Constant acceleration

9.1 Displacement–time graphs

You can represent the motion of an object on a displacement–time graph. Displacement is always
plotted on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis.
In these graphs s represents the displacement of an object from a given point in metres and t
represents the time taken in seconds.
s (m) s (m) s (m)

O t (s) O t (s) O t (s)

There is no change in the The displacement increases at a The displacement is increasing at
displacement over time and constant rate over time and the object a greater rate as time increases.
the object is stationary. is moving with constant velocity. The velocity is increasing and the
object is accelerating.
■ Velocity is the rate of change of displacement.
• On a displacement–time graph the gradient represents the velocity.
• If the displacement–time graph is a straight line, then the velocity is constant.
displacement from starting point
■ Average velocity = ______________________________
   
​   ​
time taken
total distance travelled
■ Average speed = ______________________
  
​   ​
time taken

Example 1
A cyclist rides in a straight line for 20 minutes.  d (km)
6
She waits for half an hour, then returns in a A B
5
straight line to her starting point in 15 minutes. 4
This is a displacement–time graph for her journey. 3
a Work out the average velocity for each stage of 2
1
the journey in km h−1. 0
C
b Write down the average velocity for the whole journey. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 t (mins)
c Work out the average speed for the whole journey.

a Journey from O to A: time = 20 mins; displacement = 5 km To convert from km min−1 to km h−1

5 multiply by 60.
Average velocity = ​___​= 0.25 km min−1
20

0.25 × 60 = 15 km h−1 A horizontal line on the graph

Journey from A to B: no change in displacement indicates the cyclist is stationary.
so average velocity = 0
Journey from B to C: time = 15 mins; displacement = −5 km The cyclist starts with a displacement
−5 1 of 5 km and finishes with a
Average velocity = ___
​ ​= ​− ​__​km min−1 displacement of 0 km, so the change
15 3
1
​− ​__​× 60 = −20 km h−1 in displacement is –5 km, and velocity
3 will be negative.

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b The displacement for the whole journey is 0 so

At C the cyclist has returned to the
average velocity is 0.
starting point.
c Total time = 65 mins
Total distance travelled is 5 + 5 = 10 km The cyclist has travelled 5 km away
10 2 from the starting point and then
Average speed = ___​ ​= ___
​ ​km min−1 5 km back to the starting point.
65 13
2
​___​× 60 = 9.2 km h−1 (2 s.f.)
13

Exercise 9A
1 This is a displacement–time graph for a car travelling
along a straight road. The journey is divided into 120

Displacement (km)
5 stages labelled A to E. 100
80 D
a Work out the average velocity for each stage of the journey. C
60 B
b State the average velocity for the whole journey. E
40
A
c Work out the average speed for the whole journey. 20
0

10 0
10 0
11 0
11 0
12 0
12 0
13 0
13 0
0
:3
:0
:3
:0
:3
:0
:3
:0
:3
09
Time

2 Khalid drives from his home to a hotel. He drives for 2​_​2 ​hours
1
P
at an average velocity of 60 km h−1. He then stops for lunch
Displacement (km)

before continuing to his hotel. The diagram shows a

displacement–time graph for Khalid’s journey.
a Work out the displacement of the hotel from Khalid’s home.
b Work out Khalid’s average velocity for his whole journey.
Problem-solving
0 1 2 3 4 5
You need to work out the Time (hours)
scale on the vertical axis.

P 3 Sarah left home at 10:00 and cycled north in

12
a straight line. The diagram shows a
Displacement (km)

displacement–time graph for her journey. 8

a Work out Sarah’s velocity between 10:00 and
4
11:00.
On her return journey, Sarah continued past her 0
home before returning. 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 Time

b Estimate the time that Sarah passed her home. –4

c Work out Sarah’s velocity for each of the last two

stages of her journey.
d Calculate Sarah’s average speed for her entire journey.

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 Constant acceleration

P 4 A ball is thrown vertically up in the air and falls to

the ground. This is a displacement–time graph for 2.5

Height (m)
the motion of the ball. 2
1.5
a Find the maximum height of the ball and the time
1
at which it reaches that height.
0.5
b Write down the velocity of the ball when it reaches
0
its highest point. 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
c Describe the motion of the ball: Time (s)

i from the time it is thrown to the time it

Hint To describe the motion you should
reaches its highest point
state the direction of travel of the ball and
ii after reaching its highest point.
whether it is accelerating or decelerating.

9.2 Velocity–time graphs

You can represent the motion of an object on a velocity–time graph. Velocity is always plotted on the
vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis.
In these graphs v represents the velocity of an object in metres per second and t represents the time
taken in seconds.
v (m s–1) v (m s–1) v (m s–1)

O t (s) O t (s) O t (s)

The velocity is zero and the object is The velocity is unchanging and The velocity is increasing at a constant
stationary. the object is moving with constant rate and the object is moving with
velocity. constant acceleration.

■ Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.

• In a velocity–time graph the gradient represents the
Notation Negative acceleration
acceleration.
is sometimes described as
• If the velocity–time graph is a straight line, then the
deceleration or retardation.
acceleration is constant.
This velocity–time graph v (m s–1)
represents the motion of
an object travelling in a V Area under the graph = V × T
straight line at constant
velocity V m s−1 for time
For an object with constant velocity,
T seconds.
O T displacement = velocity × time
t (s)
■ The area between a velocity–time graph and the horizontal axis represents the distance
travelled.
• For motion in a straight line with positive velocity, the area under the velocity–time graph
up to a point t represents the displacement at time t.

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Example 2
The figure shows a velocity–time graph illustrating the v (m s–1)
motion of a cyclist moving along a straight road for a
period of 12  seconds. For the first 8  seconds, she moves 6
at a constant speed of 6  m  s–1. She then decelerates at
a constant rate, stopping after a further 4  seconds.
a Find the displacement from the starting point of
O 8 12 t (s)
the cyclist after this 12 second period.
b Work out the rate at which the cyclist decelerates.

a The displacement s after 12 s is given by Model the cyclist as a particle moving in a

the area under the graph. straight line.
1  ​(a 1 b)h
s 5​ __
2
1  ​(8 1 12) 3 6 The displacement is represented  8
5​ __
2 by the area of the trapezium 6
5 10 3 6 5 60 with these sides.
12
The displacement of the cyclist after 12 s is You can use the formula for the
60  m. area of a trapezium to calculate this area.

b The acceleration is the gradient of the

slope. The gradient is given by 
26 difference in the v-coordinates
__________________________
a 5​ ___ ​ 5 21.5    
​
difference in the t-coordinates
​ 6
4
The deceleration is 1.5  m  s22.
8 12

Example 3
A particle moves along a straight line. The particle accelerates uniformly from rest to a velocity of
8 m s21 in T seconds. The particle then travels at a constant velocity of 8 m s21 for 5T seconds.
The particle then decelerates uniformly to rest in a further 40 s.
a Sketch a velocity–time graph to illustrate the motion of the particle.
Given that the total displacement of the particle is 600 m:
b find the value of T.

a v (m s–1)
If the particle accelerates from rest and
8 decelerates to rest this means the initial and final
velocities are zero.

