PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS

MODULE 3: KINEMATICS
OBJECTIVE:
By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Define position, displacement, and distance traveled.

• Calculate the total displacement given the position as a function of time.
• Determine the total distance traveled.
• Calculate the average velocity given the displacement and elapsed time.
• Use the kinematic equations with the variables y and g to analyze free-fall motion.
• Describe how the values of the position, velocity, and acceleration change during a free fall.
• Solve for the position, velocity, and acceleration as functions of time when an object is in a free
fall.
• Use one-dimensional motion in perpendicular directions to analyze projectile motion.
• Calculate the range, time of flight, and maximum height of a projectile that is launched and
impacts a flat, horizontal surface.
• Find the time of flight and impact velocity of a projectile that lands at a different height from
that of launch.
• Calculate the trajectory of a projectile.

INTRODUCTION:

KINEMATICS
Kinematics is one of the two branches of mechanics. It deals with the motion of
particles not the causes of the motion. Motion in one dimension in other words linear motion
and projectile motion are the subtitles of kinematics they are also called as 1D and 2D
kinematics. Some mathematical symbols, equations and graphics will be used to show the
relations of basic concepts. Now it's time to get fun from physics. These are the subjects will be
covered in this unit.
• Distance
• Displacement
• Speed
• Velocity
• Acceleration

Distance and Displacement

Distance is a scalar quantity representing the interval
between two points. It is just the magnitude of the
interval. However, Displacement is a vector quantity
and can be defined by using distance concept. It can
be defined as distance between the initial point and
final point of an object. It must be the shortest
interval connecting the initial and final points, that is a
straight line.Let's look at the below examples for deep
understanding.
Look at the picture above, boy travels from D to A, A to B, B to C and C to D. Displacement from
D to D (which are our initial and final points) is zero. However, distance traveled is not zero. It is
equal to the perimeter of the rectangle.
Another example of distance and displacement is illustrated in Figure
1.2
John walks from the point A to B to C. What does the distance he
travel? What is the displacement?
Let's calculate first the distance that john travels. While calculating
distance, we look at the numeric value of interval between traveled
points. As you can see from Figure 1.2 he travels from A to B to C.
Distance from A to B is 4m and B to C is 3 m. Their sum will give us
total distance;
4+3=7
Then it's time to calculate displacement. Displacement is a vector quantity. Thus, it must have
both magnitude and direction. In this example our initial point is A and our final point is C.
Displacement vector is an internal between the initial and final points. As it clearly seen in the
Figure1.2 interval between A to C is 5m. So, our displacement vector is 5m and it's direction is
from the point A to C.
Example: Look at the picture given below. An object moves from point A through B, C, D, E and
stops at point F.
a) Find final displacement.
b) Find distance taken from point A to D.

a) We find final displacement by drawing straight line from point A to final point F. As you can
see from the graph, object changes its position 8m.
Displacement = Final poisition - Initial position
Displacement = 10m - 2m = 8m
b) We find distance taken by object;
A to B =10 - 2 = 8m
B to C = 10 - 2 = 8m
C to D = 10 - 6 = 4m
Total distance taken from point A to D is = 8m + 8m + 4m =20m

SPEED AND VELOCITY

In the last sections we have learned scalar and vector concepts. Beyond the definitions of these
concepts we will try to explain speed and velocity terms. As mentioned in last section distance
and displacement are different terms. Distance is a scalar quantity and displacement is a vector
quantity. In the same way we can categorize speed and velocity. Speed is a scalar quantity with
just concerning the magnitude and velocity is a vector quantity that must consider both
magnitude and direction.

SPEED
Speed can be defined as “how fast something moves” or it can
be explained more scientifically as “the distance covered in a
unit of time”. In daily life we use the first definition and say the
faster object has higher speed. Speed does not show us the
direction of the motion it just gives the magnitude of what
distance taken in a given time. In other words it is a scalar
quantity. We use a symbol v to show speed. Let me formulate
what we talk above;

speed=distance/time
From the above formula we can say that speed is directly proportional to the distance and inversely
proportional to the time. I think it’s time to talk a little bit the units of speed. Motor vehicles commonly
use kilometer per hour (km/h) as a unit of speed however in short distances we can use meter per
second (m/s) as a unit of speed. In my examples and explanations I will use m/s as a unit.
Example Calculate the speed of the car that travels 450m in 9 seconds.
Speed = distance / time
Speed = 450m/9s
Speed = 50m/s

