Distance and displacement

Mechanics is the branch of physics which concerns itself with

forces, and how they affect a body's motion.

Kinematics is the sub-branch of mechanics which studies only a

body's motion without regard to causes.

Dynamics is the sub-branch of mechanics which studies the

forces which cause a body's motion.

The two pillars of

mechanics
Galileo Newton
Kinematics Dynamics
(Calculus)
Distance and displacement
Kinematics is the study of displacement, velocity and
acceleration, or in short, a study of motion.
A study of motion begins with position and change in position.
Consider Freddie the Fly, and his quest for food:

chip
e
olat
hoc
c
lt ed
Me
d=6m
The distance Freddie travels is simply how far he has flown,
without regard to direction. Freddie's distance is 6 meters.
Distance and displacement
Distance is simply how far something has traveled without regard
to direction. Freddy has gone 6 m.
Displacement, on the other hand, is not only distance traveled,
but also direction.

Distance = 6 m
Displacement = 6 m
in the positive x-direction

This makes displacement a vector. It has a magnitude (6 m) and a

direction (+ x-direction).
We say Freddie travels through a displacement of 6 m in the
positive x-direction.
Distance and displacement
Let’s revisit some previous examples of a ball moving through
some displacements…
Displacement A
x(m)
Displacement B
x(m)
Displacement A is just 15 m to the right (or +15 m for short).
Displacement B is just 20 m to the left (or -20 m for short).

FYI
Distance A is 15 m, and Distance B is 20 m. There is no regard for
direction in distance.
Distance and displacement
Now for some detailed analysis of these two motions…
Displacement A
x(m)
Displacement B
x(m)

Displacement ∆x (or s) has the following formulas:

∆x = x2 – x1 displacement
s = x2 – x1 where x2 is the final position
and x1 is the initial position

FYI
Many textbooks use ∆x for displacement, and IB uses s. Don’t
confuse the “change in ∆” with the “uncertainty ∆” symbol. And
don’t confuse s with seconds!
Distance and displacement
∆x = x2 – x1 displacement
s = x2 – x1 where x2 is the final position
and x1 is the initial position

EXAMPLE: Use the displacement formula to find each

displacement. Note that the x = 0 coordinate has been placed on
the number lines.
1 2
Displacement A x(m)
2 0 1
Displacement B x(m)

SOLUTION:
FYI
For A: s = (+10) – (-5) = +15 m.
The correct direction (sign)
For B: s = (-10) – (+10) = -20 m. is automatic!
Speed and velocity
Velocity v is a measure of how fast an object moves through a
displacement.
Thus, velocity is displacement divided by time, and is measured in
meters per second (m s-1).

v = ∆x / ∆t velocity
v=s/t

EXAMPLE: Find the velocity of the second ball (Ball B) if it takes 4

seconds to complete its displacement.

SOLUTION:
For B: s = (-10) – (+10) = -20 m.
But t = 4 s. Therefore v = -20 m / 4 s = -5 m s-1.
Note that v “inherits” its direction from s.
Speed and velocity
From the previous example we calculated the velocity of the ball
to be -5 m s-1.
Thus, the ball is moving 5 m s-1 to the left.
With disregard to the direction, we can say that the ball’s speed is
5 m s-1.
We define speed as distance divided by time, with disregard to
direction.

PRACTICE: A runner travels 64.5 meters in the negative x-

direction in 31.75 seconds. Find her velocity, and her speed.

SOLUTION:
Her velocity is -64.5 / 31.75 = - 2.03 m s-1.
Her speed is 64.5 / 31.75 = 2.03 m s-1.
Acceleration
Acceleration is the change in velocity over time.

a = ∆v / ∆t acceleration
a = (v – u) / t where v is the final velocity
and u is the initial velocity

Since u and v are measured in m/s and since t is measured in s, a

is measured in m/s2, or in IB format, a is measured in m s-2.

FYI
Many textbooks use ∆v = vf - vi for change in velocity, vf for final
velocity and vi initial velocity. IB gets away from the subscripting
mess by choosing v for final velocity and u for initial velocity.
Acceleration
a = ∆v / ∆t acceleration
a = (v – u) / t where v is the final velocity
and u is the initial velocity
EXAMPLE: A driver sees his speed is 5.0 m s-1. He then
simultaneously accelerates and starts a stopwatch. At the end of
10. s he observes his speed to be 35 m s-1. What is his
acceleration?

SOLUTION: Label each number with a letter:

v = 35 m s-1, u = 5.0 m s-1, and t = 10. s.
Next, choose the formula: a = (v – u) / t.
Now substitute and calculate:
a = ( 35 – 5 ) / 10 = 3.0 m s-2.
Acceleration
a = ∆v / ∆t acceleration
a = (v – u) / t where v is the final velocity
and u is the initial velocity

PRACTICE:
(a) Why is velocity a vector?
(b) Why is acceleration a vector?