O T 5T 40 t (s) Online
x

Explore how the area of

the trapezium changes as the value
of T changes using technology.

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 Constant acceleration

b The area of the trapezium is:

s = __
​21 ​(a + b)h The length of the shorter of the two parallel sides
__1
= ​2 ​(5T + 6T + 40) × 8 is 5T. The length of the longer side is
T + 5T + 40 = 6T + 40.
= 4(11T + 40)
The displacement is 600 m.
Problem-solving
4(11T + 40) = 600
The displacement is equal to the area of the
44T + 160 = 600
trapezium. Write an equation and solve it to
600 − 160
T = ___________
  
​ ​= 10 find T.
44

Exercise 9B
1 The diagram shows the velocity–time graph of the  v (m s–1)
motion of an athlete running along a straight track. 9
For the first 4  s, he accelerates uniformly from rest to
a velocity of 9 m s−1.
This velocity is then maintained for a further 8 s. Find:
O 4 12 t (s)
a the rate at which the athlete accelerates
b the displacement from the starting point of the athlete after 12 s.

2 A car is moving along a straight road. When t = 0 s, the car passes a point A with velocity
10 m s−1 and this velocity is maintained until t = 30 s. The driver then applies the brakes and the
car decelerates uniformly, coming to rest at the point B when t = 42 s.
a Sketch a velocity–time graph to illustrate the motion of the car.
b Find the distance from A to B.

E 3 The diagram shows the velocity–time graph of  v (m s–1)

the motion of a cyclist riding along a straight road. 8
She accelerates uniformly from rest to 8 m s−1 in 20 s.
She then travels at a constant velocity of 8 m s−1 for
40 s. She then decelerates uniformly to rest in 15 s.
Find: O 20 60 75 t (s)

a the acceleration of the cyclist in the first 20 s of motion  (2 marks)

b the deceleration of the cyclist in the last 15 s of motion  (2 marks)
c the displacement from the starting point of the cyclist after 75 s.  (2 marks)

E 4 A motorcyclist starts from rest at a point S on a straight race track. He moves with constant
acceleration for 15 s, reaching a velocity of 30 m s−1. He then travels at a constant velocity of
30 m s−1 for T seconds. Finally he decelerates at a constant rate coming to rest at a point F,
25 s after he begins to decelerate.
a Sketch a velocity–time graph to illustrate the motion. (3 marks)
Given that the distance between S and F is 2.4  km:
b calculate the time the motorcyclist takes to travel from S to F. (3 marks)

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E 5 A train starts from a station X and moves with constant acceleration of 0.6 m s−2 for 20  s.
The velocity it has reached after 20  s is then maintained for T seconds. The train then decelerates
from this velocity to rest in a further 40  s, stopping at a station Y.
a Sketch a velocity–time graph to illustrate the motion of the train. (3 marks)
Given that the distance between the stations is 4.2  km, find:
b the value of T (3 marks)
c the distance travelled by the train while it is moving with constant velocity. (2 marks)

E 6 A particle moves along a straight line. The particle accelerates from rest to a velocity of 10 m s−1
in 15  s. The particle then moves at a constant velocity of 10 m s−1 for a period of time. The
particle then decelerates uniformly to rest. The period of time for which the particle is travelling
at a constant velocity is 4 times the period of time for which it is decelerating.
a Sketch a velocity–time graph to illustrate the motion of the particle. (3 marks)
Given that the displacement from the starting point of the particle after it comes to rest is 480  m
b find the total time for which the particle is moving. (3 marks)
–1
v (m s )
E 7 A particle moves 100  m in a straight line. 
The diagram is a sketch of a velocity–time
10
graph of the motion of the particle.
The particle starts with velocity u  m  s−1 u
and accelerates to a velocity of 10  m  s−1 in 3  s.
The velocity of 10  m  s−1 is maintained for 7  s O t (s)
3 10 12
and then the particle decelerates to rest in a
further 2  s. Find:
a the value of u (3 marks)
b the acceleration of the particle in the first 3  s of motion. (3 marks)

E 8 A motorcyclist M leaves a road junction at time t = 0  s. She accelerates from rest at a rate of
3  m  s−2 for 8  s and then maintains the velocity she has reached. A car C leaves the same road
junction as M at time t = 0  s. The car accelerates from rest to 30  m  s−1 in 20  s and then maintains
the velocity of 30  m  s−1. C passes M as they both pass a pedestrian.
a On the same diagram, sketch velocity–time graphs to illustrate the motion of
M and C. (3 marks)
b Find the distance of the pedestrian from the road junction. (3 marks)

Challenge

The graph shows the velocity of an object travelling  v (m s–1)

in a straight line during a 10-second time interval.
3
a After how long did the object change direction?
b Work out the total distance travelled by the object.
c Work out the displacement from the starting point
of the object after: O 2 3 6 8 10 t (s)
i 6 seconds   ii 10 seconds.
–2

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 Constant acceleration

9.3 Constant acceleration formulae 1

A standard set of letters is used for the motion of an object moving in a straight line with constant
acceleration.
u a v
• s is the displacement.
• u is the initial velocity. Initial Constant Velocity aer
velocity acceleration t seconds
• v is the final velocity.
• a is the acceleration. s
• t is the time. Initial position Position aer t seconds

You can use these letters to label a velocity–time graph representing the motion of a particle moving
in a straight line accelerating from velocity u at time 0 to velocity v at time t.
Velocity

v–u
v−u
Gradient of line = ​_____​ Shaded area = (​ _____
2 )
u+v
t u ​ ​ ​t
v−u
a = ​_____​
s = ​(_____
2 )
t u+v
​ ​ ​t   2
O Time
Rearranging v = u + at   1 t

• v = u + at 1 Hint Formula 1 does not involve s and

• s = (​ _____
2 )
u+v formula 2 does not involve a.
​ ​ ​t 2

You need to know how to derive these formulae Links These formulae can also be derived
from the velocity–time graph. using calculus.  → Chapter 11

Example 4
A cyclist is travelling along a straight road. She accelerates at a constant rate from a velocity of
4 m s21 to a velocity of 7.5 m s21 in 40 seconds. Find:
a the distance she travels in these 40 seconds
b her acceleration in these 40 seconds.