VELOCITY
Velocity can be defined as “speed having direction”. As you can understand from the definition
velocity is a vector quantity having both magnitude and direction. In daily life we use speed and
velocity interchangeably but in physics they have different meanings. We can define velocity as
the “rate of change of displacement” whereas “the speed is rate of change of distance”. While
we calculate speed we look at the total distance, however, in calculating velocity we must
consider the direction and in short we can just look at the change in position not the whole
distance traveled. If a man walks 5m to east and then 5m to west speed of that man calculated
by dividing total distance traveled which is 10m to the time elapsed, however, velocity
calculated by dividing the displacement to the elapsed time, which is 0m divided elapsed time
gives us zero. In other words, if the displacement is zero we can not talk about the velocity.
Be careful!! There must be a change in the position of the object to have a velocity.
Example Calculate the speed and velocity of the man moving 45m to the north, and 36m to the
south in 27 seconds.
First we should calculate distance traveled and displacement of the man to calculate speed and
velocity.
Total distance covered = 45m + 36m = 81m
Speed = total distance/time of travel = 81m / 27s = 3m/s
Velocity = displacement/time = (45-36) m / 27s = 9m /27s = 0,33m/s

We show with this example that speed and velocity are not the same thing.

Average Speed and Instantaneous Speed

A moving object does not have the same speed during its travel. Sometimes it speeds up and
sometimes slows down. At a given instant time what we read from the speedometer
is instantaneous speed. For example, a car moving with a constant speed travels to another
city, it must stop at red lights in the traffic, or it should slow down when unwanted situations
occur in the road. At the end of the trip, if we want to learn average speed of the car we divide
total distance to total time the trip takes.
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑑
Average Speed = 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑙
Assume that car travels 500 km in a 5 hour. When we calculate the average speed we see that it
is 100km/h. Of course the car does not travel with a 100 km/h constant speed. It has many
instantaneous speeds and 100 km/h is the average of those instantaneous speeds.

Average Velocity and Instantaneous Velocity

We can follow the same steps used in the definition of average and instantaneous speed while
defining average and instantaneous velocity. Instantaneous velocity is the velocity at a given
instant of time, however, as in the case of speed, average velocity is calculated with
displacement over time interval.
𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡
Average Velocity = 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑙
Example A man traveling with his car 150m to the east and than 70m to the west, calculate the
average speed and velocity of the car if the travel takes10 seconds.
Average Velocity=Displacement/Time Interval Displacement=150m-70m=80m
Average Velocity= 80m/10s=8m/s east
Average Speed=Total Distance Traveled/Time Interval
Average Speed= (150m+70m)/10s
Average Speed=22m/s
ACCELERATION
Definition of acceleration is a little bit different from speed and velocity. We can easily
define acceleration as “change in velocity”. As you understood from the definition there must
be change in the velocity of the object. This change can be in the magnitude (speed) of the
velocity or the direction of the velocity. In daily life we use acceleration term for the speeding
up objects and decelerating for the slowing down objects. I want you to focus on here! In
physics we use acceleration concept a little bit different from its daily life usage. If there is a
change in the velocity whether it is slowing down or speeding up, or changing its direction we
say that object is accelerating. The mathematical representation of acceleration is given below.
“a” is acceleration, “v” is velocity and “t” is time.
𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦
Acceleration =
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑙
𝑉𝑓−𝑉𝑖
a= 𝑡
Example A car starts to move and reaches the velocity 80m/s in 10 seconds. Calculate the acceleration of
this car?

𝑉𝑓−𝑉𝑖
a=
𝑡
80𝑚
−0𝑚/𝑠
𝑠
a=
10𝑠
a= 8m/s2
Example A boy having 3m/s² acceleration starts to run. Calculate the boy’s final velocity after 15
seconds?
Solution
𝑉𝑓−𝑉𝑖
a=
𝑡
Vf –Vi = at
Vf – 0 = 3m/s2(15s)
Vf = 45m/s
MOTION WITH GRAPHS

Position vs. Time Graphs:

Graphs are commonly used in physics. They give us much
information about the concepts and we can infer many things.
Let’s talk about this position vs. time graph. As you see on the
graph, X axis shows us time and Y axis shows position. We
observe that position is linearly increasing in positive direction
with the time. We understand from this linear increasing,
our velocity is constant. If it was not constant we would see a
curved line in our graph. Now, we use this graph and make some calculations.

