Describing Motion

Distance
The length an object actually travels.

How far you go.
Scalar
Displacement
The change in position of an object.
Length between start and finish
Vector
Average Velocity
change in position displacement
average velocity = =
change in time time interval
x x f  xi
vavg  
t t f  ti
Velocity vs. Speed
• Velocity describes motion with both
a direction and a numerical value
(i.e. magnitude). (vector)
• Speedhas no direction, only

magnitude.
• Average speed is equal to the total

distance traveled divided by the
time interval. (scalar)
distance traveled
average speed =
time of travel
Interpreting Velocity Graphically
The instantaneous velocity is the
velocity of an object at some instant or
at a specific point in the object’s path.
The instantaneous
velocity at a given
time can be
determined by
measuring the slope
of the line that is
tangent to that point
on the position-
versus-time graph.
Acceleration
change in velocity
average acceleration =
time required for change
Units for acceleration are 1 m/s/s or

m/s2 This means that every
second you increase your velocity
by one m/s.
Changes in Velocity
• Accelerationis the rate at which velocity
changes over time.
v v f  vi
aavg  
t t f  ti
• An object accelerates if its speed, direction,

or both change.
• Acceleration has direction and magnitude.
Thus, acceleration is a vector quantity.
Changes in Velocity
• Consider a train moving to the right, so that
the displacement and the velocity are
positive.
• The slope of the velocity-time graph is the
average acceleration.
– When the velocity in the positive
direction is increasing, the
acceleration is positive, as at A.
– When the velocity is constant, there is
no acceleration, as at B.
– When the velocity in the positive
direction is decreasing, the
acceleration is negative, as at C.
Graphical Representations of
Acceleration
Practice
• A car accelerates east from rest to a final velocity of 20 m/s east
in a time interval of 5.0 s. What is the average acceleration of
the car?
Practice
• A car traveling initially at +3.0 m/s accelerates to 24 m/s during an
interval of 20 s. What is the acceleration during this time?
There Are Other Uses for
the Formula
vf = vi + at
Final Velocity = Initial Velocity + Acceleration
x Time
Practice
• A car traveling initially at +3.0 m/s accelerates at the rate of +1.20
m/s2 for an interval of 20 s. What is the velocity at the end of the
acceleration?
Velocity and Acceleration
Newton’s First Law
• An object at rest remains at rest, and an

object in motion continues in motion with
constant velocity (that is, constant speed
in a straight line) unless the object
experiences a net external force.
• In
other words, when the net total
external force on an object is zero, the
object’s acceleration is zero. (i.e. the
change in the object’s velocity is zero)
Newton’s Second Law
The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net

force acting on the object and inversely proportional to the
object’s mass.
F = ma
net force = mass  acceleration
F represents the vector sum of all external forces

acting on the object, or the net force.
Newton’s Second Law
Newton’s Third Law
• If two objects interact, the magnitude of the

force exerted on object 1 by object 2 is equal
to the magnitude of the force simultaneously
exerted on object 2 by object 1, and these
two forces are opposite in direction.
• In other words, for every action, there is

an equal and opposite reaction.
• Because the forces coexist, either force can

be called the action or the reaction.
Action and Reaction Forces
• Action-reaction pairs do not imply that the
net force on either object is zero.
• The action-reaction forces are equal and
opposite, but either object may still have a
net force on it.
Consider driving a nail into wood with a hammer. The force that the
nail exerts on the hammer is equal and opposite to the force that the
hammer exerts on the nail.
But there is a net force acting on the nail, which drives the nail into
the wood.
Newton’s Third Law
Weight
• Thegravitational force (Fg) exerted on
an object by Earth is a vector quantity,
directed toward the center of Earth.
• Themagnitude of this force (Fg) is a

scalar quantity called weight.
• Weight changes with the location of an

object in the universe.
Weight, continued
• Calculating weight at any location:

Fg = mag
ag = free-fall acceleration at that location
• Calculating weight on Earth's surface:

ag = g = 9.81 m/s2
Fg = mg = m(9.81 m/s2)
Gravity as a Force
• Thegravitational force (Fg) exerted on

an object by Earth is a vector quantity,
directed toward the center of Earth.
• Force is in Newtons
• Masses are in kg
• Distance is in meters
Gravity as a Force
• The gravitational force constant is G

•G = 6.67 x 10-11 N-m2/kg2
• The masses are simply the mass of the two

gravitational bodies (i.e. your mass and the
earth’s)
• When using G and ME, then it simplifies to g

Describing Motion

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Distance

The length an object actually travels.

• Speedhas no direction, only

• Average speed is equal to the total

Units for acceleration are 1 m/s/s or

• An object accelerates if its speed, direction,

• An object at rest remains at rest, and an

The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net

F represents the vector sum of all external forces

• If two objects interact, the magnitude of the

• In other words, for every action, there is

• Because the forces coexist, either force can

• Themagnitude of this force (Fg) is a

• Weight changes with the location of an

• Calculating weight at any location:

• Calculating weight on Earth's surface:

• Thegravitational force (Fg) exerted on

• The gravitational force constant is G

• The masses are simply the mass of the two

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