4 m s–1 7.5 m s–1 Start by drawing a diagram.

Model the cyclist as a particle.

s
u = 4, v = 7.5, t = 40, s = ?, a = ? Write down the values you know and the values
you need to find.

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 Chapter 9

a s = (​ _____
2 )
u+v
​ ​ ​t

= ​(________
2 )
4 + 7.5 You need a and you know v, u and t so you can
​ ​ ​× 40 use v = u + at.
= 230
Substitute the values you know into the formula.
The distance the cyclist travels is 230 m.
You can solve this equation to find a.
b v = u + at
7.5 = 4 + 40a You could rearrange the formula before you
substitute the values:
7.5 − 4
a = ________
​ ​= 0.0875 v−u
a = _____
​ ​
40 t
The acceleration of the cyclist is
0.0875 m s−2. In real-life situations values for the acceleration
are often quite small.
Large accelerations feel unpleasant and may be
Example 5 dangerous.

A particle moves in a straight line from a point A to a point B with constant deceleration 1.5 m s22.
The velocity of the particle at A is 8 m s21 and the velocity of the particle at B is 2 m s21. Find:
a the time taken for the particle to move from A to B
b the distance from A to B.
After reaching B the particle continues to move along the straight line with constant deceleration
1.5 m s22. The particle is at the point C 6 seconds after passing through the point A. Find:
c the velocity of the particle at C
d the distance from A to C.

Positive direction Problem-solving

8 m s–1 2 m s–1 It’s always a good idea to draw a sketch showing
the positions of the particle. Mark the positive
direction on your sketch, and remember that
A B C when the particle is decelerating, your value of a
u = 8, v = 2, a = −1.5, t = ?, s = ? will be negative.
a v = u + at
2 = 8 − 1.5t
1.5t = 8 − 2
8−2
t = ______
​ ​= 4
1.5
The time taken to move from A to B is 4 s.

b s = ​(_____
2 )
u+v You can use your answer from part a as the value
​ ​ ​t
of t.
= ​(______
2 )
8+2
​ ​ ​× 4 = 20

The distance from A to B is 20 m.

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 Constant acceleration

c u = 8, a = −15, t = 6, v = ?
v = u + at
= 8 + (−1.5) × 6
The velocity at C is negative. This means that the
= 8 − 9 = −1
particle is moving from right to left.
The velocity of the particle is 1 m s−1 in the
⟶
direction ​BA ​. Remember that to specify a velocity it is
d s = ​(_____
2 )
u+v necessary to give speed and direction.
​ ​ ​t

= ​(________
2 )
8 + (−1) Make sure you use the correct sign when
​ ​ ​× 6
substituting a negative value into a formula.
The distance from A to C is 21 m.

Convert all your measurements into base SI units before substituting values into the formulae.

Example 6
A car moves from traffic lights along a straight road with constant acceleration. The car starts from
rest at the traffic lights and 30 seconds later the car passes a speed-trap where it is registered as
travelling at 45 km h21. Find:
a the acceleration of the car b the distance between the traffic lights and the speed-trap.
Convert into SI units, using:
1000
45 km h−1 = 45 × ​______​m s−1 = 12.5 m s−1 1 km = 1000 m
3600
1 hour = 60 × 60 s = 3600 s
0 m s–1 12.5 m s–1
Model the car as a particle and draw a diagram.
Lights Trap
u = 0, v = 12.5, t = 30, a = ?, s = ? The car starts from rest, so the initial velocity is
a v = u + at zero.

12.5 = 0 + 30a
12.5 ___ 5
a = _____
​ ​= ​ ​
30 12
5
The acceleration of the car is ​___​m s−2 This is an exact answer. If you want to give an
12 answer using decimals, you should round to three
b s = (​ _____
2 )
u+v
​ ​ ​t significant figures.

= ​(________ )​ ​× 30 = 187.5
0 + 12.5
​
2
The distance between the traffic lights
and the speed-trap is 187.5 m.

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 Chapter 9

Exercise 9C
1 A particle is moving in a straight line with constant acceleration 3  m  s−2. At time t = 0, the
velocity of the particle is 2  m  s−1. Find the velocity of the particle at time t = 6  s.

2 A car is approaching traffic lights. The car is travelling with velocity 10  m  s−1. The driver applies
the brakes to the car and the car comes to rest with constant deceleration in 16  s. Modelling the
car as a particle, find the deceleration of the car.

3 A car accelerates uniformly while travelling on a straight road. The car passes two signposts
360  m apart. The car takes 15  s to travel from one signpost to the other. When passing the
second signpost, it has velocity 28  m  s−1. Find the velocity of the car at the first signpost.

4 A cyclist is moving along a straight road from A to B with constant acceleration 0.5  m  s−2.
Her velocity at A is 3  m  s−1 and it takes her 12 seconds to cycle from A to B. Find:
a her velocity at B
b the distance from A to B.

5 A particle is moving along a straight line with constant acceleration from a point A to a point
B, where AB = 24  m. The particle takes 6  s to move from A to B and the velocity of the particle
at B is 5  m  s−1. Find:
a the velocity of the particle at A
b the acceleration of the particle.

6 A particle moves in a straight line from a point A to a point B with constant deceleration
1.2  m  s−2. The particle takes 6  s to move from A to B. The speed of the particle at B is 2  m  s−1
and the direction of motion of the particle has not changed. Find:
a the speed of the particle at A
b the distance from A to B.

P 7 A train, travelling on a straight track, is slowing down with Hint Convert the speeds into
constant deceleration 0.6  m  s−2. The train passes one signal
m s−1 before substituting.
with speed 72  km  h−1 and a second signal 25 s later. Find:
a the velocity, in km  h−1, of the train as it passes the second signal
b the distance between the signals.

8 A particle moves in a straight line from a point A to a point B with a constant deceleration of
4  m  s−2. At A the particle has velocity 32  m  s−1 and the particle comes to rest at B. Find:
a the time taken for the particle to travel from A to B
b the distance between A and B.

