CHAPTER 2

Representing Motion
You can use displacement and velocity to describe an object’s motion.

SECTIONS
1 Picturing Motion
2 Where and When?
3 Position-Time Graphs
4 How Fast?

LaunchLAB iLab Station

TOY CAR RACE

What factors determine an object’s speed?

WATCH THIS! Video

MEASURING SPEED
Have you ever been passed by another car on the
freeway? If you know a few important details, it's
possible to determine how fast that car is
going. It's physics in action on the freeway.
(l)Steve Allen/Brand X Pictures, (r)Photodisc/Getty Images

32 Chapter 2 • Representing Motion

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 Go online!
connec
connectED.mcgraw-hill.com

Chapter 2 • Representing Motion 33

0032_0033_C02_CO_659252.indd 33 3/22/11 9:46 AM

 SECTION
S C O 1 Picturing Motion
PHYSICS Look at this multiple-exposure
multiple- photograph of a bird’s
movement. Physicists can use these photographs to

4 YOU evaluate changes in position and velocity.

All Kinds ooff Motion

You have learned about scientific processes that will be useful in
MAIN IDEA your study of physics. You will now begin to use these tools to analyze
You can use motion diagrams to show motion. In subsequent chapters, you will apply these processes to many
how an object’s position changes kinds of motion. You will use words, sketches, diagrams, graphs, and
over time. equations. These concepts will help you determine how fast and how
far an object moves, in which direction that object is moving, whether
Essential Questions that object is speeding up or slowing down, and whether that object is
• How do motion diagrams represent standing still or moving at a constant speed.
motion? Changes in position What comes to your mind when you hear the
• How can you use a particle model to word motion? A spinning ride at an amusement park? A baseball soaring
represent a moving object? over a fence for a home run? Motion is all around you—from fast trains
and speedy skiers to slow breezes and lazy clouds. Objects move in
Review Vocabulary many different ways, such as the straight-line path of a bowling ball in a
model a representation of an idea, bowling lane’s gutter, the curved path of a car rounding a turn, the spiral
event, structure, or object to help people of a falling kite, and swirls of water circling a drain. When an object is in
better understand it
motion, such as the subway train in Figure 1, its position changes.
New Vocabulary Some types of motion are more complicated than others. When
beginning a new area of study, it is generally a good idea to begin with
motion diagram
the least complicated situation, learn as much as possible about it, and
particle model
then gradually add more complexity to that simple model. In the case of

(t)Creativity+ Timothy K. Hamilton/Flickr/Getty Images, (b)Gavin Hellier/Robert Harding World Imagery/Getty Images
motion, you will begin your study with movement along a straight line.

Figure 1 The subway train appears blurry in the photograph because its position changed during
the time the camera shutter was open.
Describe how the picture would be different if the train were sitting still.

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 Movement along a straight line In general, an
object can move along many different kinds of paths,
but straight-line motion follows a path directly
between two points without turning left or right. For
example, you might describe an object's motion as
forward and backward, up and down, or north and
south. In each of these cases, the object moves along a
straight line.
Suppose you are reading this textbook at home. As
you start to read, you glance over at your pet hamster
and see that it is sitting in a corner of the cage.
Sometime later you look over again, and you see that
it now is sitting next to the food dish in the opposite
corner of the cage. You can infer that your hamster
has moved from one place to another in the time
between your observations. What factors helped you
make this inference about the hamster’s movement?
The description of motion is a description of place
and time. You must answer the questions of where an
object is located and when it is at that position in
order to clearly describe its motion. Next, you will
look at some tools that help determine when an object
is at a particular place.

READING CHECK Identify two factors you must know

in order to describe the motion of an object along a
straight line.

Motion Diagrams
Consider the following example of straight-line
motion: a runner jogs along a straight path. One way
of representing the runner’s motion is to create a
series of images showing the runner’s position at
equal time intervals. You can do this by photographing
the runner in motion to obtain a sequence of pictures.
Each photograph will show the runner at a point that
is farther along the straight path.
Consecutive images Suppose you point a camera
in a direction and a runner crosses the camera’s field
of view. Then you take a series of photographs of the
runner at equal time intervals, without moving the
camera. Figure 2 shows what a series of consecutive
images for a runner might look like. Notice that the
runner is in a different position in each image, but
everything in the background remains in the same
position. This indicates that, relative to the camera
Hutchings Photography

and the ground, only the runner is in motion.

READING CHECK Decide whether the spaces between a

moving object's position must be equal if photographs Figure 2 You can tell that the jogger is in motion because her
are taken of the object at equal time intervals. Explain. position changes relative to the tree and the ground.

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 Combining images Suppose that you layered
the four images of the runner from Figure 2 one on
top of the other. Figure 3 shows what such a layered
image might look like. You see more than one image
of the moving runner, but you see only a single image
of the tree and other motionless objects in the back-
ground. A series of images showing the positions of
a moving object at equal time intervals is called a
motion diagram.

Particle Models
Keeping track of the runner’s motion is easier if
you disregard the movement of her arms and her legs
and instead concentrate on a single point at the center
of her body. In effect, you can disregard the fact that
the runner has size and imagine that she is a very
Figure 3 Combining the images from Figure 2 produces this motion small object located precisely at that central point. In
diagram of the jogger’s movement. The series of dots at the bottom of a particle model, you replace the object or objects of
the figure is a particle model that corresponds to the motion diagram. interest with single points. Use of the particle model
Explain how the particle model shows that the jogger’s speed is not is common throughout the study of physics.
changing. To use the particle model, the object’s size must
be much less than the distance it moves. The object’s
View an animation of motion diagrams v. particle motion. internal motions, such as the waving of the runner’s
Concepts In Motion arms or the movement of her legs, are ignored in the
particle model. In the photographic motion diagram,
you could identify one central point on the runner,
such as a point centered at her waistline, and draw a
PhysicsLAB dot at its position at different times. The bottom of
Figure 3 shows the particle model for the runner’s
MOTION DIAGRAMS motion. In the next section, you will learn how to
How do the motion diagrams of a fast toy car and a
slow toy car differ? create and use a motion diagram that shows how far
an object moved and how much time it took to move
iLab Station that far.

SECTION 1 REVIEW Section Self-Check Check your understanding.

1. MAI
MAINN IDEA How does a motion diagram represent an 4. Motion Diagram of a Bird Draw a particle model motion
object's motion? diagram corresponding to the motion diagram in
Figure 5 for a flying bird. What point on the bird did
2. Motion Diagram of a Bike Rider Draw a particle model you choose to represent the bird?
motion diagram for a bike rider moving at a constant
pace along a straight path.

3. Motion Diagram of a Car Draw a particle model motion

diagram corresponding to the motion diagram in Figure 4
for a car coming to a stop at a stop sign. What point on
the car did you use to represent the car?
Figure 5
STOP
Hutchings Photography

5. Critical Thinking Draw particle model motion diagrams

for two runners during a race in which the first runner
crosses the finish line as the other runner is three-
Figure 4
fourths of the way to the finish line.

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 SECTION 2 Where and When?
PHYSICS Have you ever used an electronic map for directions? These
useful devices display the distances and directions you need

4 YOU to go. Many even show the time for different parts of the
trip. To find your way to a place, you need clear directions
for getting there.