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
V= 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑙
𝑉𝑓−𝑉𝑖
V = 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑎𝑙

30𝑚−0𝑚
V = 15𝑠−0𝑠
V= 2m/s
From the given graph we calculate velocity; there is another way of this calculation. We just
look at the slope of the graph and find the velocity. What we mean by slope is;
𝑋𝑓−𝑋𝑖
slope = 𝑡𝑓−𝑡𝑖

which is the equation we use in calculation of the velocity.

Example Using the given graph find the velocity of the object in intervals (1s – 3s) and (3s – 5s).

Solution

(1s-3s)
30𝑚−0𝑚
slope = 3𝑠−0𝑠

v = 10m/s

(3s-5s)
30𝑚−30𝑚
slope = 5𝑠−3𝑠

v = 0m/s

In graph problems you should be careful while reading

it. For example, in this example in the interval (3s-5s) position does not change. You can easily
see it from the graph, but I want to show the calculation of this and it gives us same result. If
there is no change in position then there is no velocity or vice versa. You can say
more things about the motion of the object by just looking of the graph. The
important thing is that you must know the relations, meaning of the slopes or
area of the graphs. We will solve more examples using graph for deep
understanding and analyzing the motion from the graphs.

Velocity vs. Time Graphs

In velocity vs. time graphs, x axis is time as in the case of position vs. time graphs
and y axis is velocity. We can benefit from this graph by two ways. One of them
is area under the graph which gives the displacement and the slope which gives
the acceleration.
1. We have talked about different kinds of motion such as, constant motion having constant
velocity, accelerated motion like speeding up or slowing down. For instance, in this graph as it
seen our velocity is constant, time passes but velocity does not change. What you see when you
look at this graph?

We see the relation of velocity and time, how velocity is changing with time. It can be said for
this graph acceleration is zero because there is no change in velocity. Moreover, from velocity
vs. time graphs we can calculate displacement of the object.
Since, the velocity times time gives us displacement the area under the velocity vs. time graph
also gives us the displacement of the object. Look at the example given below to understand
what we mean by the area under the graph.
Displacement = Velocity x Time

Example. Using the given graph calculate the displacement of the object for the interval (0s –
4s).

To solve this problem, use the technique given above

and classic formula. The area under the graph will give us the
displacement. Then we compare the results of two techniques.As you
can see, the results are the same, thus, we can say that in velocity vs.
time graphs we can find the displacement by looking at the area under
the graph.

Solution
Area of the rectangle =AxB
Where A and B are the sides of the rectangle
Area of the rectangle = 20m/s x 4s =80m
Displacement =velocity x time
Displacement = 20m/s x 4s = 80m

Example Calculate the displacement of the car from the given graph.
We can calculate displacement by using the area under the graph, to do this
we can first calculate the area of the triangle shown with blue lines and then
rectangle shown with red lines. Finally the sum of these two areas gives us
the total displacement of the car.
Area of the triangle =0.5(2)(20) = 20m
Area of the rectangle = 20(6-2) = 80m

Sum of the areas;

Total displacement =A of the triangle + A of the rectangle
Total displacement = 20m + 80m = 100m

FREE FALL
Free fall is a kind of motion that everybody can observe
in daily life. We drop something accidentally or
purposely and see its motion. At the beginning it has
low speed and until the end it gains speed and before
the crash it reaches its maximum speed. Which factors
affect the speed of the object while it is in free fall? How
can we calculate the distance it takes, time it takes
during the free fall? We deal with these subjects in this
section. First, let me begin with the source of increasing
in the amount of speed during the fall. As you can guess,
things fall because of the gravity. Thus, our objects gain
speed approximately10m/s in a second while falling
because of the gravitation. We call this acceleration in physics gravitational acceleration and
show with “g”. The value of g is 9,81m/s² Thus our velocity can be found by the formula;
V=g.t where g is gravitational acceleration and t is the time.
Look at the given example below and try to understand what I tried to explain above.

Example.
The boy drops the ball from a roof of the house which takes 3 seconds to hit the ground.
Calculate the velocity before the ball crashes to the ground. (g=9.81m/s²)
Solution
Velocity is;
V=g.t
V=9.81m/ s².3s= 29.43m/s
We have learned how to find the velocity of the object at a given time. Now we will learn how
to find the distance taken during the motion. I give some equations to calculate distance and
other quantities. Galileo found an equation for distance from his experiments.
This equation is;
Distance traveled = 0.5gt2
Example .
John throws the ball straight upward and after 1 second it reaches its maximum height then it
does free fall motion which takes 2 seconds. Calculate the maximum height and velocity of the
ball before it crashes the ground. (g=9.81m/s²)
Solution
V= gt
V = 9.81m/s2(1s)
V = 9.81m/s at the top our velocity is zero,
V = 9.81m/s2(2s)
V = -19.62m/s
Hmax = 0.5gt2
Hmax = 0.5(9.81)(2)2
Hmax = 19.62m

Example.
An object does free fall motion. It hits the ground after 4 seconds. Calculate the velocity of the
object after 3 seconds and before it hits the ground. What can be the height it is thrown?