E 9 A skier travelling in a straight line up a hill experiences a constant deceleration. At the bottom
of the hill, the skier has a velocity of 16  m  s−1 and, after moving up the hill for 40  s, he comes to
rest. Find:
a the deceleration of the skier  (2 marks)
b the distance from the bottom of the hill to the point where the skier comes to rest.  (4 marks)

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 Constant acceleration

E 10 A particle is moving in a straight line with constant acceleration. The points A, B and C lie on
this line. The particle moves from A through B to C. The velocity of the particle at A is 2  m  s−1
and the velocity of the particle at B is 7  m  s−1. The particle takes 20  s to move from A to B.
a Find the acceleration of the particle. (2 marks)
The velocity of the particle is C is 11  m  s−1. Find:
b the time taken for the particle to move from B to C (2 marks)
c the distance between A and C. (3 marks)

E 11 A particle moves in a straight line from A to B with constant acceleration 1.5  m  s−2. It then
moves along the same straight line from B to C with a different acceleration. The velocity of the
particle at A is 1  m  s−1 and the velocity of the particle at C is 43  m  s−1. The particle takes 12  s to
move from A to B and 10  s to move from B to C. Find:
a the velocity of the particle at B (2 marks)
b the acceleration of the particle as it moves from B to C (2 marks)
c the distance from A to C. (3 marks)

E/p 12 A cyclist travels with constant acceleration x  m  s−2,

in a straight line, from rest to 5  m  s−1 in 20  s. She then Problem-solving
decelerates from 5  m  s−1 to rest with constant You could sketch a velocity–time
deceleration _​2 ​x m  s−2. Find:
1
graph of the cyclist’s motion and
a the value of x (2 marks) use the area under the graph to
find the total distance travelled.
b the total distance she travelled. (4 marks)

E/p 13 A particle is moving with constant acceleration in a straight line. It passes through three points,
A, B and C, with velocities 20  m  s−1, 30  m  s−1 and 45  m  s−1 respectively. The time taken to move
from A to B is t1 seconds and the time taken to move from B to C is t2 seconds.
t1 __ 2
a Show that ​__
t2 ​= ​3 ​. (3 marks)
Given also that the total time taken for the particle to move from A to C is 50  s:
b find the distance between A and B. (5 marks)

Challenge
A particle moves in a straight line from A to B with constant acceleration.
The particle moves from A with velocity 3 m s−1. It reaches point B with
velocity 5 m s−1 t seconds later.
One second after the first particle leaves point A, a second particle also
starts to move in a straight line from A to B with constant acceleration.
Its velocity at point A is 4 m s−1 and it reaches point B with velocity Problem-solving
8 m s−1 at the same time as the first particle.
The time taken for the
Find:
second particle to travel
a the value of t from A to B is (t − 1)
b the distance between A and B. seconds.

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 Chapter 9

9.4 Constant acceleration formulae 2

You can use the formulae v = u + at and s = (​ _____

2 )
u+v
​ ​ ​t to work out three more formulae.

You can eliminate t from the formulae for constant acceleration.

v−u Rearrange the formula v = u + at to make t the
t = ​_____
a ​ subject.
s = (​ _____
2 )( a )
u + v _____
v−u
Substitute this expression for t into s = (​ ​_____)​ ​t.
​ ​​​ ​​ u+v
2
2as = v2 − u2

• v2 = u2 + 2as Multiply out the brackets and rearrange.

You can also eliminate v from the formulae for constant acceleration.

s = ​(_________ ​)​t Substitute v = u + at into s = (​ _____

2 )
u + u + at u+v
​ ​t.
​ ​
2
s = (​ ___ ​ ​)​t
2u at
​ ​+ __
2 2
s = (​ u + __
​ ​at)​t
1 Multiply out the brackets and rearrange.
2
1
• s = ut + ​__​at2
2
Finally, you can eliminate u by substituting into this formula:
1 1
s = (v − at)t + __
​ ​at2 Substitute u = v − at into s = ut + __
​ ​at2.
2 2
1
• s = vt − __
​ ​at2
2
■ You need to be able to use and to derive the five formulae for solving problems about
particles moving in a straight line with constant acceleration.

• v = u + at

• s = (​ _____
2 )
u+v Watch out
​ ​ ​t These five formulae
are sometimes referred to as the
• v2 = u2 + 2as kinematics formulae or suvat
formulae. They are given in the
1 formulae booklet.
• s = ut + ​__​at2
2
1
• s = vt − __
​ ​at2
2

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 Constant acceleration

Example 7
A particle is moving along a straight line from A to B with_​ constant
__› acceleration 5  m  s−2.
The velocity of the particle at A is 3  m  s−1 in the direction AB​
​ . The velocity of the particle at B is
18  m  s in the same direction. Find the distance from A to B.
−1

Positive direction

3 m s–1 18 m s–1
Write down the values you know and the values
you need to find. This will help you choose the
A B correct formula.
a = 5, u = 3, v = 18, s = ?
t is not involved so choose the formula that does
v2 = u2 + 2as
not have t in it.
182 = 32 + 2 × 5 × s
324 = 9 + 10s Substitute in the values you are given and solve
324 − 9
________ the equation for s. This gives the distance you
s=​ ​= 31.5
10 were asked to find.
AB = 31.5 m

Example 8
A particle is moving in a straight horizontal line with constant deceleration 4  m  s−2. At time
t = 0 the particle passes through a point O with speed 13  m  s−1 travelling towards a point A, where
OA = 20  m. Find:
a the times when the particle passes through A
b the value of t when the particle returns to O.

Positive direction The particle is decelerating so the value of a is

negative.
13 m s–1
You are told the values of a, u and s and asked to
O 20 m A find t. You are given no information about v and
are not asked to find it so you choose the formula
a a = −4, u = 13, s = 20, t = ?
without v.
1
s = ut + ​__​at2
2
1 Problem-solving
20 = 13t − __ ​ ​× 4t2
2 When you use s = ut + _​12 ​at2 with an unknown
= 13t − 2t2 value of t you obtain a quadratic equation in t.
2t − 13t + 20 = 0
2
You can solve this equation by factorising, or
_______
(2t − 5)(t − 4) = 0 √
−b ± ​ b − 4ac ​
2
using the quadratic formula, x = ​_____________
   ​.
5 2a
t = __
​ ​, or t = 4
2
The particle moves through A twice, There are two answers. Both are correct.
2​__
​21 ​seconds and 4 seconds after moving The particle moves from O to A, goes beyond A
through O. and then turns round and returns to A.

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 Chapter 9

When the particle returns to O, its displacement

b The particle returns to O when s = 0.
(distance) from O is zero.
s = 0, u = 13, a = −4, t = ?
1
s = ut + ​__​at2
2
0 = 13t − 2t2
= t(13 − 2t)
The first solution (t = 0) represents the starting
13
t = 0, or t = ___
​ ​ position of the particle. The other solution (t = __
​13
2 ​)
2
tells you when the particle returns to O.
The particle returns to O 6.5 seconds
after it first passed through O.

