MOTION IN A STRAIGHT LINE

1. Motion and Rest

2. Distance and Displacement
3. Uniform Motion
4. Non-uniform Motion
5. Speed
6. Velocity
7. Acceleration
8. Equations of Uniformly Accelerated Motion
9. Graphical Representation of Motion
10. Distance-Time Graph
11. Speed-Time Graph
12. Derivation of Equations of Motion by Graphical Method
13. Uniform Circular Motion
14. Calculation of Speed of a Body in Uniform Circular Motion
Concept of a Point Object
In mechanics, a particle is a geometrical mass point or a material body of
negligible dimensions. It is only a mathematical idealization.

Examples:

Earth

In practice, the nearest approach to a particle is a body, whose size is much smaller
than the distance or the length measurements involved.
 Rectilinear motion: The study of motion of objects along a straight line.
Ex. Freely falling body, motion of vehicle along straight road.

Mechanics: it is the branch of physics which deals with the motion and rest
objects.

Statics: study of
Dynamics: Study of objects in
objects at rest
motions under the consideration of
under the action
forces.
of force.

Kinematics: study of objects in motion Kinetics: study of motion with

without considering the cause for the motion. consideration of cause for the
Ex. Freely falling body motion. motion.
Ex. Gravitation, friction.
Motion:
An object is said to be in motion if it changes its position with respect to its
surroundings and with time.

Examples:
1. Moving cars, buses, trains, cricket ball, etc.
2. All the planets revolving around the Sun.
3. Molecules of a gas in motion above 0 K.

Rest:

An object is said to be at rest if it does not change its position with respect to its
surroundings and with time.

Examples: Mountains, Buildings, trees etc.

Rest and Motion are relative terms

An object which is at rest can also be in motion simultaneously.
Eg. The passengers sitting in a moving train are at rest w.r.t. each other but they
are also in motion at the same time w.r.t. the objects like trees, buildings, etc.
 Motions are classified based
on path into 3 types.

2D-motion: motion of a body

1D-motion: motion of a body 3D-motion: motion of a body
in a plane or along curved
along a straight line. in space.
path.
Ex. Freely falling body, motion Ex. Bird flying in the sky,
Ex. Ant moves on a floor,
of car along straight road. Aeroplane.
lizard moves on a wall.

Motion and Rest are Relative Terms – How?

In the examples of motion of ball and car, man is considered to be

at rest (stationary).
But, the man is standing on the Earth and the Earth itself moves
around the Sun as well as rotates about its own axis.
Therefore, man is at rest w.r.t. the Earth but is rotating and
revolving around the Sun.
That is why motion and rest are relative terms !
 Reference Point or Origin

While describing motion, we use reference point or origin w.r.t. which the motion of other bodies are
observed.

When you travel in a bus or train you can see

the trees, buildings and the poles moving back.
To a tree, you are moving forward and to you, the trees are moving back.
Both, you and the trees, can serve as reference point but motion can not be described without
reference point.
What effect do you get when you play video game involving car racing?

Frame of reference: The place from which motion is observed and measured is called F.R

Frame of reference very important for measurement of a body

motion.
Motion in a straight line: motion of a body along any one axis.

(in km)

-x -60 -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 +x

1. The distance measured to the right of the origin of the position axis is taken positive
and the distance measured to the left of the origin is taken negative.
2. The origin for position can be shifted to any point on the position axis.
3. The distance between two points on position-axis is not affected due to the shift in
the origin of position-axis.

Path length or distance : It is the total distance covered by the body during motion.
• It is a scalar and SI unit is Metre.
• It gives always +ve value.
Displacement: it is the shortest path between initial and final position of the body during its motion.
Displacement = Final position –Initial position
Δx = x2 – x1 if x2 > x1, Δx is positive
x2 < x1, Δx is negative
if initial and final position of a body at the same point then displacement is zero.

X1

Scalar
Scalar quantity is a physical quantity which has magnitude X2
only.
Eg.: Length, Mass, Time, Speed, Energy, etc.

Vector
Vector quantity is a physical quantity which has both
magnitude as well as direction.
Eg.: Displacement, Velocity, Acceleration, Momentum, Force,
etc.
Speed: it is defined as the ratio of the path length to the time taken.
speed SI unit is m/s.

Types of speed:
1. Average speed: it is the ratio of the total path length covered by the body to the total time taken

X1+X2 ………….Xn
=
t1+t2 ………..….tn

2. Uniform speed: if a body covers equal distances in equal time intervals.

3.Non uniform speed or variable speed: if a body covers unequal distances in equal time intervals.

4.Instantaneous speed: limit of average speed when time interval is infinitesimally small.
(or) speed of the body at a particular instant of time.

Instantaneous speed = x derivative w.r.t time t

Velocity : it is defined as the ratio of the displacement to the time taken (or) rate of change of displacement.
velocity SI unit is m/s.

Types of velocity:
1. Average velocity: it is the ratio of the total displacement covered by the body to the total time taken

X1+X2 ………….Xn
=
t1+t2 ………..….tn

2. Uniform velocity : if a body covers equal displacements in equal time intervals.

3.Non uniform velocity or variable velocity : if a body covers unequal displacements in equal time intervals.

4.Instantaneous velocity : limit of average velocity of a body, when time interval is infinitesimally small.
(or) velocity of the body at a particular instant of time.

Instantaneous velocity = x derivative w.r.t time t

Motions are two types based on the speed/velocity they are;
1. Uniform motion : in this motion body speed/velocity remains constant throughout the motion.