Solution
Velocity after 3 seconds
V = gt
V = 9.81m/s2(3sec.)
V = 29.43m/s
Velocity after 4 seconds
V = gt
V = 9.81m/s2(4sec.)
V = 39.24m/s
H = 0.5gt2
H = 0.5(9.81)(4)2
H = 78.48m
Two examples given above try to show how to use free fall equations. We can find the velocity,
distance and time from the given data. Now, I will give three more equations and finishes 1D
Kinematics subject. The equations are;
V = Vo + at
X = Vot + 0.5at2
V2f = v2i +2aX
First equation is used for finding the velocity of the object having initial velocity and
acceleration. Second one is used for calculating the distance of the object having initial velocity
and acceleration. Third and last equation is timeless velocity equation. If distance, initial
velocity and acceleration of the object is known then you can find the final velocity of the
object. Now let’s solve some problems using these equations to comprehend the subject in
detail.
Example .
Calculate the velocity of the car which has initial velocity 24m/s and acceleration 3m/s² after 15
second.

Solution

We use the first equation to solve this question.

V = Vo + at
V = 24m/s + 3m/s2(15s)
V = 69m/s
Example The car which is initially at rest has an acceleration 7m/s² and travels 20 seconds. Find
the distance it covers during this period.
Solution
X = Vot + 0.5at2
X = 0 + 0.5(7)(20)2
X = 1400m

PROJECTILE MOTION
We see one dimensional motion in previous topics. Now, we will try to explain motion in two
dimensions that is exactly called “projectile motion”. In this type of motion gravity is the only
factor acting on our objects. We can have different types of projectile type. For example, you
throw the ball straight upward, or you kick a ball and give it a speed at an angle to the
horizontal or you just drop things and make them free fall; all these are examples of projectile
motion.

In projectile motion, gravity is the only force acting on the object. I will explain this sentence
with a picture and examples. First, look at the given picture which shows the motion path,
velocities in different points and forces acting upon the object doing projectile motion.
As you see in the picture given above, we have a projectile motion and velocity components at
different positions. At the beginning the ball is thrown with an angle to the horizontal. V is its
velocity and its direction is northeast. Vx and Vy are the X and Y components of our velocity. If
we look at the forces acting on our ball we see only the gravity as a force. We examine our
motion in two parts, first one is horizontal motion and second one is vertical motion. When we
look at the horizontal motion of the object we see that it looks like example solved in free fall
motion section. In vertical as you can see in the picture, our velocity is decreasing in the
amount of gravitational acceleration. At the top where it reaches its maximum height vertical
component of our velocity becomes zero as in the case of free fall examples. After Vy becomes
zero our ball changes its direction and make free fall now. At the same levels magnitudes of Vy
are the same however, their signs are opposite. Right side of our picture has “-“sign in front of
the Vy because its direction is downward. Finally, when the ball hits the ground Vy reaches its
beginning magnitude but opposite in direction. We see the effect of gravity on vertical motion.
Now, let’s look at the horizontal part of our projectile motion. This part is so easy that you can
understand from the picture, our horizontal component of velocity is constant during the
motion. Why it is constant? What changes the velocity? In previous section we learned force
concept that causes change in the state of motion. Look at our horizontal motion carefully. Is
there any force acting on our object in horizontal direction +X or –X? The answer is actually no.
However, in –Y direction gravity is acting on our object which makes Vy decrease and becomes
zero at the top. All these explanations say that, we have two motions in projectile motion. One
of them is constant motion in horizontal and other one is free fall under the effect of gravity in
vertical. We tried to explain projectile motion with words. Now it is time to give equations of
motion under two titles.

1. Vertical motion:
In vertical we said that gravity acts on our objects and give it negative acceleration “-9,8m/s²”.
This means that, our velocity decreases -9,8m/s² in each second. We find the velocity of the
free falling object by the equation V=g.t. If we have initial velocity then, our equation becomes;
V=Vit+gt where acceleration is -9,81m/s²
The distance in free fall is calculated by the equation;
Distance traveled = 0.5gt2
As in the velocity case our distance is calculated considering the initial velocity of the object by
the formula;
Distance traveled = Vit - 0.5gt2
We put “-“sign because direction of g is downward.