Example 9
A particle P is moving on the x-axis with constant deceleration 2.5  m  s−2. At time t 5 0, the particle
P passes through the origin O, moving in the positive direction of x with speed 15  m  s−1. Find:
a the time between the instant when P first passes through O and the instant when it returns to O
b the total distance travelled by P during this time.

Positive direction Problem-solving

Before you start, draw a sketch so you can see
what is happening. The particle moves through
O with a positive velocity. As it is decelerating it
slows down and will eventually have zero velocity
x at a point A, which you don’t yet know. As the
O A
particle is still decelerating, its velocity becomes
a a = −2.5, u = 15, s = 0, t = ?
negative, so the particle changes direction and
1
s = ut + ​__​at2 returns to O.
2
1
0 = 15t − ​__​× 2.5 × t2 When the particle returns to O, its displacement
2
(distance) from O is zero.
0 = 60t − 5t2
= 5t(12 − t) Multiply by 4 to get whole-number coefficients.
t = 0, t = 12
The particle P returns to O after 12 s.
At the furthest point from O, labelled A in the
b a = −2.5, u = 15, v = 0, s = ?
diagram, the particle changes direction. At that
v2 = u2 + 2as point, for an instant, the particle has zero velocity.
02 = 152 − 2 × 2.5 × s
5s = 152 = 225
225
s = _____
​ ​= 45
5
The distance OA = 45 m. In the 12 s the particle has been moving it has
The total distance travelled by P is travelled to A and back. The total distance
2 × 45 m = 90 m. travelled is twice the distance OA.

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 Constant acceleration

Exercise 9D
1 A particle is moving in a straight line with constant acceleration 2.5  m  s−2. It passes a point A
with velocity 3  m  s−1 and later passes through a point B, where AB = 8  m. Find the velocity of
the particle as it passes through B.
2 A car is accelerating at a constant rate along a straight horizontal road. Travelling at 8  m  s−1,
it passes a pillar box and 6  s later it passes a sign. The distance between the pillar box and the
sign is 60 m. Find the acceleration of the car.
3 A cyclist travelling at 12  m  s−1 applies her brakes and comes to rest after travelling 36  m in
a straight line. Assuming that the brakes cause the cyclist to decelerate uniformly, find the
deceleration.
4 A train is moving along a straight horizontal track with constant acceleration. The train passes
a signal with a velocity of 54  km  h−1 and a second signal with a velocity of 72  km  h−1.
The distance between the two signals is 500  m. Find, in m  s−2, the acceleration of the train.
5 A particle moves along a straight line, with constant acceleration, from a point A to a point B
where AB = 48  m. At A the particle has velocity 4  m  s−1 and at B it has velocity 16  m  s−1. Find:
a the acceleration of the particle
b the time the particle takes to move from A to B.
6 A particle moves along a straight line with constant acceleration 3  m  s−2. The particle moves
38  m in 4  s. Find:
a the initial velocity of the particle
b the final velocity of the particle.
7 The driver of a car is travelling at 18  m  s−1 along a straight road when she sees an obstruction
ahead. She applies the brakes and the brakes cause the car to slow down to rest with a constant
deceleration of 3  m  s−2. Find:
a the distance travelled as the car decelerates
b the time it takes for the car to decelerate from 18  m  s−1 to rest.
8 A stone is sliding across a frozen lake in a straight line. The initial speed of the stone is 12  m  s−1.
The friction between the stone and the ice causes the stone to slow down at a constant rate of
0.8  m  s−2. Find:
a the distance moved by the stone before coming to rest
b the speed of the stone at the instant when it has travelled half of this distance.
9 A particle is moving along a straight line OA with constant acceleration 2.5  m  s−2. At time
t = 0, the particle passes through O with speed 8  m  s−1 and is moving in the direction OA.
The distance OA is 40  m. Find:
a the time taken for the particle to move from O to A
b the speed of the particle at A. Give your answers to one decimal place.
10 A particle travels with uniform deceleration 2  m  s−2 in a horizontal line. The points A and B lie
on the line and_​ __›AB = 32  m. At time t = 0, the particle passes through A with velocity 12  m  s in
−1

​ . Find:
the direction  AB​
a the values of t when the particle is at B
b the velocity of the particle for each of these values of t.

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 Chapter 9

E/p 11 A particle is moving along the x-axis with constant Problem-solving

deceleration 5  m  s−2. At time t = 0, the particle passes
The particle will pass through A
through the origin O with velocity 12  m  s−1 in the
twice. Use s = ut + _​12 ​at2 to set up
positive direction. At time t seconds the particle and solve a quadratic equation.
passes through the point A with x-coordinate 8. Find:
a the values of t  (3 marks)
b the velocity of the particle as it passes through the point with x-coordinate −8.  (3 marks)

E 12 A particle P is moving on the x-axis with constant deceleration 4  m  s−2. At time t = 0, P passes
through the origin O with velocity 14  m  s−1 in the positive direction. The point A lies on the axis
and OA = 22.5  m. Find:
a the difference between the times when P passes through A  (4 marks)
b the total distance travelled by P during the interval between these times.  (3 marks)

E/p 13 A car is travelling along a straight horizontal road with constant acceleration. The car passes
over three consecutive points A, B and C where AB = 100  m and BC = 300  m. The speed of the
car at B is 14  m  s−1 and the speed of the car at C is 20  m  s−1. Find:
a the acceleration of the car  (3 marks)
b the time take for the car to travel from A to C.  (3 marks)

E/p 14 Two particles P and Q are moving along the same straight horizontal line with constant
accelerations 2  m  s−2 and 3.6  m  s−2 respectively. At time t = 0, P passes through a point A with
speed 4  m  s−1. One second later Q passes through A with speed 3  m  s−1, moving in the same
direction as P.
a Write down expressions for the displacements of P and Q from A, in terms of t, where
t seconds is the time after P has passed through A.  (2 marks)
b Find the value of t where the particles meet. Problem-solving
 (3 marks)
When P and Q meet, their
c Find the distance of A from the point where displacements from A are equal.
the particles meet.  (3 marks)

E/p 15 In an orienteering competition, a competitor moves in a straight line past three checkpoints,
P, Q and R, where PQ = 2.4 km and QR = 11.5 km. The competitor is modelled as a particle
moving with constant acceleration. She takes 1 hour to travel from P to Q and 1.5 hours to
travel from Q to R. Find:
a the acceleration of the competitor
b her speed at the instant she passes P. (7 marks)

9.5 Vertical motion under gravity

You can use the formulae for constant acceleration to model an object moving vertically under gravity.
■ The force of gravity causes all objects to accelerate towards the earth. If you ignore the
effects of air resistance, this acceleration is constant. It does not depend on the mass of the
object.