Coordinate Systems
Is it possible to measure distance and time on a motion diagram?
MAIN IDEA Before photographing a runner, you could place a long measuring tape
A coordinate system is helpful when you on the ground to show where the runner is in each image. A stopwatch
are describing motion. within the camera’s view could show the time. But where should you
place the end of the measuring tape? When should you start the
Essential Questions stopwatch?
• What is a coordinate system? Position and distance It is useful to identify a system in which you
• How does the chosen coordinate have chosen where to place the zero point of the measuring tape and
system affect the sign of objects’ when to start the stopwatch. A coordinate system gives the location of
positions? the zero point of the variable you are studying and the direction in
• How are time intervals measured? which the values of the variable increase. The origin is the point at
• What is displacement? which all variables in a coordinate system have the value zero. In the
example of the runner, the origin, which is the zero point of the
• How are motion diagrams helpful in
answering questions about an object’s
measuring tape, could be 6 m to the left of the tree. Because the motion
position or displacement? is in a straight line, your measuring tape should lie along this line. The
straight line is an axis of the coordinate system.
Review Vocabulary You can indicate how far the runner in Figure 6 is from the origin at a
dimension extension in a given certain time on the motion diagram by drawing an arrow from the origin
direction; one dimension is along a to the point that represents the runner, shown at the bottom of the figure.
straight line; three dimensions are This arrow represents the runner’s position, the distance and direction
height, width, and length from the origin to the object. In general, distance is the entire length of
an object’s path, even if the object moves in many directions. Because the
New Vocabulary motion in Figure 6 is in one direction, the arrow lengths represent distance.
coordinate system
origin n Motion Diagram
position
distance
magnitude
vector
scalar x
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
time interval meters
displacement
resultant
Oleksiy Maksymenko/age fotostock

x
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
meters

Figure 6 A simplified motion diagram uses dots to represent a moving object and arrows to
indicate positions.

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 Negative position Is there such a thing as a negative position?
Suppose you chose the coordinate system just described but this time
placed the origin 4 m left of the tree with the x-axis extending in a positive
direction to the right. A position 9 m left of the tree, or 5 m left of the
origin, would be a negative position, as shown in Figure 7.

-5 0 5
x Vectors and Scalars
meters Many quantities in physics have both size, also called magnitude,
and direction. A quantity that has both magnitude and direction is
Figure 7 The green arrow indicates a called a vector. You can represent a vector with an arrow. The length of
negative position of –5 m if the direction
right of the origin is chosen as positive. the arrow represents the magnitude of the vector, and the direction of
the arrow represents the direction of the vector. A quantity that is just a
Infer What position would the arrow
indicate if you chose the direction left of the number without any direction, such as distance, time, or temperature, is
origin as positive? called a scalar. In this textbook, we will use boldface letters to represent
vector quantities and regular letters to represent scalars.
Time intervals are scalars. When analyzing the runner’s motion,
you might want to know how long it took her to travel from the tree to
the lamppost. You can obtain this value by finding the difference
between the stopwatch reading at the tree and the stopwatch reading at
the lamppost. Figure 8 shows these stopwatch readings. The difference
between two times is called a time interval.
A common symbol for a time interval is Δt, where the Greek letter
delta (Δ) is used to represent a change in a quantity. Let t i represent the
initial (starting) time, when the runner was at the tree. Let t f represent
the final (ending) time of the interval, when the runner was at the
lamppost. We define a time interval mathematically as follows.

TIME INTERVAL
The time interval is eq
equal
qual to tthe change in time from the initial time to the final time.
VOCABULARY
Science Usage v. Common Usage Δt = t f - t i
Magnitude The subscripts i and f represent
r the initial and final times, but they can
• Science usage finall times of any time interval you choose. In the
be the initial and fina
a measure of size runner,
example of the runner r the time it takes for her to go from the tree to
When drawing vectors, the magnitude of
the lamppost is t f − t i = 5.0 s − 1.0 s = 4.0 s. You could instead describe
a vector is proportional to that vector’s
length. the time interval for the
thh runner to go from the origin to the lamppost.
• Common usage In this case the time in
interval
n would be t f − t i = 5.0 s − 0.0 s = 5.0 s.
great size or extent The time interval is a scalar
s because it has no direction. What about the
The magnitude of the Grand Canyon is runner's position? Is it also a scalar?
difficult to capture in photographs.

0 0 0
25 5 25 5 25 5

20 10 20 10 20 10
15 15 15

Figure 8 You can use the clocks in the

figure to calculate the time interval (Δt) for x
the runner’s movement from one position 0 5 10 15 20 25 30
to another. meters

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 Positions and displacements are vectors. You have already
seen how a position can be described as negative or positive in order
to indicate whether that position is to the left or the right of a coordinate
system’s origin. This suggests that position is a vector because position
has direction—either right or left in this case.
Figure 9 shows the position of the runner at both the tree and the MiniLAB
lamppost. Notice that you can draw an arrow from the origin to the
location of the runner in each case. These arrows have magnitude and
VECTOR MODELS
How can you model vector addition
direction. In common speech, a position refers to a certain place, but in using construction toys?
physics, the definition of a position is more precise. A position is a vector
with the arrow's tail at the origin of a coordinate system and the arrow's iLab Station
tip at the place.
You can use the symbol x to represent position vectors mathematically.
In Figure 9, the symbol x i represents the position at the tree, and the symbol
x f represents the position at the lamppost. The symbol Δx represents the
change in position from the tree to the lamppost. Because a change in
position is described and analyzed so often in physics, it has a special
name. In physics, a change in position is called a displacement. Because
displacement has direction, it is a vector.
READING CHECK Contrast the distance an object moves and the object's
displacement for straight-line motion.

What was the runner’s displacement when she ran from the tree to
the lamppost? By looking at Figure 9, you can see that this displacement is
20 m to the right. Notice also, that the displacement from the tree to the
lamppost (Δx) equals the position at the lamppost (xf) minus the position
at the tree (x i). This is true in general; displacement equals final position
minus initial position.

DISPLACEMENT
Displacement is the change in position from initial position to final position.

Δx = x f - x i
Remember that the initial and final positions are the start and the
end of any interval you choose. Although position is a vector, sometimes
the magnitude of a position is described without the boldface. In this
case, a plus or minus sign might be used to indicate direction.
READING CHECK Describe what the direction and length of a displacement
arrow indicate.

xf
xi

Δx Figure 9 The vectors x i and x f represent

positions. The vector Δx represents
displacement from x i to x f.
x
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Describe the displacement from the
meters lamppost to the tree.

Section 2 • Where and When? 39

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 Vector addition and subtraction You will learn about many
different types of vectors in physics, including velocity, acceleration, and
momentum. Often, you will need to find the sum of two vectors or the
difference between two vectors. A vector that represents the sum of two
other vectors is called a resultant. Figure 10 shows how to add and Figure 10 You can use a diagram or an
equation to combine vectors.
subtract vectors in one dimension. In a later chapter, you will learn how
to add and subtract vectors in two dimensions. Analyze What is the sum of a vector
12 m north and a vector 8 m north?

