Definitions

•Distance: total distance travelled from A to B - scalar

•Displacement: net change in position from A to B – vector
•Speed: rate of change of distance – scalar
•Velocity: rate of change of displacement - vector
•Acceleration: rate of change of velocity – vector

Displacement-time graphs
•Gradient of a graph = change ∈ y /change∈ x
•Velocity = change ∈distance /change∈time
•Velocity is a vector [Has magnitude and direction]
•Positive gradients (sloping upwards) – positive velocity
•Negative gradients (sloping downwards) – negative velocity

Velocity-time graphs
•Gradient of a graph = change ∈ y /change∈x
•Acceleration = change ∈velocity /change∈time
•Acceleration is a vector [Has magnitude and direction]
•Positive gradients (sloping upwards) – positive acceleration
•Negative gradients (sloping downwards) – negative acceleration Or ‘deceleration’
Vector maths:

1) a) Add the following pairs of vectors together:

i) a=( 4,7−3 ) b=(5 ,−3,2)
a+ b= ( 4,7 ,−3 )+ ( 5 ,−3,2 )=4+ 5,7−3 ,−3+2
2 −3
c=
¿( 9,4 ,−1) ii) −6 , d= 4
1 −1

⟦ ⟧⟦ ⟧ ⟦ ⟧
2 −3 −1
c +d= −6 + 4 = −2
1 −1 0

iii) 3.4 km northwest, 4.5 km east

To add these vectors we need to split them up into their components. If we define north as
the positive y direction, east as the positive x direction and west as the negative x direction,
and assume a vector pointing in between these directions (e.g.) north west makes an angle
of 45degrees to either axis, the first vector will be:
e = (-34sin(45), 34cos(45)) = (-2.4, 2.4)km
The second vector, which only has a magnitude in the east direction is:
f = (4.5, 0)
Adding these together:
e + f = (-2.4 + 4.5, 2.4) = (2.1, 2.4)km
Note this part has units given, don’t forget them on the answer.

b) For each of your answers to the above, give the magnitude of the vector.
The magnitude of a vector is equal to the square root of the sum of the squares of all
components, e.g. |r|=√ x 2+ y 2 + z 2

(i) √ 92 +4 2 +¿ ¿

(ii) √ (−1)2 + (−2 )2 +02=2.24

(iii) √ 2.12+ 2.42=3.18 km - remember this one had units!

c) An unladen swallow travels for 13 seconds with a velocity of v = (6, 9) m/s. It

then travels for 6 seconds with a velocity of v = (8, 7) m/s. What is its position
vector from the start position after its flight?
The journey is split into two parts. So we find the position vector for each section, then add
the two position vectors in order to find the overall position vector.
 Say d 1 is the displacement in the first part of the journey that takes 13 seconds and has a
velocity of, v=( 6,9 ) m/ s then:
d 1=( 13∗6 , 13∗9 )=(78 ,117)m
d 2 is the second part of the journey that takes 6 seconds and has a velocity of v=( 8,7 ) m/ s ,
so there displacement here is:
d 2=6∗( 8,7 )=( 6∗8 , 6∗7 ) =( 48 , 42 ) m

The total position vector (or displacement) from the start position, after its flight is:
d=d 1+ d 2=( 78+48 , 117+ 42 )=(126 ,159)m
Word-based motion problems

2) Julie drives 120 miles to her grandma’s house. She covers half the distance
at 40 mph, and the other half at 60 mph. On her return trip, she drives half the
time at 40 mph and half at 60 mph.
i) What is Julie’s average speed on the way to her grandma’s house?
Lets start with our definition of speed (note that we are given scalars here, not vectors, i.e.
no directions, just magnitudes):
∆d
v=
∆t
We know that the total distance travelled is 120 miles, and we have a distance and a speed
for each half of the journey. To calculate the speed, we need to know about the time taken.
So we calculate the time for each 60 miles of the journey:
60
In the first half, Julie covers 60 miles at a speed of 40mph, so the time taken is: =1.5 hours
40
60
In the second half, Julie covers 60 miles at a speed of 60mph, so the time taken is: =1 hour
60
So the total time taken to drive the 120 miles is 2.5 hours.
120 miles
avg ( v )= =48 mph
2.5 hours
Note our units are consistent here, the speed is in miles per hour, the distance is in miles and
the time is in hours, so we don’t need to convert anything to give our final answer in mph.

ii) What is her average speed on the way back?

