MODULE 5

KINEMATICS

INTRODUCTION
Motion is change in position of an object with time. The study of motion of objects along a straight line,
also known as rectilinear motion. In Kinematics, we study ways to describe motion without going into
the causes of motion.
What is Distance?
Distance is the total movement of an object without any regard to direction. We can define distance as to
how much ground an object has covered despite its starting or ending point.
Let’s understand with the following diagram

Distance here will be = 4m +3m +5m = 12 m

Distance Formula
Δd = d1+d2
What is Displacement?
It is defined as the change in position of an object. It is a vector quantity and has a direction and
magnitude. It is represented as an arrow that points from the starting position to the final position. For
Example- If an object moves from A position to B, then the object’s position changes. This change in
position of an object is known as Displacement.
 Displacement = Δx=xf−x0
xf = Final Position
x0 = Initial Position
Δx = Displacement
Speed: Speed is a scalar quantity which means it has no direction. It denotes how fast an object is
moving. If the speed of the particle is high it means the particle is moving fast and if it is low, it means
the particle is moving slow.

𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
Speed = 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒

Uniform Speed: When an object covers equal distance in equal intervals of time then the object is said
to be moving with a uniform speed. Example: - Speed of light.

Variable Speed: A body is said to be moving with variable speed if it covers unequal distances in equal
intervals of time.

Average Speed: Average speed of a body is defined as that uniform speed with which it covers the
same distance in a given interval of time as is actually covered by it in the same interval of time while
moving with variable speed.
It is given by the ratio of the total distance traveled by the body to the total time taken by it.
i.e Average speed =Total distance traveled / Total time taken

Instantaneous Speed: If the speed of a body is continuously changing with time , then the speed at
some particular instant during the motion is called instantaneous speed.
Ex: Speedometer of moving automobiles measures instantaneous speed.

Velocity: Velocity is a vector quantity which means it has both magnitude and direction. It denotes the
rate at which the object is moving or changing position. The direction of the velocity vector is easy to
find. Its direction is same as the direction of the moving object. Even if the object is slowing down, and
the magnitude of velocity is decreasing, its direction would still be same as the direction in which the
object is moving
Average Speed
The average speed of a body in a certain time interval is the distance covered by the body in that time
interval divided by time. So if a particle covers a certain distance s in a time t1 to t2, then the average
speed of the body is:
𝑆
Vav = 𝑇2−𝑇1
 In general, average speed formula is:
𝑇𝑜𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑
Average Speed = 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛

Uniform velocity: A body is said to be moving with uniform velocity if its average velocity between
any two points along its path is the same in magnitude as well as direction.
Or
A body is said to be moving with uniform velocity is it always moves in the same direction and covers
equal distances in equal intervals of time.
Variable velocity: A body is said to be moving with variable velocity if its average velocity is different
between different points along its path either in magnitude or in direction or both in magnitude as well
as direction.
Or
A body is said to be moving with variable velocity if it covers distances in unequal intervals of time or
unequal distances in equal intervals of time, however small these intervals may be, or it changes its
direction of motion.
Instantaneous velocity: When a body is moving with variable velocity, then its velocity at a particular
instant of time or at a particular point along its path is known as its instantaneous velocity. It is equal to
the limiting value of average velocity as dt tends to zero.
Instantaneous velocity is equal to the differential coefficient of displacement w.r.t time.

Acceleration: The state of change of velocity of a body with time is known as its acceleration.
If the velocity of a body increases with time, then its acceleration is positive. On the other hand, if the
velocity of a body decreases with time, then its acceleration is negative. Negative acceleration is also
called retardation or deceleration. Acceleration is a vector quantity.
Units of acceleration. The units of acceleration are: Cms-2 and ms-2.
Average Acceleration. When a body is moving with variable acceleration, then its average acceleration
in a given interval of time is defined as the ratio of the change in velocity of the body to the time
interval.
If V1 is the velocity of the body at time T1 and V2 is the velocity of the body at time T2, then its average
acceleration during the time interval (T2 – T1) is given by.
𝑉2−𝑉1
a =𝑇2−𝑇1

Uniform Acceleration. A body is said to be moving with uniform acceleration. if its average
acceleration. between any two points along its path is the same in magnitude as well as direction.
 Variable Acceleration. A body is said to be moving with variable acceleration if its average
acceleration is different between different points along its path, either in magnitude or in direction or
both in magnitude as well as direction.
Instantaneous Acceleration. When a body is moving with variable acceleration, then its acceleration at
a particular instant of time or at a particular position along its path is known as its instantaneous
acceleration.

Newton's Laws of Motion

There are three Newton’s laws of motion. In these laws, he explained the relationship between forces
acting on the body and the motion of the body. Newton’s three laws are as stated below:
1. An object continues to be under the state of uniform motion unless an external force acts on it.
2. Force is a product of mass and acceleration.
3. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Newton’s first law of motion is also known as the law of inertia. In Newton’s second law of motion, the
velocity is constant. Newton’s third law of motion is also known as conservation of momentum.
Newton’s Law of Motion
Sir Isaac Newton was an English mathematician, astronomer and physicist who gave three laws which
proved to be fundamental laws for describing the motion of a body. These are generally known as
Newton’s laws of motion. We will discuss each law of motion one by one in detail.

Its states that “A body at rest or uniform motion will continue to be at rest or uniform motion until and
unless a net external force acts on it”. Suppose a block is kept on the floor, it will remain at rest until we
apply some external force to it. Also, we know that it takes us more effort or force to move a heavy
mass. This is directly related to a property known as Inertia. This law is also known as the law of inertia.
Newton’s Second Law of Motion:
The first law has already given us a qualitative definition of force. Now we are interested in finding out
its magnitude. According to Newton’s second law of motion, the net force experienced by a body is
directly proportional to the rate of change of momentum of the body. It can be written as:

F ∝ dP / dt
F ∝ mv − mu / t
F ∝ m ( v−u ) / t
F ∝ ma
F = kma
Where k is the constant of proportionality and it comes out to be 1 when the values are taken in SI unit.
Hence the final expression will be,
F = ma
Newton’s Third Law of Motion:
According to Newton’s third law of motion, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Forces are always found in pairs. For instance, when you sit on a chair, your body exerts a force
downward and that chair needs to exert an equal force upward or else the chair will collapse.
Rectilinear Motion
Rectilinear motion is another name for straight-line motion. This type of motion describes the movement
of a particle or a body.
A body is said to experience rectilinear motion if any two particles of the body travel the same distance
along two parallel straight lines. The figures below illustrate rectilinear motion for a particle and body.
Rectilinear motion for a particle:

Curvilinear Motion
Curvilinear motion is defined as motion that occurs when a particle travels along a curved path. The
curved path can be in two dimensions (in a plane), or in three dimensions. This type of motion is more
complex than rectilinear (straight-line) motion