Example of Vector Addition

A B
origin 5 km east 2 km east
R=A+B R=A+B
= 5 km + 2 km = 7 km east
= 7 km
Resultant R
7 km east

Examples of Vector Subtraction

A
origin 4 km east
R=A-B R=A-B
= 4 km - 6 km = A + (-B)
-B
= -2 km = 2 km west
6 km west
Resultant R 2 km west

A
origin 7 km east
R=A-B R=A-B
= 7 km - 4 km = A + (-B)
-B = 3 km = 3 km east
4 km west
Resultant R 3 km east

SECTION 2 REVIEW Section Self-Check Check your understanding.

6. MAI
MAINN IDEA Identify a coordinate system you could use 9. Displacement The motion diagram for a boy walking to
to describe the motion of a girl swimming across a school is shown below.
rectangular pool.
Home • • • • • • • • • • School
7. Displacement The motion diagram for a car traveling on Make a copy of this motion diagram, and draw vec-
an interstate highway is shown below. The starting and tors to represent the displacement between each pair
ending points are indicated. of dots.
Start • • • • • • End 10. Critical Thinking A car travels straight along a street
Make a copy of the diagram. Draw a vector to represent from a grocery store to a post office. To represent its
the car’s displacement from the starting time to the motion, you use a coordinate system with its origin at
end of the third time interval. the grocery store and the direction the car is moving
as the positive direction. Your friend uses a coordinate
8. Position Two students added a vector for a moving system with its origin at the post office and the oppo-
object's position at t = 2 s to a motion diagram. When site direction as the positive direction. Would the two
they compared their diagrams, they found that their of you agree on the car’s position? Displacement?
vectors did not point in the same direction. Explain. Distance? The time interval the trip took? Explain.

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 SECTION 3 Position-Time Graphs
PHYSICS Many graphs show trends over time. For example, a graph
might show the price of gasoline through the course of

4 YOU several months or years. Similarly, a position-time graph can

show how a rower’s position changes through time. Rowers
can use graphs to analyze their performances.

Finding Positions
When analyzing complex motion, it often is useful to represent the
motion in a variety of ways. A motion diagram contains information
about an object’s position at various times. Tables and graphs can also
show this same information. Review the motion diagrams in Figure 8 and
Figure 9. You can use these diagrams to organize the times and corresponding
MAIN IDEA
positions of the runner, as in Table 1.
You can use position-time graphs to
determine an object’s position at a Plotting data The data listed in Table 1 can be presented on a
certain time. position-time graph, in which the time data is plotted on a horizontal
axis and the position data is plotted on a vertical axis. The graph of the
Essential Questions runner’s motion is shown in Figure 11. To draw this graph, first plot the
• What information do position-time runner’s positions. Then, draw a line that best fits the points.
graphs provide? Estimating time and position Notice that the graph is not a
• How can you use a position-time graph picture of the runner’s path—the graphed line is sloped, but the runner’s
to interpret an object’s position or path was horizontal. Instead, the line represents the most likely positions
displacement? of the runner at the times between the recorded data points. Even
• What are the purposes of equivalent though there is no data point exactly when the runner was 12.0 m
representations of an object’s motion? beyond her starting point or where she was at t = 4.5 s, you can use the
graph to estimate the time or her position. The example problem on the
Review Vocabulary next page shows how.
intersection a point where lines meet
and cross Position v. Time
Table 1 Position v. Time 30.0
New Vocabulary
Time (s) Position (m)
position-time graph 25.0
instantaneous position 0.0 0.0
Position (m)

20.0
1.0 5.0
15.0
2.0 10.0
10.0
3.0 15.0
5.0
4.0 20.0

5.0 25.0 0.0

1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0
Time (s)
Figure 11 You can create a position-time graph by plotting the
Gerard Hermand/Flickr/Getty Images

positions and times from the table. By drawing a best-fit line, you can
estimate other times and positions.
Explain Why is the line on the graph sloped even though it describes
motion along a flat path?
View an animation of position-time graphs.
Concepts In Motion

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 EXAMPLE PROBLEM EXAMPLE PROBLEM 1 Find help with interpolating and extrapolating. Math Handbook

ANALYZE A POSITION-TIME GRAPH When did the runner whose motion is described
in Figure 11 reach 12.0 m beyond the starting point? Where was she after 4.5 s?

1 ANALYZE THE PROBLEM Position v. Time

Restate the questions. 30.0
Question 1: At what time was the magnitude of the runner’s
position (x) equal to 12.0 m? 25.0

Position (m)
Question 2: What was the runner’s position at time t = 4.5 s? 20.0

2 SOLVE FOR THE UNKNOWN 15.0

Question 1 10.0
Examine the graph to find the intersection of the best-fit line
5.0
with a horizontal line at the 12.0 m mark. Next, find where a
vertical line from that point crosses the time axis. The value 0.0
of t there is 2.4 s. 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0
Time (s)
Question 2
Find the intersection of the graph with a vertical line at 4.5 s
(halfway between 4.0 s and 5.0 s on this graph). Next, find
where a horizontal line from that point crosses the position
axis. The value of x is approximately 22.5 m.

PRACTICE PROBLEMS Do additional problems. Online Practice

For problems 11–13, refer to Figure 12.

PRACTICE PROBLEMS
S

Position v. Time
11. The graph in Figure 12 represents the motion of
a car moving along a straight highway. Describe in 150.0
words the car’s motion.
12. Draw a particle model motion diagram that 100.0
Position (m)

corresponds to the graph.

13. Answer the following questions about the car’s 50.0
motion. Assume that the positive x-direction is east
of the origin and the negative x-direction is west of 0.0
1.0 3.0 5.0 7.0
the origin.
-50.0
a. At what time was the car's position 25.0 m east of
the origin? Time (s)
b. Where was the car at time t = 1.0 s? Figure 12
c. What was the displacement of the car between
times t = 1.0 s and t = 3.0 s?
14. The graph in Figure 13 represents the motion of Position v. Time
two pedestrians who are walking along a straight
B
sidewalk in a city. Describe in words the motion of the
pedestrians. Assume that the positive direction is east
of the origin.
Position (m)

15. CHALLENGE Ari walked down the hall at school A

from the cafeteria to the band room, a distance of
100.0 m. A class of physics students recorded and
graphed his position every 2.0 s, noting that he moved
2.6 m every 2.0 s. When was Ari at the following
positions?
a. 25.0 m from the cafeteria Time (s)
b. 25.0 m from the band room
c. Create a graph showing Ari’s motion. Figure 13

42 Chapter 2 • Representing Motion

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 Position v. Time
Table 1 Position v. Time
30.0
Time (s) Position (m)
25.0
0.0 0.0

Position (m)
20.0
1.0 5.0
15.0
2.0 10.0
10.0
3.0 15.0

4.0 20.0 5.0

5.0 25.0 0.0

1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0
Time (s)
Motion Diagram
Begin End

Figure 14 You can describe the runner’s

Instantaneous position How long did the runner spend at any motion using the data table, the motion
location? Each position has been linked to a time, but how long did that diagram, and the graph.
time last? You could say “an instant,” but how long is that? If an instant Identify one benefit the table has over the
lasts for any finite amount of time, then the runner would have stayed at graph.
the same position during that time, and she would not have been moving.
An instant is not a finite period of time, however. It lasts zero seconds.
The symbol x represents the runner’s instantaneous position—the
position at a particular instant. Instantaneous position is usually simply
called position.
READING CHECK Explain what is meant by the instantaneous position
of a runner.