For this question we know that

d 1=40 mph∗t 1
 d 2=60 mph∗t 2

We know that t 1 and t 2 are the same so if T is the total time:

(
d 1 +d 2=120 miles= 40 mph×
T
2)(
+ 60 mph ×
T
2 )
T
×( 40 mph+ 60 mph)=120 miles
2
T 120 miles
= =1.2=T =2.4 hours
2 100 mph

Now we have the total time of the journey, we can use this along with the total distance of
the journey to calculate the average speed:
120
avg ( v )= =50 mph
2.4
3) Car A is travelling at 50 mph (22.4 m/s). Car B is two car lengths behind it
(i.e. the distance between the front of car B and the rear of car A is two car
lengths – these are not two dimensionless objects!), and travelling at 60 mph
(26.8 m/s). Car B wants to overtake, so that it ends up two car lengths clear of
Car A. Assume one car length is 4m.

i) How long will it take car B to make its overtaking manoeuvre?

In order for car B to reach two car lengths ahead of car A, car B needs to travel for 6 car
lengths (two to reach A, A is one car length, two to get to the new position, then B is another
car length - try to draw a diagram if you are struggling to see this). One car length is 4m, so
the total distance travelled by car B is 24m. Relative speeds matter here, so as car B is
10mph faster than car A, we need to know how long it takes to travel 24m if you are
travelling at a speed of 10mph (as car A is travelling along at the same time). So, car B is
10 mph (4.4 m/ s) faster than car A.
24
time=distance∗speed = =5.45 seconds
4.4

ii) How much clear road will it need?

To work out the distance covered in this time, we need the full speed of the car rather than
the relative speed.
m
distance=speed ×time=26.8 ×5.54 s=146 m
s
Position/Velocity/Acceleration-time graphs

4) Match the following velocity-time graphs to the cases below:

(i) A ball being thrown into the air and being caught again is graph (c)
(ii) A skydiver reaching terminal velocity is graph (a)
(iii) A sprinter running at a steady speed is graph (d)
(iv) A car slowing down to stop at traffic lights, then setting off again is graph (b)

5) The graph below shows the motion of a lift starting at rest and initially
moving upwards:

a) What is the acceleration of the lift between O and A?

The acceleration of the lift is equal to the change in velocity divided by the change in time.
Between O and A, the change in velocity is 2m/s and the time interval is 3s. So the
acceleration is
m
2
s
acceleration= =0.67 m/s 2
3s

b) What happens to the lift between B and C?

Between B and C the velocity is decreasing, so the lift is decelerating.

c) How high is the lift above its starting point at C?

The displacement is the area underneath the graph. We can split this up into three regions
and add them together:
[0− A : ]0.5 x 2 x 3=3 m
[ A−B]: 6 x 2=12m
[B−C]:0.5 x 2 x 3=3 m
Total displacement=18 m(upwards)

d) What happens between D and F?

Between D and F the lift is descending, first accelerating, then slowing off again.

e) What is the overall displacement from the starting point by the end of the
motion?
We already know the area under the graph between 0 and C, when the lift moved upwards.
Now we just need to calculate the area of the D to F portion of the graph. This is split into
two triangles, so:
[ D−E]:0.5 x 2 x 3=3 m
[ E−F ]:0.5 x 2 x 3=3 m
Between 0 and C the lift was moving upwards, between D and F the lift is moving back
downwards. So the overall displacement of the lift from the starting point by the end of the
motion is 18 m−6 m=12 m .

Motion in 1D
You may assume that the acceleration due to gravity is 9.81 m/s 2 , unless told otherwise.
The following questions all rely on us knowing and using the SUVAT equations:
v=u+at
1 2
s=ut+ a t
2
2 2
v =u +2 as
which only apply for a CONSTANT acceleration, a.

6) Ball bearings are made by letting spherical drops of molten metal fall inside
a tower – called a ‘shot tower’ – and solidify as they fall.
 a) If the metal needs 5s to cool, how high must the tower be?
We need to know how far an object falling under gravity will go in 5 s. We are given
a=9.81 m/s , and we can assume the droplets are released at rest, so u=0. I have a, u and t,
2

and I want to find s. I therefore use:

1 2
s=ut+ a t
2
1 2
0+ × 9.81× 5 =123 m.
2

b) How fast will the newly made ball bearing be going when it hits the
ground?
For this part, I want to know v and I have u, a, t and s. I could choose either of v=u+at or
2 2
v =u +2 as to solve this equation (and you can check that you get the same answer either
way!), but I will choose the former:
v=u+at
0+ 9.81×5=49.1m/s .

