MOTION ALONG A

STRAIGHT LINE
DEFINITION OF TERMS
DISPLACEMENT is change in position. (unit: m, cm, mm, km)
⃗x
Δ ⃗x =⃗x − ⃗x 0
⃗x 0
VELOCITY is rate of change
of position. Δ ⃗x
(unit: m/s, cm/s, kph)

d ⃗x
⃗v =
dt

ACCELERATION is rate of change of velocity. (unit: m/s2, cm/s2)

d ⃗v
⃗a =
dt
SOME NOTES FOR THIS COURSE
• For convenience and simplicity, the straight line motion will either
be along the X-AXIS or the Y-AXIS.
• Positive direction is towards +x (or +y) while negative direction is
towards –x (or –y).
• DECELERATION is when an object is slowing down. It does not
necessarily mean negative acceleration. Deceleration occurs when
the acceleration is opposite in direction as the motion of the object.
• NEGATIVE ACCELERATION simply means the acceleration is
heading towards the negative direction.
• Unless otherwise stated, initial position is considered to be zero. The
same goes for initial time.
The type of motion an object undergoes depend on the acceleration of
the object.
UNIFORM MOTION
⃗a =0
Δ ⃗x
⃗v =constant= = ⃗v ave
⃗a =constant Δt

⃗a ⃗a ≠0
⃗v =⃗v 0 + ⃗a t
⃗a ≠constant
d ⃗v 1 2
⃗a = ⃗x = ⃗v 0 t + ⃗a t
dt 2
2 2
d ⃗x v =v 0 +2 ⃗a ⃗x
⃗v = ⃗v + ⃗v 0 Δ ⃗x
dt
⃗v ave = =
2 Δt
NON-UNIFORM
ACCELERATION UNIFORM ACCELERATION
MOTION ALONG A
STRAIGHT LINE
CONSTANT ACCELERATION
When the acceleration is constant at zero, the object is undergoing
UNIFORM MOTION.
Δ ⃗x
⃗a =constant=0 → ⃗v =constant= = ⃗v ave
Δt

When the acceleration is constant at a non-zero value, the object is

undergoing UNIFORM ACCELERATION.
⃗v =⃗v 0 + ⃗a t
1 2
⃗x = ⃗v 0 t + ⃗a t
2
⃗a =constant ≠0 → 2 2
v =v 0 +2 ⃗a ⃗x
⃗v + ⃗v 0 Δ ⃗x
⃗v ave = =
2 Δt
SAMPLE PROBLEM 1
A car accelerates from 40.0 kph to 100.0 kph in 10.0 s. Assuming the car accelerated
uniformly, determine the acceleration of the car.

⃗v 0 =40.0 kph=11.11111111 m/ s
⃗v =100.0 kph=27.77777778 m/ s
t =10.0 s
⃗a =constant=?
⃗v = ⃗v 0 + ⃗a t
⃗v −⃗v 0 27.77777778−11.11111111 2
⃗a = = =1.666666667 m/ s
t 10.0
2
⃗a =1.667 m/ s
SAMPLE PROBLEM 2
Starting from rest, a car travels 20.0 km along a straight highway in 15.0 minutes.
What is the final velocity of the car?

⃗v 0 =0
⃗x =20.0 km=20,000.0 m
t=15.0 min=900.0 s
⃗v =?
1 2 1 2
⃗x = ⃗v 0 t + ⃗a t =0+ ⃗a t
2 2
2 ⃗x 2(20,000.0) 2 ⃗v =44.444 m/ s
⃗a = 2 = 2
=0.04938271605 m / s
t (900.0) =160.000 kph
⃗v =⃗v 0 + ⃗a t =0+ ⃗a t
⃗v =0.04938271605(900.0)=44.44444444 m / s
SAMPLE PROBLEM 3
A man sees a car without a driver roll by and starts sprinting after it at a constant
speed of 3.0 m/s. The car has an initial speed of 5.0 m/s and is decelerating at a
constant rate of 0.5 m/s2. How long before the man catches up with the car?

1 2
⃗v man=3.0 m/ s=constant ⃗x =⃗v car 1 t + ⃗a car t
2
⃗v car 1=5.0 m/ s
1 2
2
⃗a car =−0.5 m/ s =constant ⃗v man t=⃗v car 1 t + ⃗a car t
2
⃗x man= ⃗x car = ⃗x 1
t man=t car =t=? ⃗v man =⃗v car 1+ ⃗a car t t=8.000 s
2
2( ⃗v man −⃗v car 1)
⃗x t=
⃗v man= ⃗acar
t 2(3.0−5.0)
⃗x =⃗v man t t= =8.0 s
−0.5
MOTION ALONG A
STRAIGHT LINE
NON-UNIFORM
ACCELERATION
When the acceleration is not constant, the object is said to be
undergoing NON-UNIFORM ACCELERATION.

For non-uniform acceleration, you go back to the basic definitions of

acceleration and velocity.

d ⃗v d ⃗x
⃗a = ⃗v =
dt dt

A problem of non-uniform acceleration will typically provide an

equation describing the motion of the object and depending on the
situation and what is being asked for by the problem, you might have
to differentiate or integrate the provided equation.
SAMPLE PROBLEM
The position of a toy car is found to be described by the following equation:
3 2
⃗x =−5 t +4 t +6 mm
a) Determine the displacement of the toy car from t = 2.0 s to t = 5.0 s.
b) What is the acceleration at t = 5.0 s?