Equivalent representations As shown in Figure 14, you now have

several different ways to describe motion. You might describe motion
using words, pictures (or pictorial representations), motion diagrams,
data tables, or position-time graphs. All of these representations contain
the same information about the runner’s motion. However, depending
on what you want to learn about an object’s motion, some types of
representations will be more useful than others. In the pages that follow,
you will practice constructing these equivalent representations and learn
which ones are most useful for solving different kinds of problems.

PHYSICS CHALLENGE
POSITION-TIME GRAPHS Natana, Olivia, and Phil all enjoy exercising and often go
to a path along the river for this purpose. Natana bicycles at a very consistent 40.25
km/h, Olivia runs south at a constant speed of 16.0 km/h, and Phil walks south at a
brisk 6.5 km/h. Natana starts biking north at noon from the waterfalls. Olivia and Phil
both start at 11:30 A.M. at the canoe dock, 20.0 km north of the falls.
Karl Weatherly/Getty Images

1. Draw position-time graphs for each person.

2. At what time will the three exercise enthusiasts be located within the smallest
distance interval from each other?
3. What is the length of that distance interval?

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 Multiple Objects on a Position-Time Graph
A position-time graph for two different runners is shown in Example
Problem 2 below. Notice that runner A is ahead of runner B at time t = 0,
but the motion of each runner is different. When and where does one
runner pass the other? First, you should restate this question in physics
terms: At what time are the two runners at the same position? What
is their position at this time? You can evaluate these questions by
identifying the point on the position-time graph at which the lines
representing the two runners’ motions intersect.
The intersection of two lines on a position-time graph tells you when
objects have the same position, but does this mean that they will collide?
Not necessarily. For example, if the two objects are runners and if they
are in different lanes, they will not collide, even though they might be
the same distance from the starting point.
READING CHECK Explain what the intersection of two lines on a position-
time graph means.

What else can you learn from a position-time graph? Notice in

Example Problem 2 that the lines on the graph have different slopes.
What does the slope of the line on a position-time graph tell you? In the
next section, you will use the slope of a line on a position-time graph to
determine the velocity of an object. When you study accelerated motion,
you will draw other motion graphs and learn to interpret the areas under
the plotted lines. In later studies, you will continue to refine your skills
with creating and interpreting different types of motion graphs.

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 2 Find help with interpolating and extrapolating. Math Handbook
EXAMPLE PROBLEM

INTERPRETING A GRAPH The graph to the right describes the motion

of two runners moving along a straight path. The lines representing
their motion are labeled A and B. When and where does runner B pass
Position v. Time
runner A?

1 ANALYZE THE PROBLEM 200

Restate the questions.
Question 1: At what time are runner A and runner B at the same 150
position?
Question 2: What is the position of runner A and runner B at this 100
Position (m)

time? A
50 B
2 SOLVE FOR THE UNKNOWN
Question 1 0
15 25 35 45 55
Examine the graph to find the intersection of the line representing
the motion of runner A with the line representing the motion of -50
runner B. These lines intersect at time 45 s.
Question 2 -100
Time (s)
Examine the graph to determine the position when the lines
representing the motion of the runners intersect. The position of
both runners is about 190 m from the origin.
Runner B passes runner A about 190 m beyond the origin, 45 s
after A has passed the origin.

44 Chapter 2 • Representing Motion

0041_0045_C02_S03_659252.indd 44 3/28/11 12:57 PM

 PRACTICE PROBLEMS Do additional problems. Online Practice

PRACTICE PR
For problems 16–19, refer to the figure in Example
Problem 2 on the previous page.
16. Where was runner A located at t = 0 s? Position v. Time
6.0
17. Which runner was ahead at t = 48.0 s?
5.0

Position (km)
18. When runner A was at 0.0 m, where was runner B?

ta
4.0

ni
a
19. How far apart were runners A and B at t = 20.0 s?

Ju
r
3.0 athe
20. CHALLENGE Juanita goes for a walk. Later her friend He

ROBLEMS
Heather starts to walk after her. Their motions are 2.0
represented by the position-time graph in Figure 15. 1.0
a. How long had Juanita been walking when Heather 0.0
started her walk? 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
b. Will Heather catch up to Juanita? How can you tell? Time (h)
c. What was Juanita’s position at t = 0.2 h? Figure 15
d. At what time was Heather 5.0 km from the start?

SECTION 3 REVIEW Section Self-Check Check your understanding.

21. MAIN
MAI N IDEA Using the particle model motion diagram 24. Distance Use the position-time graph in Figure 17 to
in Figure 16 of a baby crawling across a kitchen floor, determine how far the hockey puck moved between
plot a position-time graph to represent the baby's times 0.0 s and 5.0 s.
motion. The time interval between successive dots
25. Time Interval Use the position-time graph for the
on the diagram is 1 s.
hockey puck to determine how much time it took for
the puck to go from 40 m beyond the origin to 80 m
beyond the origin.
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
26. Critical Thinking Look at the particle model diagram
Position (cm) and the position-time graph shown in Figure 18. Do
Figure 16 they describe the same motion? How do you know?
Do not confuse the position coordinate system in the
particle model with the horizontal axis in the position-
For problems 22–25, refer to Figure 17. time graph. The time intervals in the particle model
22. Particle Model Create a particle model motion diagram diagram are 2 s.
from the position-time graph in Figure 17 of a hockey
puck gliding across a frozen pond.
23. Time Use the hockey puck’s position-time graph to 0 10
determine the time when the puck was 10.0 m beyond
the origin. Position (m)

Position v. Time
Position v. Time
140 12
120
Position (m)
Position (m)

100 8
80
60
4
40
20
0.0 0
1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 1 2 3 4 5
Time (s) Time (s)
Figure 17 Figure 18

Section 3 • Position-Time Graphs 45

0041_0045_C02_S03_659252.indd 45 3/28/11 12:57 PM

 SECTION
S C O 4 How Fast?
PHYSICS S
Snails
o
move much slower than cheetahs. You can see this by
observing how far the animals travel during a given time

4 YOU p
period. For example, a cheetah can travel 30 m in a second,
b
but a snail might move only 1 cm in that time interval.

Velocity and Speed

Suppose you recorded the motion of two joggers on one diagram, as
MAIN IDEA shown by the graph in Figure 19. The position of the jogger wearing red
An object’s velocity is the rate of change changes more than that of the jogger wearing blue. For a fixed time
in its position. interval, the magnitude of the displacement (Δx) is greater for the jogger
in red because she is moving faster. Now, suppose that each jogger
Essential Questions travels 100 m. The time interval (Δt) for the 100 m would be smaller for
• What is velocity? the jogger in red than for the one in blue.
• What is the difference between speed Slope on a position-time graph Compare the lines representing
and velocity? the joggers in the graph in Figure 19. The slope of the red jogger’s line is
• How can you determine an object’s steeper, indicating a greater change in position during each time interval.
average velocity from a position-time Recall that you find the slope of a line by first choosing two points on the
graph? line. Next, you subtract the vertical coordinate (x in this case) of the first
• How can you represent motion with point from the vertical coordinate of the second point to obtain the rise of
pictorial, physical, and mathematical the line. After that, you subtract the horizontal coordinate (t in this case)
models? of the first point from the horizontal coordinate of the second point to
obtain the run. The rise divided by the run is the slope.
Review Vocabulary
absolute value magnitude of a number, Figure 19 A greater slope shows that the red jogger traveled faster.
regardless of sign Analyze How much farther did the red jogger travel than the blue jogger in the 3 s interval
described by the graph?
New Vocabulary
average velocity Slope
average speed x - xi
= f
instantaneous velocity tf - ti
6.0 m - 2.0 m
=
3.0 s - 1.0 s