2. non uniform motion: in this motion body speed/velocity does not constant throughout the motion.
 Difference between Speed and Velocity

Speed Velocity
1. Speed is the time rate of change of 1. Velocity is the time rate of change
distance of a body. of displacement of a body.

2. Speed tells nothing about the 2. Velocity tells the direction of

direction of motion of the body. motion of the body.

3. Speed is a scalar quantity. 3. Velocity is a vector quantity.

4. Speed of the body can be positive 4. Velocity of the body can be

or zero. positive, zero or negative.

5. Average speed of amoving 5. Average velocity of a moving body

body can never be zero. can be zero.
Acceleration: the rate of change of velocity of a body in motion. SI unit is m/s2
A body is said to have acceleration
1. If there is change in the magnitude of velocity.
2. If there is change in the direction of velocity.

Accelerations are four types they are

1. Uniform(constant) acceleration: if body velocity changes equal interval in equal interval of time.
(or) acceleration of body is constant in motion.
Ex. Acceleration due to gravity(freely falling body acceleration) = 9.8 m/s2
2. Non uniform(variable) acceleration: if body velocity changes unequal interval in equal interval of
time.
Ex. A vehicle moving on a crowded road.

3. Average acceleration: it is defined as change in velocity divided by the time interval.

v-u
change in velocity
Average acceleration(a) = =
total time taken t
 4. Instantaneous acceleration: it is the acceleration of the body at a instant of time, time interval is
infinitesimally small.

Graphical representation of motion of body:

Position-time graphs:

Note: slope of distance time graph gives speed

slope of displacement time graph gives
velocity
 Velocity-time graphs:

Note: slope of v-t graph gives acceleration. Note: velocity and speed remain same in uniform motion
area of v-t graph gives displacement. along a straight line motion.
 Acceleration-time graphs

a a
a
 EQUATIONS OF UNIFORMLY ACCELERATED MOTION BY GRAPHICAL METHOD
Consider a body moving with initial velocity ‘u’ accelerates at uniform rate ‘a’. Let
‘v’ be the final velocity after time ‘t’ and ‘s’ be the displacement.
First equation of motion:
B
Change in velocity v E
Acceleration =

)s/m( yticoleV
Time taken for change
v-u
BC v-u
a= a=
AC t u A C

AC=OD=t v – u = at
O t D Time (s)
or v = u + at
Freely fall body

Body covers displacement between successive sn

n – ½)
time interval is given by s = u + a(

nemecalpsid
Sn-1
Sn - Sn-1=un+1/2(an2 ) – u(n-1) +1/2(a (n-1)2)

s = u + a(n – ½)

t
O tn-1 tn Time (s)
Second equation of motion:
The area of trapezium OABC gives
the distance travelled.
displacement = area of trapezium = ½(sum of two sides) height

s = ½ x AC x (OA + DB)
B
v E
s = ½ x t x (u + v)

)s/m( yticoleV
v-u
s = ½ x t x (u + u + at)
v

s = ½ x (2ut + at2) u A C
t

s = ut + ½ at2 O t D Time (s)

Third equation of motion:

Displacement =average velocity x time 2as =(v+u)(v-u) Note: average

s = ½(u + v)t Velocity v = ½(u+v)
= v2-u2
= ½(u + v) v-u
a v2-u2 =2as
Hw : Write a motion of equation for freely fall body and upward projected body under acceleration due to gravity.
a=+g for freely fall, a= -g for upward projected body.
Equations of motion by Calculus method 2.Position- time relation.

1. velocity-time relation. velocity

Acceleration

Integrating on both sides

Integrating on both sides

This is velocity-time relation.

3.Velocity-Position relation.

Integrating on both This is velocity-Position relation.

sides
Note: we can use this calculus method for non
uniform acceleration body motion.
Relative velocity: it is the velocity of one body w.r.t the velocity of another body.

Consider two objects A and B moving

uniformly with average velocities vA and vB along x-axis. If xA (0) and xB (0) are positions of
objects A and B,respectively at time t = 0, their positions xA (t) and xB (t) at time t are given
by:

xA (t ) = xA (0) + vA t --------1 The velocity of object B relative to object A is vB – vA

xB (t) = xB (0) + vB t --------2 vBA = vB – vA

displacement of object B w.r.t. object A is The velocity of object A relative to object B is vA –

vB
xBA(t) = xB (t) – xA (t) vAB = vA – vB

At meet point XAB(t) is zero;

xBA(t) = [ xB (0) – xA (0) ] + (vB – vA) t. ----3
then meeting time is given by
Object B has a velocity vB – vA w.r.t. A
t = [ xA (0) – xB (0) ] / vA-vB vA>vB
 B
14
140 A
12
0 120
0
10 A
100
080
X(m) 80 B
6 X(m) 60
0
4 40
0
2 20
0O
1 2 3 4 5 6 O
1 2 3 4 5 6
t(s)
t(s)

vA = vA – vB = vB - vA = 0 vA >
vThe
B
two
0 objects stay vvB - vA is
B
at a constant distance Objects meet at
negative
a
common point
 14
12
0
0 A
10
0
8
X(m)0
6
0
4
0
B
2
0
O
1 2 3 4 5 6
t(s)

vA and vB are of opposite

signs.
In this case, the magnitude of vBA or vAB is
greater than the magnitude of velocity of A
or
that of B