01

NOTE
P H Y S I C S

KINEMATICS
v-t CURVE AND INTEGRATION

What you already know What you will learn

• Introduction to kinematics • Problems on displacement, speed and

• Frame of reference velocity

• Speed and velocity • Use of integration to find the distance

travelled

Example

A car travels with speed 20 ms-1 between 0 < t ≤ 10 s, 10 ms-1 between 10 < t ≤ 20 s, and 5 ms-1
between 20 < t ≤ 30 s. Find the total distance travelled by the car.

BOARDS

Solution
The car is travelling in a straight line with 20 ms-1 10 ms-1 5 ms-1
different speeds in three segments. Let us 10 s 20 s 30 s
divide the total distance in three sections, viz
s1, s2, and s3.
s1 s2 s3
We know that,
Distance travelled = Speed × Time
Thus,
Total distance travelled,
s = s1 + s2 + s3
= (20 × 10) + (10 × 10) + (5 × 10)
= 200 + 100 + 50
= 350 m

Example

Given, v = 2t + 1,
(a) What is the speed at 5 s?
(b) What is the average speed in 5 s?

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 02

Solution
(a) For speed at 5 s,
Put t = 5 s in velocity equation, v = 2t + 1
Thus,
Speed at 5 s = (2 × 5) + 1 = 11 ms-1
(b) For average speed in 5 seconds, we need to find the total distance covered in 5 seconds.
f (x)
As the speed is a continuous variable in this
question, 90
We need to divide it in infinitesimally small 80
steps for which speed can be assumed 70
to be constant. Then, we need to multiply 60
the time with these infinite steps of speed- 50
values and add all of these multiplications. 40

f (xi)
However, this method is time-consuming 30
and needs computational methodology. 20
Graphically, this can be written as the area 10
under curve as shown: x
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
∆x

The total area will be the sum of

areas of all these rectangles.
x
Area of one rectangle = f (xi) ∆x
Total area = A1 + A2........

f (xi)
+
= ∑ A ( x i ) =
∑ f ( x i ) ∆x +
+
+
Error will be minimum when the +
+
divisions are small and the number
of divisions tends to infinity. ∆x

In mathematics, the tool used for such problems is integration. So let’s understand the
required part of integration now.

Types of integration NEET

1. 
Indefinite integral : Limits are not 2. Definite integral : Integration is carried
specified for indefinite integral. Arbitrary out between specified initial and final
constant is added as we do not know the limit values of independent variables.
limits.  We need to integrate variable x from
Basic formula for the integration of limits of 1 unit to 2 units,
function is as follows: Then,
2
xn + 1 2  x2 
n
∫ x dx =
n+1
+c ∫1xdx =  
 2 1
When n = 1, 22 12 3
x2 = − =
∫ xdx = + c 2 2 2
2

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 03

After learning integration, let’s get back to the problem.

In the given example, the integration method will be used to calculate the total distance travelled
in time 5 s.
In the graph shown, distance is equal to the area
under the velocity vs time curve. v
Let dx be a small distance travelled in a short time dt. (2t + 1)
For short time intervals, instantaneous speed is
instantaneous velocity.
Thus,
dx = v × dt
Total distance = ∫ v dt
x 5 Area
∫=dx ∫ ( 2t + 1) dt
0 0
t =5s
x   t2  
x  0 =
2 ×   + t 
 2 t = 0 s t
t t + dt
x = 52 + 5 − 0 + 0
x = 30 m
Total distance travelled
Average speed =
Time taken
30
=
5
= 6 ms −1

Alternative method to find area when the curve is a straight line

Draw graph of v(t) = 2t + 1 with t. Thus, this area becomes the sum of the area of
triangle and the rectangle as shown:
v(t)
v(t)
11 ms-1
11 ms-1

1 ms-1
1 ms-1 O t
O t 5s
5s
Total area = Area of triangle + Area of rectangle
Area under the curve is from t = 0 to t = 5. 1 
=  × 5 × 10  + (1 × 5)
2 
= 30 m

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 04

Relation between velocity and distance

Let v = f(t)
But velocity is a derivative of displacement
with respect to time. Thus,
dx
= v = f (t )
dt
This can be rearranged as
∫ dx =∫ f ( t ) dt =∫ v dt
Thus,
Total distance = ∫ f ( t ) dt

Example

Velocity is given by,

v = 6t2 + 2t,
(a) What is the distance travelled in 2 s?
(b) What is the speed at 2 s?
(c) What is the average speed in 2 s?

Solution
(b) Speed at 2 s:
(a) Distance travelled from 0 s to 2 s
v(t) = 6t2 + 2t
∫ (6t )
2
=x 2
+ 2t dt At 2 sec,
0
2 2
v(2) = 24 + 4 = 28 ms-1
=x 6∫ t 2dt + 2∫ t dt
0 0
(c) 
Average speed is the total distance
2 2
t3   t2  travelled divided by the total time. Here, 20
= 6   + 2 
m distance is travelled in 2 s.
 3 0  2 0
Thus,
= 2 23 − 0 + 22 − 0 ( ) Average speed
20
= = 10 ms −1
= 16 + 4 = 20 m 2

Example

Velocity is given by,

v = 3t3 + 4t + 2,
(a) Find the distance as a function of time t.
(b) What is the average speed in 3 s ?

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Solution
3 
(a) Here, we need to put a limit from 0 to t for
time t.
( )
x (3) =  × 34  + 2 × 32 + ( 2 × 3)
4 
Thus, 3 
= × 81  + (18 ) + ( 6 )
∫ (3t )
t
Distance
= 3
+ 4t + 2 dt 4 
0
t t t 243
x ( t ) = 3∫ t 3dt + 4∫ tdt + 2∫ dt = + 24
0 0 0 4
t 4
t 2
339
x (t ) = 3 + 4 + 2t = m
4 2 4
3 4 Average speed is the total distance travelled
x (t ) = t + 2t 2 + 2t
4 divided by the total time.
Thus,
(b) 
We have generalised the equation of  339 
distance in terms of time t.  4  113
= =
Average speed  ms −1
Thus, distance travelled in 3 sec 3 4

Example

At t = 0, a particle starts from (2, 0) and moves towards positive x-axis with speed
v = 6t + 2,
(a) Find x(t) as a function of time t.
(b) What is the distance travelled in t s ?

Solution
(a) Here, the particle starts from 2 m and not (b) 
The distance travelled can be found by
from the origin, subtracting the initial position from the final.
y Thus,
y
t=0

t=0 t=1
x
(2, 0) x
Thus,
The position is (2, 0) xf
xi (xf - xi)
xf t
x (t )
= dx ∫ v ( t ) dt
∫= Distance travelled = x f − x i = 3t 2 + 2t
xi 0
t
xf − =
xi ∫ (6t + 2) dt
0

= 3t 2 + 2t
But, we know that, x i = 2 m
Thus,
xf = (
2 + 3t 2 + 2t )
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