= 2.0 m/s
6.0
Slope
5.0
x - xi
= f
Position (m)

4.0 tf - ti
er
gg
Jo

3.0 m - 2.0 m
3.0 =
d

3.0 s - 2.0 s
Re

2.0 r
g ge = 1.0 m/s
1.0 e Jo
B lu
IT Stock Free/Alamy

0.0
1.0 2.0 3.0
Time (s)

46 Chapter 2 • Representing Motion

0046_0051_C02_S04_659252.indd 46 6/2/11 11:40 AM

 Average velocity Notice that the slope of the
faster runner’s line in Figure 19 is a greater number. A
greater slope indicates a faster speed. Also notice that
the slope’s units are meters per second. Looking at
how the slope is calculated, you can see that slope is
the change in the magnitude of the position divided
by the time interval during which that change took
PhysicsLABs
xf − xi CONSTANT SPEED
place: _t −t
, or _
Δx
. When Δx gets larger, the slope How can you determine average speed by measuring
f i Δt
gets larger; when Δt gets larger, the slope gets smaller. distance and time?
This agrees with the interpretation given on the
previous page of the speeds of the red and blue MEASURE VELOCITY
joggers. Average velocity is the ratio of an object’s PROBEWARE LAB How can you measure velocity with
change in position to the time interval during which a motion detector?
the change occurred. If the object is in uniform iLab Station
motion, so that its speed does not change, then its
average velocity is the slope of its position-time graph.

AVERAGE VELOCITY
Average velocity is defined as the change in position divided by the
time during which the change occurred.

v− ≡ _
xf − xi
Δx
=_
Δt tf − ti
The symbol ≡ means that the left-hand side of the
equation is defined by the right-hand side.
Interpreting slope The position-time graph’s slope in
Figure 20 is -5.0 m/s. Notice that the slope of the
graph indicates both magnitude and direction. By
calculating the slope from the rise divided by the run
between two points, you find that the object whose
motion is represented by the graph has an average
velocity of -5.0 m/s. The object started out at a Figure 20 The downward slope of this position-time graph shows
that the motion is in the negative direction.
positive position and moves toward the origin. After
4 s, it passes the origin and continues moving in the Analyze What would the graph look like if the motion were at the
same speed, but in the positive direction?
negative direction at a rate of 5.0 m/s.

READING CHECK Explain the meaning of a position-time Position v. Time

graph slope that is upward or downward, and above or
below the x-axis. 20

15
Average speed The slope’s absolute value is the
object’s average speed, 5.0 m/s, which is the distance 10
Position (m)

traveled divided by the time taken to travel that

distance. For uniform motion, average speed is the 5
absolute value of the slope of the object’s position- 0
time graph. The combination of an object’s average 1 2 3 4 5
-5
speed (v) and the direction in which it is moving is
the average velocity (v). Remember that if an object -10
moves in the negative direction, its change in position
-15
is negative. This means that an object's displacement Time (s)
and velocity are both always in the same direction.

Section 4 • How Fast? 47

0046_0051_C02_S04_659252.indd 47 6/2/11 11:40 AM

 EXAMPLE PROBLEM EXAMPLE PROBLEM 3 Get help with average velocity and average speed. Personal Tutor

AVERAGE VELOCITY The graph at the right describes the

straight-line motion of a student riding her skateboard along a
smooth, pedestrian-free sidewalk. What is her average velocity?
What is her average speed? Position v. Time
12.0
1 ANALYZE AND SKETCH THE PROBLEM
Identify the graph’s coordinate system.
9.0

Position (m)
UNKNOWN
v=? v=?
6.0
2 SOLVE FOR THE UNKNOWN
Find the average velocity using two points on the line. 3.0

v=_
Δx
Δt 0.0
1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0
x -x Time (s)
=_
f i
tf - t i

= __
12.0 m - 0.0 m
▼

7.0 s - 0.0 s
Substitute x2 = 12.0 m, x1 = 0.0 m,
t2 = 7.0 s, t1 = 0.0 s.

v = 1.7 m/s in the positive direction

The average speed (v−) is the absolute value of the average velocity, or 1.7 m/s.

3 EVALUATE THE ANSWER

• Are the units correct? The units for both velocity and speed are meters per second.
• Do the signs make sense? The positive sign for the velocity agrees with the
coordinate system. No direction is associated with speed.

PRACTICE PROBLEMS Do additional problems. Online Practice

PRACTICE PROBLEMS
S

27. The graph in Figure 21 describes the motion of a Position v. Time

cruise ship drifting slowly through calm waters. The
positive x-direction (along the vertical axis) is defined South
to be south. Time (s)
a. What is the ship’s average speed? 1 2 3 4
Position (m)

b. What is its average velocity? 0

28. Describe, in words, the cruise ship’s motion in the

-1
previous problem.
29. What is the average velocity of an object that moves
from 6.5 cm to 3.7 cm relative to the origin in 2.3 s? -2

30. The graph in Figure 22 represents the motion of a Figure 21

bicycle.
a. What is the bicycle’s average speed? Position v. Time
b. What is its average velocity? 20
Position (km)

31. Describe, in words, the bicycle’s motion in the 15

previous problem.
10
32. CHALLENGE When Marshall takes his pet dog for
a walk, the dog walks at a very consistent pace of 5
0.55 m/s. Draw a motion diagram and a position-
0
time graph to represent Marshall’s dog walking the 5 10 15 20 25 30
19.8-m distance from in front of his house to the Time (min)
nearest stop sign. Figure 22

48 Chapter 2 • Representing Motion

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 Instantaneous velocity Why do we call the quantity _ Δx
average
Δt
velocity? Why don’t we just call it velocity? A motion diagram shows
the position of a moving object at the beginning and end of a time
interval. It does not, however, indicate what happened within that
time interval. During the time interval, the object’s speed could have
remained the same, increased, or decreased. The object may have
stopped or even changed direction. You can find the average velocity
for each time interval in the motion diagram, but you cannot find
the speed and the direction of the object at any specific instant. The
speed and the direction of an object at a particular instant is called the
instantaneous velocity. In this textbook, the term velocity will refer
to instantaneous velocity, represented by the symbol v.

READING CHECK Explain how average velocity is different from velocity.

Average velocity on motion diagrams When an object moves

between two points, its average velocity is in the same direction as
REAL-WORLD
its displacement. The two quantities are also proportional—when
displacement is greater during a given time interval, so is average
PHYSICS
velocity. A motion diagram indicates the average velocity’s direction SPEED RECORDS The world record
and magnitude. for the men’s 100-m dash is 9.58 s,
Imagine two cars driving down the road at different speeds. A video established in 2009 by Usain Bolt. The
camera records the motion of the cars at the rate of one frame every world record for the women’s 100-m
second. Imagine that each car has a paintbrush attached to it that dash is 10.49 s, established in 1988 by
automatically descends and paints a red line on the ground for half a Florence Griffith-Joyner.
second every second. The faster car would paint a longer line on the
ground. The vectors you draw on a motion diagram to represent the
velocity are like the lines that the paintbrushes make on the ground
below the cars. In this book, we use red to indicate velocity vectors
on motion diagrams. Figure 23 shows motion diagrams with velocity
vectors for two cars. One is moving to the right, and the other is
moving to the left.