2. Horizontal motion:
We have constant motion in horizontal because there is no force acting on our object in
horizontal direction. Thus, the X component of velocity is constant and acceleration in X
direction is zero. The equation that is used to calculate distance and velocity is given below.
X = vt
Example
In the given picture below, Alice throws the ball to the +X direction with an initial velocity
10m/s. Time elapsed during the motion is 5s, calculate the height that object is thrown and Vy
component of the velocity after it hits the ground.

Solution

In vertical direction we have free fall motion:

h = 0.5gt2
h= 0.5(9.81)(5)2
h = 122.63m

Vy = gt
Vy = 9.81(5)
Vy= 49.05m/s
In the horizontal
Since the velocity is constant;
X = vt
X = 10(5)
X = 50m

Example
John kicks the ball and ball does projectile motion with an angle
of 53º to horizontal. Its initial velocity is 10 m/s, find the
maximum height it can reach, horizontal displacement and total
time required for this motion.

Solution
First separate the velocity into its components
Vx = vcos53o = 6.01m/s
Vy = vsin53o = 7.99m/s
In interval;
V = Vo – gt
0 = 7.99 – 9.81t
t = 0.81sec.
0.81s is the time required only for the half of the motion. thus, we multiply it with two for total time
Total time = 2(0.81s) = 1.62s
Use 0.81s time because we just consider vertical motion
H = 0.5(9.81)(0.81)2
H = 3.22m
In horizontal;
X = vt
X = 6.01(1.62)
X = 9.74m
Example
In the given picture you see the motion path of
cannonball. Find the maximum height it can reach,
horizontal distance it covers and total time from the
given information. (The angle between cannonball and
horizontal is 55º

Solution

First separate the velocity into its components

Vx = vcos55o = 14.34m/s
Vy = vsin55o = 20.48m/s
Motion in vertical
V = Vo – gt
0 = 20.48 – 9.81t
t = 2.09sec.
2.09s is the time required for cannonball to reach the maximum height
H = 20.48(2.09) -0.5(9.81)(2.09)2
H = 21.38m
Hmax = 21.38m + 60m = 81.38m
Free fall from the max. height;
H= 0.5gt2
81.38m= 0.5(9.81)(t)2
t= 4.07sec.
total time = 2.09s +4.07s
total time = 6.16s
In horizontal;
X = vt
X = 14.34(6.16)
X = 88.33m

Self-Assessment Questionnaire
 1. Suppose a large rock is ejected from a
volcano, with a speed of 25.0 m/s and at an
angle 35° above the horizontal. The rock
strikes the side of the volcano at an altitude
20.0 m lower than its starting point. (a)
Calculate the time it takes the rock to follow
this path.
2. A ball is thrown up into the air and returns to the same level. It is in the air for 3.20
seconds. With what initial velocity was it thrown? How high did it rise?
3. Initially, a ball has a speed of 5.0 m/s as it rolls up an incline. Some time later, at a
distance of 5.5 m up
the incline, the ball has a speed of 1.5 m/s DOWN the incline.
(a) What is the acceleration? What is the average velocity? How much time did this
take?
(b) At some point the velocity of the ball had to have been zero. Where and when did
this occur?

Summary

Position, Displacement, and Average Velocity

• Kinematics is the description of motion without considering its causes. In this chapter, it
is limited to motion along a straight line, called one-dimensional motion.
• Displacement is the change in position of an object. The SI unit for displacement is the
meter. Displacement has direction as well as magnitude.
• Distance traveled is the total length of the path traveled between two positions.
• Time is measured in terms of change. The time between two position
points x1 and x2 is Δt= t2−t1.. Elapsed time for an event is Δt= t2−t1., where tftf is the
final time and t0 is the initial time. The initial time is often taken to be zero.
• Average velocity v–is defined as displacement divided by elapsed time.
If x1,t1and x2,t2 are two position time points, the average velocity between these points
is

v–=Δx / Δt=x2−x1 / t2−t1.

Average and Instantaneous Acceleration

• Acceleration is the rate at which velocity changes. Acceleration is a vector; it has both a
magnitude and direction. The SI unit for acceleration is meters per second squared.
 • Acceleration can be caused by a change in the magnitude or the direction of the
velocity, or both.
• Instantaneous acceleration a(t) is a continuous function of time and gives the
acceleration at any specific time during the motion. It is calculated from the derivative
of the velocity function. Instantaneous acceleration is the slope of the velocity-versus-
time graph.
• Negative acceleration (sometimes called deceleration) is acceleration in the negative
direction in the chosen coordinate system.