7) Road Safety! According to the Highway Code, the stopping distance of a car
travelling at 60 mph is 73 metres, which is a combination of the thinking
distance (how far the car travels in your reaction time) and the braking
distance (the actual deceleration of the car).

a) What is the assumed reaction time in this calculation if the thinking

distance is 18m?
First off, we need to convert 60 mph into S.I. units, and we should get 26.8 m/s (the value
was also used in question 3). To calculate the reaction time, we assume we are still travelling
at constant speed – our brain hasn’t told us to put our foot on the brake yet. As speed =
distance/time, the reaction time must be the thinking distance divided by our current speed:
18
t= =0.67 s .
26.8

b) Calculate the deceleration of the car during breaking.

The car decelerates from 60 mph to 0 mph in the remainder of the total distance
73−18=55 m. We have u, v and s and we wish to calculate a, so we use:

v 2=u2 +2 as
which we first rearrange to:
[ v 2−u2 ]
a=
2s
[ 02−26.82 ]
¿
[ 2 ×55 ]
2
¿−6.53 m/s
with the minus sign indicating this is a deceleration.

c) Assuming the reaction time and deceleration are independent of how fast
the car is going, what is the stopping distance of a car travelling at 40 mph.
For the final part, I need to calculate the distance travelled in both the thinking and braking
phases. At 40 mph (17.9 m/s) the thinking distance is speed x time = 17.9 x 0.67=12.0 m. For
the braking distance, I need to use v 2=u2 +2 as again, with v=0 , u=17.9 m/s , and a from the
previous part. I first rearrange it to give:
[ v 2−u2 ]
s=
2a
[ 02−17.92 ]
¿
[ 2 ×−6.53 ]
¿ 24.5 m.
Adding the two distances together gives a total stopping distance of 36.5 m – which is 0.5m
more than the official 36 m in the Highway Code.

8) A skier is gliding along at 3.0 m/s on a horizontal, frictionless surface. He

suddenly starts down a 10° incline (the slope makes a 10° angle with the
horizontal). When he reaches the bottom of the slope, his speed is 15 m/s.
a) What is the skier’s acceleration parallel to the slope?
Only the component of gravity directed parallel to the slope will accelerate the skier. This is
just gsin10 °=1.70 m/s 2.

b) What is the length of the incline?

For this part, I know u, v and I have just calculated a above. So I can again use v 2=u2 +2 as to
find s:
[ v 2−u2 ]
s=
[ 2 a]
[ 152−32 ]
¿
[ 2 ×1.70 ]
 ¿ 63.5 m.

c) How long does it take him to reach the bottom?

To find the time taken to reach the bottom, I use v=u+at , as it’s easier to find a solution
1 2
that for the quadratic equation s=ut+ a t . Rearranging my equation gives:
2
[ v−u ]
t=
a
[ 15−3 ]
¿ =7.05 s .
1.70
9) A cat is sleeping on the floor in the middle of a 3m wide room when a
barking dog enters with a speed of 1.5 m/s. As the dog enters, the cat
immediately accelerates at 0.85 m/s 2 towards an open door on the opposite side
of the room. The dog is a bit startled by the cat and begins to slow down at
0.1 m/s as soon as it enters the room. How far is the cat in
2

front of the dog as it escapes through the door?

There is a lot going on in this question, so we need to carefully unpack the information and
think about what we have and what we need. Let’s start with the cat. We know it was
peacefully sleeping to begin with, so it’s initial speed is u = 0. We know it is in the middle of
the room, so it must travel s=1.5m to reach the door, and we are given its acceleration,
2
a=0.85 m/s .
Knowing the final speed of the cat probably won’t help us, but knowing how long it takes to
1 2
escape might. We will use s=ut+ a t for this. Before I try to rearrange this, I will note that
2
u=0 which means I can forget about the first term which makes rearranging things more
straightforward:

t= √
2s
a
=
√[ 2∗1.5
0.85 ]
=1.89 s .