READING CHECK Identify what the lengths of velocity vectors mean.

MiniLAB
VELOCITY VECTORS
How can velocity vectors represent
Equation of Motion the motion of a mass on a string?

Often it is more efficient to use an equation, rather than a graph, to iLab Station
solve problems. Any time you graph a straight line, you can find an
equation to describe it. Take another look at the graph in Figure 20 for the
object moving with a constant velocity of -5.0 m/s. Recall that you can
represent any straight line with the equation y = mx + b, where y is the
quantity plotted on the vertical axis, m is the line’s slope, x is the
Paul Gilham/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

quantity plotted on the horizontal axis, and b is the line’s y-intercept. Figure 23 The length of each velocity
vector is proportional to the magnitude of the
For the graph in Figure 20, the quantity plotted on the vertical axis is
velocity that it represents.
position, represented by the variable x. The line’s slope is -5.0 m/s,
which is the object’s average velocity (v). The quantity plotted on the
horizontal axis is time (t). The y-intercept is 20.0 m. What does this
20.0 m represent? This shows that the object was at a position of 20.0 m
when t = 0.0 s. This is called the initial position of the object and it is
designated xi.

Section 4 • How Fast? 49

0046_0051_C02_S04_659252.indd 49 6/2/11 11:40 AM

 A summary is given to the left of how the general
CONNECTING MATH TO PHYSICS variables in the straight-line formula are changed to the
Lines and Graphs Symbols used in the point-slope specific variables you have been using to describe
equation of a line relate to symbols used for motion motion. The table also shows the numerical values for
variables on a position-time graph. the average velocity and initial position. Consider the
graph shown in Figure 20. The mathematical equation
Specific Motion Value in for the line graphed is as follows:
General Variable
Variable Figure 20
y = (-5.0 m/s)x + 20.0 m
y x
You can rewrite this equation, using x for position and
m v− -5.0 m/s t for time.
x t x = (-5.0 m/s)t + 20.0 m
b xi 20.0 m It might be confusing to use y and x in math but use x
and t in physics. You do this because there are many
types of graphs in physics, including position v. time
graphs, velocity v. time graphs, and force v. position
graphs. For a position v. time graph, the math equation
y = mx + b can be rewritten as follows:

POSITION
An object's position is equal to the average velocity multiplied by time
plus the initial position.

x = v−t + xi
This equation gives you another way to represent
motion. Note that a graph of x v. t would be a
straight line.

EXAMPLE PROBLEM 4 Find help with solving equations. Math Handbook

EXAMPLEE PROBLEM
M

POSITION The figure shows a motorcyclist traveling east along

a straight road. After passing point B, the cyclist continues to
travel at an average velocity of 12 m/s east and arrives at
point C 3.0 s later. What is the position of point C?

1 ANALYZE THE PROBLEM

Choose a coordinate system with the origin at A.

KNOWN UNKNOWN
v = 12 m/s east x=?
A B C
xi = 46 m east
xi = 46 m east
t = 3.0 s x=?

2 SOLVE FOR THE UNKNOWN

x = vt + xi
▼▼

Use magnitudes for the calculations.

= (12 m/s)(3.0 s) + 46 m Substitute v− = 12 m/s, t = 3.0 s, and xi = 46 m.
= 82 m
x = 82 m east

3 EVALUATE THE ANSWER

• Are the units correct? Position is measured in meters.
• Does the direction make sense? The motorcyclist is traveling east the entire time.

50 Chapter 2 • Representing Motion

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 PRACTICE PROBLEMS Do additional problems. Online Practice

PRACTICE PR
For problems 33–36, refer to Figure 24.
33. The diagram at the right shows the path of a ship xi = 25 km
that sails at a constant velocity of 42 km/h east. What
is the ship’s position when it reaches point C, relative D A B C
to the starting point, A, if it sails from point B to point East
C in exactly 1.5 h? Origin
34. Another ship starts at the same time from point B,
but its average velocity is 58 km/h east. What is its

ROBLEMS
position, relative to A, after 1.5 h?
35. What would a ship’s position be if that ship started at
point B and traveled at an average velocity of 35 km/h
Figure 24
west to point D in a time period of 1.2 h?
36. CHALLENGE Suppose two ships start from point B
and travel west. One ship travels at an average
velocity of 35 km/h for 2.2 h. Another ship travels at an
average velocity of 26 km/h for 2.5 h. What is the final
position of each ship?

SECTION 4 REVIEW Section Self-Check Check your understanding.

37. MAI
MAINN IDEA How is an object’s velocity related to its 41. Average Speed and Average Velocity Explain how
position? average speed and average velocity are related to
For problems 38–40, refer to Figure 25. each other for an object in uniform motion.
38. Ranking Task Rank the position-time graphs according 42. Position Two cars are traveling along a straight road,
to the average speed, from greatest average speed to as shown in Figure 26. They pass each other at point
least average speed. Specifically indicate any ties. B and then continue in opposite directions. The red
car travels for 0.25 h from point B to point C at a
39. Contrast Average Velocities Describe differences in the constant velocity of 32 km/h east. The blue car
average velocities shown on the graph for objects A travels for 0.25 h from point B to point D at a constant
and B. Describe differences in the average velocities velocity of 48 km/h west. How far has each car
shown on the graph for objects C and D. traveled from point B? What is the position of each
40. Ranking Task Rank the graphs in Figure 25 according to car relative to the origin, point A?
each object’s initial position, from most positive
position to most negative position. Specifically indicate
any ties. Would your ranking be different if you ranked
according to initial distance from the origin?

B D D A Origin B C

xi = 6.0 km east
A
Position (m)

Figure 26

43. Position A car travels north along a straight highway

at an average speed of 85 km/h. After driving 2.0 km,
the car passes a gas station and continues along the
highway. What is the car's position relative to the start
of its trip 0.25 h after it passes the gas station?
C
Time (s)
44. Critical Thinking In solving a physics problem, why is
it important to create pictorial and physical models
Figure 25 before trying to solve an equation?

Section 4 • How Fast? 51

0046_0051_C02_S04_659252.indd 51 3/28/11 12:59 PM

 (2 12)C Squared Studios/Getty Images, (3)Stockbyte/Getty Images, (4 13)Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images, (5 6)The McGraw-Hill Companies, (7)Image Source/Alamy, (8 9 10)Photodisc/Getty Images, (11)Richard Hutchings/DLS.
GOt the time? What is time? If one hour of time
passes for you, does one hour of
time also pass for your friend?
You might think that the answer is
yes, but it is actually no. Time
passes at different rates depend-
ing on your point of view.
Speed and time Think about how wrong that last
sentence seems. For example, suppose that you tell
your friend to meet you at the mall in one hour. You
both assume that when one hour passes for you,
one hour also passes for your friend.
This is because you and your friend move very
60 slowly relative to each other. At slow speeds, one
hour for you is almost exactly the same as one hour
50 for your friend. As you move faster relative to your
Time that passes for you (min)

friend, however, the difference between your time

40 and your friend’s time increases.
When you travel at
200,000 km/s relative to
How fast? You would need to travel very fast
30 relative to your friend in order for any difference to
your friend, only 45 min.
pass for you when 60 min. be noticeable. If you travel at 100,000 km/s, then
20 only 57 minutes passes for you when one hour
pass for your friend.
passes for your friend. At 200,000 km/s, only
10 45 minutes passes for you during your friend’s hour.
Figure 1 shows how your time compares to
0 one hour of your friend’s time as you travel faster
0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 and faster relative to your friend.
Your speed relative to your friend (km/s) Real–World Application All of this might seem
rather pointless. After all, even the fastest spacecraft
FIGURE 1 In this graph, 60 minutes always passes for your travel at less than 100 km/s. Have you ever used a
friend, but other amounts of time pass for you. GPS receiver, such as the one shown in Figure 2?
At 4 km/s, a GPS satellite travels fast enough for
time differences to affect the accuracy of the GPS
receiver. The effect is small—approximately 10 μ s
in one day. It is enough, however, that the GPS
would become completely useless within one month
if engineers did not account for it.