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 Constant acceleration

As the force of gravity does not depend on mass, this means 

that in a vacuum an apple and a feather would both accelerate
downwards at the same rate.
On earth, the acceleration due to gravity is represented by the
letter g and is approximately 9.8 m s−2.
g = 9.8 m s–2 g = 9.8 m s–2
The actual value of the acceleration can vary by very small
amounts in different places due to the changing radius of the earth and height above sea level.
■ An object moving vertically under Watch out In mechanics questions you will always
gravity can be modelled as a use g = 9.8 m s−2 unless a question specifies otherwise.
particle with a constant downward However, if a different value of g is specified (e.g.
acceleration of g = 9.8 m s−2. g = 10 m s−2 or g = 9.81 m s−2) the degree of accuracy in
your answer should be chosen to be consistent with this
value.
When solving problems about vertical motion
you can choose the positive direction to be
Notation The total time that an object is in
either upwards or downwards. Acceleration
motion from the time it is projected (thrown)
due to gravity is always downwards, so if the
upwards to the time it hits the ground is
positive direction is upwards then g = −9.8 m s−2. called the time of flight. The initial speed is
sometimes called the speed of projection.
Example 10
A book falls off the top shelf of a bookcase. The shelf is 1.4 m above a wooden floor. Find:
a the time the book takes to reach the floor, b the speed with which the book strikes the floor.

0 m s–1
Model the book as a particle moving in a straight
line with a constant acceleration of magnitude
9.8  m  s−2.
Positive
direction 1.4 m
As the book is moving downwards throughout
its motion, it is sensible to take the downwards
v m s–1 direction as positive.

a s = 1.4 You have taken the downwards direction as

a = +9.8 positive and gravity acts downwards. Here the
u = 0 acceleration is positive.
t = ?
s = ut + ​__
1 2
2 ​at
Assume the book has an initial speed of zero.
1.4 = 0 + __
​21 ​× 9.8 × t2
Choose the formula without v.
1.4
t2 = ____
​ ​= 0.2857…
4.9
__________ Solve the equation for t2 and use your calculator
t = √​ 0.2857… ​= 0.5345…
to find the positive square root.
The time taken for the book to reach the
floor is 0.53 s, to two significant figures. Give the answer to two significant figures to be
consistent with the degree of accuracy used for
the value of g.

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 Chapter 9

b s = 1.4
a= 9.8
u= 0
v= ?
v2 = u2 + 2as Choose the formula without t.
= 02 + 2 × 9.8 × 1.4 = 27.44
______
v = ​√ 27.44 ​= 5.238… ≈ 5.2
The book hits the floor with speed Use unrounded values in your calculations, but
5.2 m s−1, to two significant figures. give your final answer correct to two significant
figures.

Example 11
A ball is projected vertically upwards, from a point X which is 7  m above the ground, with speed 21  m  s−1.
Find: a the greatest height above the ground reached by the ball, b the time of flight of the ball.

Height reached Problem-solving

In this sketch the upward and downwards motion
have been sketched side by side. In reality they
would be on top of one another, but drawing
Positive them separately makes it easier to see what is
s
direction going on. Remember that X is 7 m above the
ground, so mark this height on your sketch.

X
7m

a u = 21 At its highest point, the ball is turning round. For

v= 0 an instant, it is neither going up nor down, so its
a= −9.8 speed is zero.
s= ?
v2 = u2 + 2as
02 = 212 + 2 × (−9.8) × s = 441 − 19.6s
441 22.5 m is the distance the ball has moved above
s = _____
​ ​= 22.5
19.6 X but X is 7  m above the ground. You must add
(22.5 + 7) m = 29.5 m on another 7  m to get the greatest height above
Greatest height is 30 m (2 s.f.) the ground reached by the ball.

b s = −7
The time of flight is the total time that the ball is
u = 21 in motion from the time that it is projected to the
a = −9.8 time that it stops moving. Here the ball will stop
t = ? when it hits the ground. The point where the ball
s = ut + ​__
1 2
2 ​at hits the ground is 7  m below the point from which
−7 = 21t − 4.9t2 it was projected so s 5 27.
4.9t2 − 21t − 7 = 0
Online Use your calculator to check
solutions to quadratic equations quickly.

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 Constant acceleration

_________
−b ± ​√ (b − 4ac) ​
2
_______________ Rearrange the equation and use the quadratic
t = ​   ​
2a formula.
_______________________
−(−21) ± ​√ ((−21)
    − 4 × 4.9 × (−7)) ​
2
= ________________________________
    
​    ​
2 × 4.9
______
21 ± ​√ 578.2 ​ ____________
21 ± 24.046
= ____________
  
​ ​≈   
​ ​
9.8 9.8
t ≈ 4.5965,
Take the positive answer and round to
or t ≈ −0.3108 two significant figures.
Time of flight is 4.6 s (2 s.f.)

Example 12
A particle is projected vertically upwards from a point O with speed u  m  s−1. The greatest height
reached by the particle is 62.5  m above O. Find: a the value of u, b the total time for which the
particle is 50  m or more above O.

The particle will pass through the point 50  m

above O twice: once on the way up and once on
the way down.
Positive
direction
62.5 m
50 m

u m s–1 O

a v = 0
s= 62.5
a= −9.8
u= ?
v2 = u2 + 2as There is no t, so you choose the formula without t.
02 = u2 + 2 × (−9.8) × 62.5
u2 = 1225
_____
√
In this part, you obtain an exact answer, so there
u= ​ 1225 ​= 35 m s−1
is no need for approximation.
b s = 50
u = 35
a = −9.8
Two values of t need to be found: one on the way
t = ?
up and one on the way down.
s = ut + ​__
1 2
2 ​at
50 = 35t − 4.9t2
Write the equation in the form ax2 + bx + c = 0
4.9t2 − 35t + 50 = 0
_________ and use the quadratic formula.
−b ± ​√ (b2 − 4ac) ​
t = ​_______________
   ​
2a
____________________
35 ± √​ (35
    − 4 × 4.9 × 50) ​
2
= __________________________
   
​   ​
9.8

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 Chapter 9

_____
35 ± √​ 245 ​
35 ± 15.6525
___________
=   
​ ​≈ ​______________
   ​
9.8 9.8
t ≈ 5.1686…, or t ≈ 1.9742… Between these two times the particle is always
more than 50  m above O. You find the total time
(5.1686…) − (1.9742…) ≈ 3.194
for which the particle is 50  m or more above O by
Particle is 50 m or more above O for 3.2 s finding the difference of these two values.
(2 s.f.)