Now for the dog. It’s initial speed is u=1.5 m/ s, and it accelerates at a=−0.1 m/s 2. I would
like to know how far it travels in the time it takes the cat to escape (t=1.89 s , according to
our calculation above). Again, I resort to:
1 2
s=ut+ a t
2
1 2
¿ 1.5 ×1.89+ ×−0.1 ×1.89 =2.66 m.
2
The room was 3 m wide, so the cat is 3−2.66=0.34 m ahead of the dog when it escapes the
room.

Motion in more than one dimension

You may assume that the acceleration due to gravity is 9.81 m/s2, unless told otherwise.
10) An aid parcel is released from a plane flying horizontally at 60 m/s, at a
height of 1 km.
a) What are the horizontal and vertical components of the parcel’s velocity,
initially?
The parcel has the same horizontal velocity as the plane, 60 m/s , and zero vertical velocity.

b) How long does the parcel take to hit the ground? Ignore the effects of air
resistance.
1 2
I have u, s and a for this problem and I want to find t, so I use s=ut a t . As with Q4, I
2
notice that u=0 so that I can make rearranging the equation easier (be sure to put s into
metres!):

t= [√ ] √[ [
2s
a
=
2 ×1000 ]
9.81 ]
¿ 14.3 s .

c) At what horizontal distance should the plane be from the target when the
parcel is released?
The parcel experiences no deceleration in the horizontal direction, so the distance it travels
before it hits the ground is just
s=ut=60× 14.3=857 m.

d) How would air resistance affect your answers to b) and c)?

If I include air resistance, two things would happen. First, the parcel would take longer to
reach the ground because air resistance will slow its descent. In the horizontal direction, the
parcel will also experience deceleration, as so it will not travel as far horizontally as before
(though it might do if the descent is sufficiently slow – we don’t have enough information to
tell here).

11) A golf ball is hit at 26 m/ s at 45 ° to the ground. Ignore air resistance.

a) How long is the ball in the air?

In the vertical direction, the ball has an initial speed of u=26 sin 45=18.4 m/s . At its
maximum height it will have a vertical speed of v=0. I also know the acceleration
a=−9.81 m/s , so I can use v=u+at to find the time take to reach the maximum height. The
2

total time in the air will be double this, as going up and down are symmetric. We have:
[ v−u ]
t=
a
 [ 0−18.4 ]
¿
−9.81
¿ 1.86 s .
So it will take 1.86 s to go up and then another 1.86 s to come down again. It therefore
spends 3.75 s in the air

b) How far does the ball travel horizontally?

The ball experiences no acceleration in the horizontal direction, so the distance travelled is
just s=ut .The initial horizontal velocity is u=26 cos 45=18.4 m/s , so the total distance
travelled is s=18.4 ×3.75=69 m.

c) What is the maximum height reached by the ball, and what is its velocity at
this point?
To calculate the maximum height reached, I use v 2=u2 +2 as, remembering that I am only
using the VERTICAL COMPONENTS in this calculation. I have
m 2
u=14.8 , v =0∧a=−9.81 m/ s . Rearranging the equation, I have:
s
[ v 2−u2 ]
s=
2a
[ 02−14.82 ]
¿
[ 2 ×−9.81 ]
¿ 11.2 m.At it’s maximum height, the ball has no vertical component to its velocity, so the
velocity is purely horizontal and equal to the initial speed in the horizontal direction.

d) How would air resistance affect your answers to a), b) and c)

Air resistance will reduce the time the ball is in the air, lower the distance travelled and the
maximum height reached. The velocity at the maximum height will still be in the horizontal
direction, but its magnitude will be less than the initial horizontal velocity.

12) A rifle is aimed horizontally at a target 50m away. The bullet hits 2cm
below the target.

a) What was the bullet’s flight time?

We know that the bullet is fired horizontally, so there is no initial vertical component to its
velocity. We know gravity will accelerate it downwards, and that it travels (2 cm=0.02 m
remember we always want to work with the same units) vertically downward as it travels to
1 2
the target. This is clearly a job for s=ut+ a t . Once again, I use the fact that u=0 to make
2
rearranging easier:
 t=
√[ [2 s ]
a ]
¿ [√ [ 2 × 0.02 ]
9.81 ]
¿ 0.0639 s .

b) What was the bullet’s velocity as it left the barrel?

We haven’t explicitly been told to do so, but by now you have hopefully got used to
neglecting air resistance for these kinds of problems. If there is no air resistance, then the
speed of the bullet in the horizontal direction (which is unchanged since it was fired) is just
distance 50
speed= = =783 m/ s (not quite twice the speed of sound).
time 0.0639