FIGURE 2 This GPS receiver would

be completely inaccurate if the
designers of the Global Position-
ing System did not understand the
relativity of time.
(l to r, t to b)Ingram Publishing/Alamy,

Research Gravity also affects time. Research how

gravity affects time on Earth and on a GPS satellite.

0052_C02_FEA_659252.indd 52 3/22/11 9:53 AM

 CHAPTER 2 STUDY GUIDE
You can use displacement and velocity to describe an object's motion.

VOCABULARY SECTION 1 Picturing Motion

• motion diagram (p. 36) You can use motion diagrams to show how an object’s position
• particle model (p. 36) MAIN IDEA
changes over time.
• A motion diagram shows the position of an object at successive equal time intervals.
• In a particle model motion diagram, an object’s position at successive times is represented by a
series of dots. The spacing between dots indicates whether the object is moving faster or slower.

VOCABULARY SECTION 2 Where and When?

• coordinate system (p. 37)
• origin (p. 37) MAIN IDEA A coordinate system is helpful when you are describing motion.
• position (p. 37) • A coordinate system gives the location of the zero point of the variable you are studying and
• distance (p. 37) the direction in which the values of the variable increase.
• magnitude (p. 38) • A vector drawn from the origin of a coordinate system to an object indicates the object’s position in
• vector (p. 38) that coordinate system. The directions chosen as positive and negative on the coordinate system
• scalar (p. 38) determine whether the objects’ positions are positive or negative in the coordinate system.
• time interval (p. 38) • A time interval is the difference between two times.
• displacement (p. 39) Δt = t f - t i
• resultant (p. 40) • Change in position is displacement, which has both magnitude and direction.
Δx = x f - x i
• On a motion diagram, the displacement vector’s length represents how far the object was
displaced. The vector points in the direction of the displacement, from xi to x f .

VOCABULARY SECTION 3 Position

Position-Time
Time Graphs
• position-time graph (p. 41) MAIN IDEA You can use a position-time graph to determine an object’s position
• instantaneous position (p. 43) at a certain time.
• Position-time graphs provide information about the motion of objects. They also might indicate
where and when two objects meet.
• The line on a position-time graph describes an object’s position at each time.
• Motion can be described using words, motion diagrams, data tables, or graphs.

VOCABULARY SECTION 4 How Fast?

• average velocity (p. 47)
• average speed (p. 47) MAIN IDEA An object’s velocity is the rate of change in its position.
• instantaneous velocity (p. 49) • An object’s velocity tells how fast it is moving and in what direction it is moving.
• Speed is the magnitude of velocity.
• Slope on a position-time graph describes the average velocity of the object.
xf - xi
v− ≡ _
Δx
=_
Δt tf - ti
• You can represent motion with pictures and physical models. A simple equation relates an
object’s initial position (x i), its constant average velocity (v− ), its position (x), and the time (t)
Games and Multilingual eGlossary since the object was at its initial position.
x = v−t + x i
Vocabulary Practice

Chapter 2 • Study Guide 53

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 CHAPTER 2 ASSESSMENT Chapter Self-Check

SECTION 1 Picturing Motion 57. Nora jogs several times a week and always keeps
track of how much time she runs each time she goes
Mastering Concepts out. One day she forgets to take her stopwatch with
45. What is the purpose of drawing a motion diagram? her and wonders if there is a way she can still have
some idea of her time. As she passes a particular
46. Under what circumstances is it legitimate to treat an bank building, she remembers that it is 4.3 km from
object as a particle when solving motion problems? her house. She knows from her previous training
that she has a consistent pace of 4.0 m/s. How long
has Nora been jogging when she reaches the bank?
SECTION 2 Where and When?
Mastering Concepts 58. Driving You and a friend each drive 50.0 km. You
travel at 90.0 km/h; your friend travels at 95.0 km/h.
47. The following quantities describe location or its
How much sooner will your friend finish the trip?
change: position, distance, and displacement.
Briefly describe the differences among them.
48. How can you use a clock to find a time interval?
Applying Concepts
59. Ranking Task The position-time graph in Figure 27
SECTION 3 Position-Time
Position Time Graphs shows the motion of four cows walking from the
Mastering Concepts pasture back to the barn. Rank the cows according
to their average velocity, from slowest to fastest.
49. In-line Skating How can you use the position-time
graphs for two in-line skaters to determine if and
Position v. Time
when one in-line skater will pass the other one?

e
ssi
ie
SECTION 4 How Fast? Els Be
Position (m)

a
Mastering Concepts lind
Moo
50. BIGIDEA
BI Which equation describes how the average lly
velocity of a moving object relates to its displacement? Do

51. Walking Versus Running A walker and a runner leave

your front door at the same time. They move in the
same direction at different constant velocities. Time (s)
Describe the position-time graphs of each.
Figure 27
52. What does the slope of a position-time graph measure?
53. If you know the time it took an object to travel 60. Figure 28 is a position-time graph for a rabbit
between two points and the positions of the object running away from a dog. How would the graph
at the points, can you determine the object's instan- differ if the rabbit ran twice as fast? How would it
taneous velocity? Its average velocity? Explain. differ if the rabbit ran in the opposite direction?

Mastering Problems Position v. Time

3
54. You ride a bike at a constant speed of 4.0 m/s for
Position (m)

5.0 s. How far do you travel?