Example 13
A ball A falls vertically from rest from the top of a tower 63  m high. At the same time as A begins
to fall, another ball B is projected vertically upwards from the bottom of the tower with speed
21  m  s−1. The balls collide. Find the distance of the point where the balls collide from the bottom of
the tower.

A Problem-solving
You must take special care with problems where
s1 objects are moving in different directions. Here
A is moving downwards and you will take the
63 m acceleration due to gravity as positive. However,
B is moving upwards so for B the acceleration
due to gravity is negative.
s2

21 m s–1
B
For A, the motion is downwards
u=0
a = 9.8
s = ut + ​__
1 2
2 ​at
You cannot find s1 at this stage. You have to
s1 = 4.9t2
express it in terms of t.
For B, the motion is upwards
u = 21
As B is moving upwards, the acceleration due to
a = −9.8
gravity is negative.
s = ut + ​__
1 2
2 ​at
s2 = 21t − 4.9t2
You now have expressions for s1 and s2 in terms
The height of the tower is 63 m.
of t.
s1 + s2 = 63
4.9t2 + (21t − 4.9t2) = 63
21t = 63 Adding together the two distances gives the
height of the tower. You can write this as an
t=3
equation in t.
s2 = 21t − 4.9t2
= 21 × 3 − 4.9 × 32 = 18.9
The balls collide 19 m from the bottom of the You have found t but you were asked for the
tower, to two significant figures. distance from the bottom of the tower. Substitute
your value for t into your equation for s2.

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 Constant acceleration

Exercise 9E
1 A cliff diver jumps from a point 28 m above the surface of the water. Modelling the diver as a
particle moving freely under gravity with initial velocity 0, find:
a the time taken for the diver to hit the water
b the speed of the diver when he hits the water.

2 A particle is projected vertically upwards with speed 20  m  s−1 from a point on the ground.
Find the time of flight of the particle.

3 A ball is thrown vertically downward from the top of a tower with speed 18  m  s−1. It reaches the
ground in 1.6  s. Find the height of the tower.

4 A pebble is catapulted vertically upwards with speed 24  m  s−1. Find:

a the greatest height above the point of projection reached by the pebble
b the time taken to reach this height.

5 A ball is projected upwards from a point which is 4  m above the ground with speed 18  m  s−1. Find:
a the speed of the ball when it is 15  m above its point of projection
b the speed with which the ball hits the ground.

6 A particle P is projected vertically downwards from a point 80  m above the ground with speed
4  m  s−1. Find:
a the speed with which P hits the ground
b the time P takes to reach the ground.

7 A particle P is projected vertically upwards from a point X. Five seconds later P is moving
downwards with speed 10  m  s−1. Find:
a the speed of projection of P
b the greatest height above X attained by P during its motion.

8 A ball is thrown vertically upwards with speed 21  m  s−1. It hits the ground 4.5  s later. Find the
height above the ground from which the ball was thrown.

9 A stone is thrown vertically upward from a point which is 3  m above the ground, with speed
16  m  s−1. Find:
a the time of flight of the stone
b the total distance travelled by the stone.

P 10 A particle is projected vertically upwards with speed 24.5  m  s−1. Find the total time for which it
is 21  m or more above its point of projection.

E/p 11 A particle is projected vertically upwards from a point O Problem-solving

with speed u  m  s−1. Two seconds later it is still moving
Use v = u + at and substitute
upwards and its speed is _​3 ​u  m  s−1. Find:
1
v = _​13 ​u.
a the value of u  (3 marks)
b the time from the instant that the particle leaves O to the instant that it returns to O.  (4 marks)

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 Chapter 9

E/p 12 A ball A is thrown vertically downwards with speed 5  m  s−1 from the top of a tower block
46  m above the ground. At the same time as A is thrown downwards, another ball B is thrown
vertically upwards from the ground with speed 18  m  s−1. The balls collide. Find the distance of
the point where A and B collide from the point where A was thrown.  (5 marks)

E/p 13 A ball is released from rest at a point which is 10  m above a Problem-solving
wooden floor. Each time the ball strikes the floor, it rebounds
Consider each bounce as
with three-quarters of the speed with which it strikes the floor.
a separate motion.
Find the greatest height above the floor reached by the ball
a the first time it rebounds from the floor  (3 marks)
b the second time it rebounds from the floor.  (4 marks)

Challenge
1 A particle P is projected vertically upwards from a point O with speed 12  m  s−1. One second
after P has been projected from O, another particle Q is projected vertically upwards from
O with speed 20  m  s−1. Find: a the time between the instant that P is projected from O and
the instant when P and Q collide, b the distance of the point where P and Q collide from O.
2 A stone is dropped from the top of a building and two seconds later another stone is
thrown vertically downwards at a speed of 25  m  s−1. Both stones reach the ground at the
same time. Find the height of the building.

Mixed exercise 9

1 A car accelerates in a straight line at a constant rate, starting from rest at a point A and
reaching a velocity of 45  km  h−1 in 20  s. This velocity is then maintained and the car passes a
point B 3 minutes after leaving A.
a Sketch a velocity–time graph to illustrate the motion of the car.
b Find the displacement of the car from its starting point after 3 minutes.

2 A particle is moving on an axis Ox. From time t = 0  s to time t = 32  s, the particle is travelling
with constant velocity 15  m  s−1. The particle then decelerates from 15 m  s−1 to rest in T seconds.
a Sketch a velocity–time graph to illustrate the motion of the particle.
The total distance travelled by the particle is 570  m.
b Find the value of T.
c Sketch a displacement–time graph illustrating the motion of the particle.

P 3 The velocity–time graph represents the motion  Velocity

of a particle moving in a straight line accelerating v
from velocity u at time 0 to velocity v at time t.
v–u
a Use the graph to show that:
i v = u + at   ii s = (​ _____
2 )
u+v u
​ ​ ​t

b Hence show that: O t Time

_1 _1
i v2 = u2 + 2as    ii s = ut + 2
​ ​at2    iii s = vt − 2 ​ ​at2

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 Constant acceleration

P 4 The diagram is a velocity–time graph representing  v (m s–1)

the motion of a cyclist along a straight road.
u
At time t 5 0  s, the cyclist is moving with velocity
u  m  s−1. The velocity is maintained until time
t 5 15  s, when she slows down with constant
deceleration, coming to rest when t 5 23  s. O t (s)
15 23
The total distance she travels in 23  s is 152  m.
Find the value of u.

