Hakimuddin Phalasiyawala
AMSB
May-June 2021
CLASS 11 PHYSICS MOTION IN A
STRAIGHT LINE
Class 11 Physics Motion In A Straight Line Motion
Motion
Motion is change in position of an object
with time. Motion of object along a straight
line is called rectilinear motion. Examples
include flying kite, moving train, earth’s
rotation etc.
Class 11 Physics Motion In A Straight Line Frame of Reference
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.
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.
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.
Class 11 Physics Motion In A Straight Line Frame of Reference
• Motion along a straight line
• Motion along a straight line is described using only X-axis of the coordinate system.
Class 11 Physics Motion In A Straight Line Frame of Reference
Path Length (Distance) Vs. Displacement
Path Length: It is the distance between two points along a straight
line. It is scalar quantity.
Displacement: It is the change in position in a particular time
interval. It is vector quantity. Change is position is usually denoted
by Δx (x2-x1) and change in time is denoted by Δt (t2-t1).
For the above example, if a person goes from home (O) to school (x2) and comes back from school to Park (x1), then
Path length(Home to School and School to Park) = Ox2 + x2x1 = (+80) + (+60) = +140m. This is always positive.
Displacement(Home to Park) = Ox2 - x2x1 = +80 – (+60) = +20m. This can be positive as well as negative. The negative
sign indicates the direction.
Magnitude of Displacement may or may not be equal to the path length.
For a non-zero path length, displacement can be 0 (case where an object returns to origin).
Class 11 Physics Motion In A Straight Line
Graphs
Position-Time, Velocity-Time and Acceleration-Time Graph
Criteria P-T Graph V-T Graph A-T Graph
Time and Time and Time and
X and Y axis
Position Velocity Acceleration
It represents
It represents It represents
the jerk or
Slope velocity of an acceleration
push of a
object of an object.
moving object.
Uniform Uniform
Straight slope Uniform jerk
velocity acceleration
Change in the
Change in Change in
Curvy Slope amount of
velocity acceleration
push/jerk
Class 11 Physics Motion In A Straight Line Average Velocity and Average Speed
Graphs
Criteria Average Velocity Average Speed
Total path length
Change in
travelled divided
position or
by total time
Definition displacement
interval
divided by time
regardless of
interval.
direction.
Avg speed =
Total path
Formula
length/Total time
interval
Scalar or Vector Vector Scalar
Can be positive
Sign Always positive
or negative
Unit m/s m/s
Class 11 Physics Motion In A Straight Line Frame of Reference
Instantaneous Velocity and Instantaneous Speed
Instantaneous velocity describes how fast an object is moving at
different instants of time in a given time interval. It is also defined as
average velocity for an infinitely small-time interval.
• Here lim is taking operation of taking limit with time tending
towards 0 or infinitely small.
• dx/dt is differential coefficient – Rate of change of position with
respect to time at an instant.
Instantaneous speed is the magnitude of velocity. Instantaneous
speed at an instant is equal to the magnitude of the instantaneous
velocity at that instant.
Class 11 Physics Motion In A Straight Line
Motion
Acceleration
Acceleration is rate of change of velocity with time. It is denoted by ‘a’ and the SI unit is m/s2.
Average acceleration is change of velocity over a time interval.
Here v1 and v2 are instantaneous velocities at time t1 and t2.
Acceleration can be positive (increasing velocity) or negative (decreasing velocity).
Instantaneous acceleration is acceleration at different instants of time. Acceleration at an instant is
slope of tangent to the v-t curve at that instant.
•For a velocity v0 at time t=0, the velocity v at time t will be, v = v0 + a Area
under v-t curve represents displacement over given time interval.
Class 11 Physics Motion In A Straight Line
Motion
Relative Velocity
This is the velocity of an object relative to some other object which
might be stationary, moving slowly, moving with same velocity, moving
with higher velocity or moving in opposite direction.
If initial position of two objects A and B are xA (0) and xB (0), the
position at time t will be,
xA (t) = xA (0) + vA t
xB (t) = xB (0) + vB t
Displacement from object A to B, [ xB (0) - xA (0) ] + (vB -vA)t
Velocity of B relative to A = vBA = vB – vA
Velocity of A relative to B = vAB = vA – vB
THE END
