the body is travelling at a moment
in time.
b) Speed is a scalar quantity – it is distance travelled divided by time without
regard to direction.
Velocity is a vector quantity – it is speed in a specified direction.
15. This question uses the equation v2 = u2 + 2as.
(a) Explain what each of the terms in this equation represents.
(b) A ball is thrown vertically upwards at 25 m/s. Gravity causes the ball to decelerate
at 10 m/s2. Calculate the maximum height the ball will reach.

(a) v = final velocitiy, u = initial velocity, a = acceleration, s = displacement

(b) u = 25 m/s, v = 0, a = - 10 m/s2, s = ?

v2 = u2 + 2as
0 = 252 +2×(-10)×s
s = 31.25 m
= 32 m