2
55. Astronomy Light from the Sun reaches Earth in
about 8.3 min. The speed of light is 3.00×108 m/s. 1
What is the distance from the Sun to Earth?
56. Problem Posing Complete this problem so that 0
1 2 3
someone must solve it using the concept of average Time (s)
speed: “A butterfly travels 15 m from one flower to
another ….” Figure 28

54 Chapter 2 • Assessment

0054_0056_C02_CA_659252.indd 54 3/28/11 12:58 PM

 Chapter Self-Check

61. Test the following combinations and explain why 66. Figure 31 shows position-time graphs for Joszi and
each does not have the properties needed to Heike paddling canoes in a local river.
describe the concept of velocity: Δx + Δt, Δ x - Δt, a. At what time(s) are Joszi and Heike in the same
Δ x × Δt, _
Δt
. place?
Δx
b. How long does Joszi paddle before passing Heike?
62. Football When solving physics problems, what must
c. Where on the river does it appear that there might
be true about the motion of a football in order for
be a swift current?
you to treat the football as if it were a particle?
Position v. Time
63. Figure 29 is a graph of two people running. 18
a. Describe the position of runner A relative to 16
Joszi
runner B at the y-intercept. 14
Heike

Position (km)
b. Which runner is faster? 12
c. What occurs at point P and beyond? 10
8
Position v. Time 6
4
B
n er 2
n
Position (m)

Ru ner A 0
0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5
Run
P
Time (h)
Figure 31

67. Driving Both car A and car B leave school when a

stopwatch reads zero. Car A travels at a constant
75 km/h, and car B travels at a constant 85 km/h.
Time (s)
Figure 29 a. Draw a position-time graph showing the motion of
both cars over 3 hours. How far are the two cars from
school when the stopwatch reads 2.0 h? Calculate the
distances and show them on your graph.
Mixed Review b. Both cars passed a gas station 120 km from the
64. Cycling A cyclist traveling along a straight path school. When did each car pass the gas station?
maintains a constant velocity of 5.0 m/s west. At Calculate the times and show them on your graph.
time t = 0.0 s, the cyclist is 250 m west of point A. 68. Draw a position-time graph for two cars traveling
a. Plot a position-time graph of the cyclist’s location to a beach that is 50 km from school. At noon, car A
from point A at 10.0-s intervals for a total time of leaves a store that is 10 km closer to the beach than
60.0 s. the school is and moves at 40 km/h. Car B starts
b. What is the cyclist’s position from point A at 60.0 s? from school at 12:30 P.M. and moves at 100 km/h.
When does each car get to the beach?
c. What is the displacement from the starting
position at 60.0 s? 69. Two cars travel along a straight road. When a stopwatch
reads t = 0.00 h, car A is at xA = 48.0 km moving at a
65. Figure 30 is a particle model diagram for a chicken constant speed of 36.0 km/h. Later, when the watch
casually walking across a road. Draw the corre- reads t = 0.50 h, car B is at xB = 0.00 km moving at
sponding position-time graph, and write an equa- 48.0 km/h. Answer the following questions, first
tion to describe the chicken’s motion. graphically by creating a position-time graph and
then algebraically by writing equations for the posi-
This side The other side tions xA and xB as a function of the stopwatch time (t).
a. What will the watch read when car B passes car A?
b. At what position will car B pass car A?
Time intervals are 0.1 s.
Figure 30 c. When the cars pass, how long will it have been
since car A was at the reference point?

Chapter 2 • Assessment 55

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 ASSESSMENT
Chapter Self-Check

70. The graph in Figure 32 depicts Jim’s movement along 72. Apply Concepts You want to average 90 km/h on a
a straight path. The origin is at one end of the path. car trip. You cover the first half of the distance at an
average speed of 48 km/h. What average speed must
Position v. Time you have for the second half of the trip to meet your
14.0
goal? Is this reasonable? Note that the velocities are
12.0 based on half the distance, not half the time.
10.0 73. Design an Experiment Every time someone drives a
Position (m)

particular red motorcycle past your friend’s home,

8.0
his father becomes angry. He thinks the motorcycle
6.0 is going too fast for the posted 25 mph (40 km/h)
speed limit. Describe a simple experiment you could
4.0 do to determine whether the motorcycle is speeding
2.0 the next time it passes your friend’s house.

74. Interpret Graphs Is it possible for an object’s position-

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 time graph to be a horizontal line? A vertical line?
Time (s) If you answer yes to either situation, describe the
Figure 32 associated motion in words.
a. Reverse Problem Write a story describing Jim’s
movements along the path that would correspond
to the motion represented by the graph. Writing in Physics
b. When is Jim 6.0 m from the origin? 75. Physicists have determined that the speed of light is
c. How much time passes between when Jim starts 3.00×108 m/s. How did they arrive at this number?
moving and when he is 12.0 m from the origin? Read about some of the experiments scientists have
performed to determine light’s speed. Describe how
d. What is Jim’s average velocity between 37.0 s and
46.0 s? the experimental techniques improved to make the
experiments’ results more accurate.

76. Some species of animals have good endurance,

Thinking Critically while others have the ability to move very quickly,
71. Apply Calculators Members of a physics class stood but only for a short amount of time. Use reference
25 m apart and used stopwatches to measure the sources to find two examples of each quality, and
time at which a car traveling on the highway passed describe how it is helpful to that animal.
each person. Table 2 shows their data.

Table 2 Position v. Time Cumulative Review

Time (s) Position (m) 77. Convert each of the following time measurements
to its equivalent in seconds:
0.0 0.0
1.3 25.0 a. 58 ns c. 9270 ms
2.7 50.0 b. 0.046 Gs d. 12.3 ks
3.6 75.0 78. State the number of significant figures in the follow-
5.1 100.0 ing measurements:
5.9 125.0 a. 3218 kg c. 801 kg
7.0 150.0 b. 60.080 kg d. 0.000534 kg
8.6 175.0 79. Using a calculator, Chris obtained the following
10.3 200.0 results. Rewrite each answer using the correct num-
ber of significant figures.
Use a graphing calculator to fit a line to a position-
a. 5.32 mm + 2.1 mm = 7.4200000 mm
time graph of the data and to plot this line. Be sure to
set the display range of the graph so that all the data fit b. 13.597 m × 3.65 m = 49.62905 m2
on it. Find the line’s slope. What was the car’s speed? c. 83.2 kg - 12.804 kg = 70.3960000 kg

56 Chapter 2 • Assessment

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 CHAPTER 2 STANDARDIZED TEST PRACTICE
MULTIPLE CHOICE 4. What is the average velocity of a train moving along a
straight track if its displacement is 192 m east during
1. Which statement would be true about the particle a time period of 8.0 s?
model motion diagram for an airplane flying at a con- A. 12 m/s east C. 48 m/s east
stant speed of 850 km/h?
B. 24 m/s east D. 96 m/s east
A. The dots would start close together and get farther
apart as the plane moved away from the airport. 5. A squirrel descends an 8-m tree at a constant speed
B. The dots would be far apart at the beginning and in 1.5 min. It remains still at the base of the tree for
get closer together as the plane moved away from 2.3 min. A loud noise then causes the squirrel to
the airport. scamper back up the tree in 0.1 min to the exact
C. The dots would form an evenly spaced pattern. position on the branch from which it started. Ignoring
speeding up and slowing down motion, which graph
D. The dots would start close together, get farther most closely represents the squirrel’s vertical displace-
apart, and then get close together again as the air- ment from the base of the tree?
plane traveled away from the airport.
A C
2. Which statement about drawing vectors is true?

Position (m)

Position (m)
A. The vector’s length should be proportional to
its magnitude.
B. You need a vector diagram to solve all physics
problems properly.
C. A vector is a quantity that has a magnitude but no
direction. Time (min) Time (min)
D. All quantities in physics are vectors.
B D
3. The figure below shows a simplified graph of a
Position (m)

Position (m)
bicyclist’s motion. (Speeding up and slowing down
motion is ignored.) When is the person’s velocity
greatest?
A. section I C. point D
B. section III D. point B
Time (min) Time (min)

C FREE RESPONSE
IV
Position

III
D 6. A rat is moving along a straight path. Find the rat’s
II
B position relative to its starting point if it moves 12.8
I A cm/s north for 3.10 s.

Time

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