3 2
⃗1
x (t=2)=−5(2) + 4(2) +6=−18.0 mm
3 2
⃗x 2 (t=5)=−5(5) +4(5) +6=−519.0 mm Δ ⃗x =−501.000 mm
Δ ⃗x =⃗x 2 −⃗x 1=−519+18=−501.0 mm
d ⃗x 2
⃗v = =−15 t +8 t
dt
2
d ⃗v ⃗a5 s =−142.000 mm/ s
⃗a = =−30 t +8
dt
2
⃗a (t=5)=−30(5)+8=−142.0 mm/ s
MOTION ALONG A
STRAIGHT LINE
FREEFALL MOTION
FREEFALL MOTION is basically vertical motion with GRAVITY as
the only source of acceleration.
⃗a = ⃗g =constant
⃗v =⃗v 0 + ⃗g t
⃗a = ⃗g =−g
1 2
⃗y = ⃗v 0 t + ⃗g t
2
2 2
v =v 0 +2 ⃗g ⃗y
⃗v + ⃗v 0 Δ ⃗y
⃗v ave = =
2 Δt

For locations on or near the surface of the Earth, the acceleration due
to gravity is given by
2
⃗a = ⃗g =−g=−9.8 m/ s =constant
SAMPLE PROBLEM 1
A pitcher on the ground tosses a baseball vertically upward with an initial speed of 12.0
m/s.
a) How long does the ball take to reach its maximum height?
b) What is the velocity of the ball when it reaches a point 5.0 m above the release point?
c) What is the velocity of the ball when the pitcher catches the ball?

2
⃗a = ⃗g =−9.8 m / s =constant t=1.224 s
⃗v 0 =12.0 m/ s
(b) ⃗v 5 m =?
(a)t=? ⃗y =5.0 m
⃗v =0 1 2
⃗y =⃗v 0 t + ⃗g t
⃗v =⃗v 0 + ⃗g t 2
2
⃗v −⃗v 0 0−12 ⃗g t +2 ⃗v 0 t−2 ⃗y =0
t= = =1.224489796 s 2
⃗g −9.8 −9.8 t + 24 t−10=0
 t 1=0.5324153078 s ⃗v 2=12−9.8(1.916564284)
t 2 =1.916564284 s ⃗v 2=−6.782329984 m/ s
⃗v =⃗v 0 + ⃗g t
⃗v 1=12−9.8(0.5324153078) ⃗v 1 =6.782 m/ s
⃗v 1 =6.782329984 m/ s ⃗v 2 =−6.782 m/ s

Part (b) illustrates one property of an object thrown

upward. The object passes through a given height or level vup vdown
twice, on its way up and on its way down.
⃗v down =−⃗v up
This gives us the answer for Part (c).
⃗v catch=−12.000 m / s
SAMPLE PROBLEM 2
A student drops an egg from the roof of a building. Several floors below, another
student sees the egg through a window and determines the speed of the egg to be 25.0
m/s. What is the distance between the roof and window?

2 ⃗v 0 =0
⃗a = ⃗g =−9.8 m/ s =constant roof
⃗v 0=0 ⃗a = ⃗g
⃗v =−25.0 m / s
⃗y =−h ⃗y h
h=? h=31.8877551 m

2 2
v =v +2 ⃗g ⃗y h=31.888 m
0 ⃗v =−25 m/ s
2 2
(−25) =(0) +2(−9.8)(−h) window
2
(−25)
h=
2(9.8)
MOTION ALONG A
STRAIGHT LINE
PROJECTILE MOTION
Put in simple terms, PROJECTILE MOTION is freefall motion (y-
component) combined with uniform motion (x-component).
Y −COMPONENT
⃗a y = ⃗g =constant ⃗v x
X −COMPONENT ⃗v y =⃗v y 0 + ⃗g t
⃗a x =0 1 2 ⃗v
⃗y = ⃗v y 0 t + ⃗g t ⃗v y
Δ ⃗x 2
⃗v x =constant= 2 2
Δt v y =v y 0 +2 ⃗g ⃗y
⃗v y + ⃗v y 0 Δ ⃗y
⃗v y−ave = =
2 Δt
Divide the motion of the PROJECTILE into x- and y-components and
analyze each component accordingly. You can unite the analysis of the
two components using time t.
SAMPLE PROBLEM 1
From the roof of a building, a man throws an apple with a speed of 15.0 m/s at an angle
of 30.00 above the horizontal. The apple lands on a balcony of a second building. If the
balcony is 10.0 m below the roof of the first building, how far apart are the two
buildings? ⃗v 0
300 ⃗x
⃗a x =0
2
⃗a y = ⃗g =−9.8 m / s 10.0 m
⃗x =d ⃗y
⃗y =−10.0 m
⃗v x =15 cos 30 m/ s=constant
⃗v y 0 =15 sin 30 m/ s
d =? d

⃗x ⃗x d
⃗v x = →t= =
t ⃗v x 15 cos 30
 1 2
⃗y =⃗v y 0 t + ⃗g t
2
2
15 d sin 30 4.9 d
−10= −
15 cos 30 (15 cos 30)2
2
−10=0.5773502692 d −0.02903703704 d
2
0.02903703704 d −0.5773502692 d −10=0
d 1=30.9944927 m
d 2=negative

Since distance cannot be negative, we take d1 as the final answer.

d =30.994 m
SAMPLE PROBLEM 2
A coin slides off a horizontal tabletop at a speed of 5.0 m/s and lands on a plate on the
floor 2.0 m from the foot of the table. What is the height of the table?

⃗a x =0 ⃗x
2
⃗a y = ⃗g =−9.8 m/ s ⃗v 0
⃗x =2.0 m
⃗y =−h h ⃗y
⃗v x =5.0 m/ s=constant
⃗v y 0=0
h=? 2.0 m

⃗x ⃗x 2
⃗v x = →t= = =0.4 s
t ⃗v x 5
 1 2
⃗y =⃗v y 0 t + ⃗g t
2
1 2
−h=(0)(0.4)− (9.8)(0.4)
2
h=0.784 m

h=0.784 m