5 A car travelling on a straight road slows down with constant deceleration. The car passes
a road sign with velocity 40  km  h−1 and a post box with velocity of 24  km  h−1. The distance
between the road sign and the post box is 240  m. Find, in m  s−2, the deceleration of the car.

6 A particle P is moving along the x-axis with constant deceleration 2.5  m  s−2. At time t = 0  s,
P passes through the origin with velocity 20  m  s−1 in the direction of x increasing.
At time t = 12  s, P is at the point A. Find:
a the distance OA b the total distance P travels in 12  s.

7 A ball is thrown vertically downward from the top of a tower with speed 6  m  s−1. The ball
strikes the ground with speed 25  m  s−1. Find the time the ball takes to move from the top of the
tower to the ground.

8 A child drops a ball from a point at the top of a cliff which is 82  m above the sea. The ball is
initially at rest. Find:
a the time taken for the ball to reach the sea b the speed with which the ball hits the sea.
c State one physical factor which has been ignored in making your calculation.
–1
v (m s )
P 9 A particle moves 451  m in a straight line. 
The diagram shows a speed–time graph 2u
illustrating the motion of the particle.
The particle starts at rest and accelerates u
at a constant rate for 8  s reaching a speed
of 2u  m  s−1. The particle then travels at a
constant speed for 12 seconds before O 8 20 26 t (s)
decelerating uniformly, reaching a speed of u  m  s at time t = 26  s. Find:
−1

a the value of u
b the distance moved by the particle while its speed is less than u  m  s−1.

E/p 10 A train is travelling with constant acceleration along a straight track. At time t = 0  s, the train
passes a point O travelling with velocity 18  m  s−1. At time t = 12  s, the train passes a point P
travelling with velocity 24  m  s−1. At time t = 20  s, the train passes a point Q. Find:
a the speed of the train at Q  (5 marks)
b the distance from P to Q. (2 marks)

E 11 A particle moves along a straight line, from a point X to a point Y, with constant acceleration.
The distance from X to Y is 104  m. The particle takes 8  s to move from X to Y and the speed of
the particle at Y is 18  m  s−1. Find:

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 Chapter 9

a the speed of the particle at X (3 marks)

b the acceleration of the particle. (2 marks)
The particle continues to move with the same acceleration until it reaches a point Z.
At Z the speed of the particle is three times the speed of the particle at X.
c Find the distance XZ. (4 marks)

E 12 A pebble is projected vertically upwards with speed 21  m  s−1 from a point 32  m above the
ground. Find:
a the speed with which the pebble strikes the ground (3 marks)
b the total time for which the pebble is more than 40  m above the ground. (4 marks)
c Sketch a velocity–time graph for the motion of the pebble from the instant it is projected
to the instant it hits the ground, showing the values of t at any points where the graph
intercepts the horizontal axis. (4 marks)

E 13 A car is moving along a straight road with uniform acceleration. The car passes a checkpoint A
with speed 12  m  s−1 and another checkpoint C with speed 32  m  s−1. The distance between A and
C is 1100  m.
a Find the time taken by the car to move from A to C. (2 marks)
b Given that B is the midpoint of AC, find the speed with which the car passes B. (2 marks)

E/p 14 A particle is projected vertically upwards with a speed of 30  m  s−1 from a point A.
The point B is h metres above A. The particle moves freely under gravity and is
above B for a time 2.4  s. Calculate the value of h. (5 marks)

E/p 15 Two cars A and B are moving in the same direction along a straight horizontal road. At time
t = 0, they are side by side, passing a point O on the road. Car A travels at a constant speed of
30  m  s−1. Car B passes O with a speed of 20  m  s−1, and has constant acceleration of 4  m  s−2. Find:
a the speed of B when it has travelled 78  m from O (2 marks)
b the distance from O of A when B is 78  m from O (3 marks)
c the time when B overtakes A. (4 marks)

E/p 16 A car is being driven on a straight stretch of motorway at a constant velocity of 34  m  s−1,
when it passes a velocity restriction sign S warning of road works ahead and requiring speeds
to be reduced to 22  m  s−1. The driver continues at her velocity for 2  s after passing S. She then
reduces her velocity to 22  m  s−1 with constant deceleration of 3  m  s−2, and continues at the lower
velocity.
a Draw a velocity–time graph to illustrate the motion of the car after it passes S. (2 marks)
b Find the shortest distance before the road works that S should be placed on the
road to ensure that a car driven in this way has had its velocity reduced to 22  m  s−1
by the time it reaches the start of the road works. (4 marks)

E/p 17 A train starts from rest at station A and accelerates uniformly at 3x  m  s−2 until it reaches a
velocity of 30  m  s−1. For the next T seconds the train maintains this constant velocity. The train
then decelerates uniformly at x  m  s−2 until it comes to rest at a station B. The distance between
the stations is 6  km and the time taken from A to B is 5 minutes.

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 Constant acceleration

a Sketch a velocity–time graph to illustrate this journey. (2 marks)

40
b Show that ___
​x ​+ T = 300. (4 marks)

c Find the value of T and the value of x. (2 marks)

d Calculate the distance the train travels at constant velocity. (2 marks)
e Calculate the time taken from leaving A until reaching the point halfway between
the stations. (3 marks)

Challenge
A ball is projected vertically upwards with speed 10  m  s−1 from a point X,
which is 50  m above the ground. T seconds after the first ball is projected
upwards, a second ball is dropped from X. Initially the second ball is at
rest. The balls collide 25  m above the ground. Find the value of T.

Summary of key points

1 Velocity is the rate of change of displacement.
On a displacement–time graph the gradient represents the velocity.
If the displacement–time graph is a straight line, then the velocity is constant.
displacement from starting point
2 Average velocity = ____________________________
​
      ​
time taken

total distance travelled

3 Average speed = ____________________
  
​   ​
time taken
4 Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.
In a velocity–time graph the gradient represents the acceleration.
If the velocity–time graph is a straight line, then the acceleration is constant.

5 The area between a velocity–time graph and the horizontal axis represents the distance travelled.
For motion in a straight line with positive velocity, the area under the velocity–time graph up
to a point t represents the displacement at time t.

6 You need to be able to use and to derive the five formulae for solving problems about particles
moving in a straight line with constant acceleration.
• v = u + at    • s = (​ ____
2 )
u+v
​ ​ ​t   • v2 = u2 + 2as   • s = ut + _​12 ​at2   • s = vt − _​12 ​at2

7 The force of gravity causes all objects to accelerate towards the earth. If you ignore the
effects of air resistance, this acceleration is constant. It does not depend on the mass of the
object.

8 An object moving vertically in a straight line can be modelled as a particle with a constant
downward acceleration of g = 9.8 m s−2.

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