SOLUTION:
(c) Velocity is a displacement over time. Since displacement is a
vector, so is velocity.
(d) Acceleration is a change in velocity over time. Since velocity
is a vector, so is acceleration.
Solving problems using equations of motion for uniform
acceleration

Back in the 1950s, military aeronautical engineers thought that

humans could not withstand much of an acceleration, and
therefore put little effort into pilot safety belts and ejection seats.
An Air Force physician by the name of Colonel Stapp, however,
thought humans could withstand higher accelerations.
He designed a rocket sled to accelerate at up to 40g (at which
acceleration you would feel like you weighed 40 times your normal
weight!).
Solving problems using equations of motion for uniform
acceleration
The human to be tested would be Stapp himself.
An accelerometer and a video camera were attached to the sled.
Here are the results:
Solving problems using equations of motion for uniform
acceleration
Here are the data.
In 1954, America's original Rocketman, Col. John Paul Stapp,
attained a then-world record land speed of 632 mph, going from a
standstill to a speed faster than a .45 bullet in 5.0 seconds on an
especially-designed rocket sled, and then screeched to a dead
stop in 1.4 seconds, sustaining more than 40g's of force, all in the
interest of safety.
There are TWO accelerations in this problem:
(a) He speeds up from 0 to 632 mph in 5.0 s.
(b) He slows down from 632 mph to 0 in 1.4 s.
Solving problems using equations of motion for uniform
acceleration
There are TWO accelerations in this problem:
(a) He speeds up from 0 to 632 mph in 5.0 s.
(b) He slows down from 632 mph to 0 in 1.4 s.
EXAMPLE: Convert 632 mph to m/s.
SOLUTION: Use “well-chosen” ones…
632 mi × 5280 ft × 1 m × 1 h = 280 m
1h 1 mi 3.28 ft 3600. s s
EXAMPLE: Was Stapp more uncomfortable while he was
speeding up, or while he was slowing down?
SOLUTION: While slowing down. Why?
Solving problems using equations of motion for uniform
acceleration
There are TWO accelerations in this problem:
(a) He speeds up from 0 to 632 mph in 5.0 s.
(b) He slows down from 632 mph to 0 in 1.4 s.
EXAMPLE: Find Stapp’s acceleration during the speeding up
phase.
SOLUTION:
v
a= = v f - v i = 280 m/s - 0 m/s = 60 m/s2
t t 5s
EXAMPLE: Find Stapp’s acceleration during the slowing down
phase.
a = v - u = 0 m/s - 280 m/s = - 200 m s-2
t 1.4 s
Determining instantaneous and average values for velocity, speed
and acceleration

Consider a car whose position is changing.

A patrol officer is checking its speed with a radar gun as shown.
The radar gun measures the position of the car during each
successive snapshot, shown in yellow.

How can you tell that the car is speeding up?

What are you assuming about the radar gun time?
Determining instantaneous and average values for velocity, speed
and acceleration
We can label each position with an x and the time interval
between each x with a ∆t.

Then vA = (x2 - x1)/∆t,

vB = (x3 - x2)/∆t, and finally
vC = (x4 - x3)/∆t.

Focus on the interval from x2 to x3.

Note that the speed changed from x2 to x3, and so vB is NOT really
the speed for that whole interval.
We say the vB is an average speed (as are vA and vC).
vA vB vC
∆t ∆t ∆t

x1 x2 x3 x4
Determining instantaneous and average values for velocity, speed
and acceleration

If we increase the sample rate of the radar gun (make the ∆t

smaller) the positions will get closer together.
Thus the velocity calculation is more exact.
We call the limit as ∆t approaches zero in the equation v = ∆x / ∆t
the instantaneous velocity.

For this level of physics we will just be content with the average
velocity. Limits are beyond the scope of this course.
Determining instantaneous and average values for velocity, speed
and acceleration

By the same reasoning, if ∆t gets smaller in the acceleration

equation, our acceleration calculation becomes more precise.
We call the limit as ∆t approaches zero of the equation a = ∆v / ∆t
the instantaneous acceleration.

For this level of physics we will be content with the average

acceleration.
Equations of motion for uniform acceleration
The equations for uniformly accelerated motion are also known as
the kinematic equations. They are listed here

Displacement
Velocity
Timeless
Average displacement
They can only be used if the acceleration a is CONSTANT
(uniform).
They are used so commonly throughout the physics course that
we will name them.
Equations of motion for uniform acceleration

From a = (v – u)/t we get

at = v – u.

Rearrangement leads to v = u + at, the velocity equation.

Now, if it is the case that the acceleration is constant, then the
average velocity can be found by taking the sum of the initial and
final velocities and dividing by 2 (just like test grades). Thus

average velocity = (u + v) / 2.

But the displacement is the average velocity times the time, so

that s = (u + v)t / 2, the average displacement equation.
Equations of motion for uniform acceleration
We have derived v = u + at and s = (u + v)t / 2.
Let’s tackle the first of the two harder ones.

s = (u + v)t / 2 Given
s = (u + u + at)t / 2 v = u + at
s = (2u + at)t / 2 Like terms
s = 2ut/2 + at 2/ 2 Distribute t/2
s = ut + (1/2)at 2 Cancel 2

which is the displacement equation.

Since the equation s = (u + v)t/2 only works if the acceleration is

constant, s = ut + (1/2)at 2 also works only if the acceleration is
constant.
Equations of motion for uniform acceleration
We now have derived v = u + at, s = (u + v)t / 2 and
s = ut + (1/2)at 2. Let’s tackle the timeless equation.

From v = u + at we can isolate the t.

v – u = at
t = (v – u)/a

From s = (u + v)t / 2 we get: Multiply by 2

2s = (u + v)t t = (v - u)/a
2s = (u + v)(v – u) / a Multiply by a
2as = (u + v)(v – u) FOIL
2as = uv – u2 + v2 – vu Cancel (uv = vu)
v2 = u2 + 2as
Equations of motion for uniform acceleration
Just in case you haven’t written these down, here they are again.

s = ut + (1/2)at2 Displacement kinematic

v = u + at Velocity equations
v2 = u2 + 2as Timeless a is constant
s = (u + v)t/2 Average displacement

We will practice using these equations soon. They are extremely

important.
Before we do, though, we want to talk about freefall and its special
acceleration g.