Motion with Constant Acceleration

• When analyzing one-dimensional motion with constant acceleration, identify the known
quantities and choose the appropriate equations to solve for the unknowns. Either one
or two of the kinematic equations are needed to solve for the unknowns, depending on
the known and unknown quantities.
• Two-body pursuit problems always require two equations to be solved simultaneously
for the unknowns.

Free Fall

• An object in free fall experiences constant acceleration if air resistance is negligible.

• On Earth, all free-falling objects have an acceleration g due to gravity, which
averages g=9.81m/s2.
• For objects in free fall, the upward direction is normally taken as positive for
displacement, velocity, and acceleration

Projectile Motion

• Projectile motion is the motion of an object subject only to the acceleration of gravity,
where the acceleration is constant, as near the surface of Earth.
• To solve projectile motion problems, we analyze the motion of the projectile in the
horizontal and vertical directions using the one-dimensional kinematic equations
for x and y.
• The time of flight of a projectile launched with initial vertical velocity v0y on an even
surface is given by

Ttof=2(v0sinθ) / g
 This equation is valid only when the projectile lands at the same elevation from which it was
launched.

• The maximum horizontal distance traveled by a projectile is called the range. Again, the
equation for range is valid only when the projectile lands at the same elevation from
which it was launched.

Kinematics (Quantitative Description of Motion)

Formula Definition and explanations
sav is the average speed (scalar)
𝑑
S av =∆𝑡 d is the distance
Δ t is the time elapsed
vav is the average velocity (vector)
𝑋𝑓−𝑋𝑖 ∆𝑥
Vav = = ∆𝑡 Δ x is the displacement(vector)
𝑡𝑓−𝑡𝑖
Δ t is the time elapse
aav is the average acceleartion
𝑣𝑓−𝑣𝑖 ∆𝑣 (vector)
aav = 𝑡𝑓−𝑡𝑖
= ∆𝑡 Δ v is the change in velocity (vector)
Δ t is the time elapsed
vav is the average velocity (vector)
𝑣𝑓−𝑣𝑖
vav = vi is the initial velocity (vector)
2
vf is the final velocity (vector)
vf is the final velocity (vector)
V = Vo + at vo is the initial velocity (vector)
a is the acceleration (vector)
Δ x is the displacement (vector)
X = Vot + 0.5at2 vo is the initial velocity (vector)
a is the acceleration (vector)
Δ x is the displacement (vector)
∆x = Vft – 0.5at2 vf is the final velocity (vector)
a is the acceleration (vector)
Δ x is the displacement (vector)
𝑣𝑓−𝑣𝑖
∆x = t vf is the final velocity (vector)
2
vi is the initial velocity (vector)
vf is the final velocity (vector)
vi is the initial velocity (vector)
V2f = v2i +2aX
Δ x is the displacement (vector)
a is the acceleration (vector)
Relative Velocity
Formula Definition and explanations
 vAC is the velocity of A with respect to C (vector)
VAC = VAB + VBC vAB is the velocity of A with respect to B (vector)
vBC is the velocity of B with respect to C (vector)

Kinematics (Quantitative Description of Projectile Motion)

Formula Definition and explanations

vi is the initial velocity (vector)
Vix = vcosθ vix is the component of the initial velocity along the horizontal direction x (scalar)
Viy = vsinθ viy is the component of the initial velocity along the vertical direction y (scalar)
θ is the initial angle that vi makes with the horizontal.
∆X = vicosθt Δx is the displacement along the horizontal direction x
2
∆Y = visinθ -0.5gt Δy is the displacement along the vertical direction y
𝑣𝑖 2 𝑠𝑖𝑛(2𝜃)
R= R is the range or horizontal distance travelled when the projectile hits the ground
𝑔
2𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑛(𝜃)
T= T is total time to hit the ground
𝑔

𝑣𝑖 2 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 (𝜃) H maximum height reached above the ground

H=
2𝑔 g = 9.81 m / s2

References
College Physics second edition.Giambattistaa,richardson
https://www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/physics/wp-content/uploads/sites/118/Obj_Stds-EngPhys.pdf
https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/1DKin/Lesson-6/Kinematic-Equations-and-Problem-Solving
https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-1/pages/4-problems

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Effectivity: August 1, 2020