One Dimensional Motion

General Physics I
One Dimensional Motion
Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

General Physics I
Motion
We first need to describe the motion of a particle
For simplicity we will start with motion in one dimension

- motion of a particle along a line
We want to tell where the particle is for a given time
List three ways that we can do that

• Table of positions and time
• Graph of position vs. time
• Position as a function of time x(t)
Example: x(t) = − 20 m + (2 m/s)t

General Physics I
Motion

General Physics I
Displacement
Displacement is the distance that the particle moves between an initial

time and a final time.
Δx = xf − xi
It can be either positive or negative depending on whether is to xf the

right or left of xi

General Physics I
Velocity
Velocity specifies the speed at which the particle is moving and the direction
either positive (to the right) or negative (to the left)
The average velocity between two times is the displacement divided by the
difference of the times
Velocity has the same direction (sign) as the displacement

General Physics I
Graphical Interpretation
In order to find the average velocity between two times
1) Plot position vs. time

2) Draw straight line connecting two points on the curve at the times ti and tf
3) The average velocity between the two times is the slope of this line

General Physics I
Instantaneous Velocity
Instantaneous velocity at a particular time is given by the limit of the

average velocity as Δt → 0
It is the slope of the

tangent to the curve
This is called taking

the derivative

General Physics I
Acceleration
Acceleration is the change in velocity Δv divided by Δt
Instantaneous acceleration is the

slope of the velocity vs. time curve
Is acceleration in the same direction as

the velocity?

General Physics I
Vectors
• Displacement
• Velocity
• Acceleration
are all vectors
They have both magnitude (size) and direction.
For the case of one dimensional motion, the direction is specified by the
sign (either + or -)

General Physics I
Constant Acceleration
• We will primarily be interested in cases where the acceleration is constant
Slight change in notation

• Let the initial time be zero
• Let the final time be t
• Let the initial velocity be v0
• Let the final velocity be v
ti = 0 tf = t vi = v0 vf = v
For constant acceleration
Δv = aΔt → vf − vi = a(tf − ti)

General Physics I
Graphs of Constant Acceleration
• acceleration vs. time
• velocity vs. time
• position vs. time

General Physics I
Graphs of Constant Acceleration
• acceleration vs. time
• velocity vs. time
• position vs. time

General Physics I
Kinematics

General Physics I
One-Dimensional (1-D) Motion with Constant Acceleration
1. Equations of 1-D motion:
a) Let initial conditions be described with the subscript “0”  x0, v0, t0 = 0
(from this point forward (with a few exceptions), we will set the initial
time to zero).
b) Let the final conditions be arbitrary  no subscript is written: x, v,& t.
c) For constant acceleration  ∆v/∆t (i.e., the slope) is constant (i.e., it

does not change with time).

General Physics I
i. Velocity (i.e., instantaneous velocity from acceleration definition):
or
and finally
(1)
for constant “a”.

General Physics I
ii. Average velocity:
for constant “a”. (2)
iii. Displacement:
(3)
(4)
Substituting Eq. (1) for v gives

General Physics I
iv. Velocity (i.e., instantaneous velocity, yet another way):
Take Equation (1) and solve for t:
Plug this value of t into Equation (3):
(5)

General Physics I
Summary
Equation Information Given by Equation
Velocity as a function of time.
Velocity as a function of displacement.
Displacement as a function of time
Displacement as a function of time &

velocity.
Note: In the above equations, “a” is constant and the motion is in a straight
line starting at the origin (x = 0) at t = 0.

General Physics I
Summary
If the initial position and position are not zero, the equations of motion take
the following form:
Equation Function

General Physics I
Problem-Solving Strategy for Accelerated Motion in 1-D:
a) Make sure all of the units of the parameters in the problem are
consistent.
b) Choose a coordinate system (and draw a picture).
c) Make a list of all of the quantities given in the problem and a separate
list of those to be determined.
d) Select those equations that will allow you to determine the unknown
parameters (i.e., variables).
e) Make sure your answer is consistent with the diagram drawn in part (b).

General Physics I
Example
A car starts from rest at a stop sign and accelerates (at a constant rate) to
the posted speed limit of 50 km/hr. The car reaches the speed limit after
traveling 107 m.
1. What is the average velocity and acceleration of the car?
2. How long does it take you to reach the speed limit?

General Physics I
Example
traveling 107 m.
a) Units consistent?  NO !
x = 107 m and v = 50 km/hr
You want SI units, so change km into m:
Change hours to seconds:

General Physics I
Example
traveling 107 m.
b. Choose a coordinate system (and draw picture):
c. Quantities given:
t = 0, x = 0, v = 0, v = 14. m/s, x = 107 m
Unknown quantities:
General Physics I
Example
traveling 107 m.
d. Choose equations:
e. Calculate results

General Physics I
Example
traveling 107 m.
e. Calculate results

General Physics I
Freely Falling Bodies
a) Galileo Galilei is the father of experimental

physics
 carried out a variety of experiments in mechanics,

the study of motion.
i) Near the surface of the Earth, bodies fall at the

same rate of acceleration independent of the body’s
mass.
ii) Air resistance can affect the rate at which a body

falls.

General Physics I
Freely Falling Bodies

b) Bodies in free fall:
i) A freely falling body is an object moving only under the

influence of gravity, regardless of its initial motion.
ii) Objects thrown upward or downward and those released from

rest are all falling freely once they are released (even if they are
initially going up).
iii) Once a body is in free fall, all objects have an acceleration

downward  this free-fall acceleration is called the surface gravity ~
iv) A gravitating body’s surface gravity depends upon the total mass
and size of the gravitating body.
v) The Earth’s surface gravity at sea-level is
vi) Actually, bodies dropped in the Earth’s atmosphere will

experience a frictional force from air resistance in addition to the
gravitational force. In this course, we will ignore air resistance (but it
is important in reality).

General Physics I
Example
A model rocket is launched straight upward with an initial speed of 50.0 m/s. It
accelerates with a constant upward acceleration of 2.00 m/s2 until its engines
stop at an altitude of 150 m.
a. What can you say about the motion of the rocket after its engines stop?
b. What is the maximum height reached by the rocket?
c. How long after lift-off does the rocket reach its maximum height?
d. How long is the rocket in the air?

General Physics I
Example
a.What can you say about the motion of the rocket after its engines stop?
 The rocket will continue upward, but start to decelerate due to the Earth’s
gravitational field until the upward velocity reaches zero. The rocket then
begins to fall back to the ground with an acceleration equal to the Earth’s
surface gravity (i.e., 9.80 m/s2).

General Physics I
Example

General Physics I
Example
Step 1:
- First, we will need to calculate the velocity of the rocket when the engine is turned off:
v1  we are given a1 = 2.00 m/s2, y1 = 150 m & v0 = 50.0 m/s
so use

General Physics I
Example
Now we need to calculate ymax ~ y2.
Step 2:
We will need y1, a2, and v1, also v2 = 0 (rocket comes to rest). Our initial velocity is now v1
and our final velocity is v2, so we can write:
and note that ymax = y2 and that the acceleration is now the downward acceleration due
to gravity: a2 = −g = −9.80 m/s2.
From we solve for y2

General Physics I
Example
Now we need to calculate ymax ~ y2.
Step 2:

General Physics I
Example
c. How long does it take to reach ymax?
Break the time into 3 parts: t = t 0 + t 1 + t2

t0 = 0, which was our initial time
t1 is the time when the rocket reaches y1
t2 is the time the rocket reaches ymax as measured from y1, so use
vf = vi + at

General Physics I
Example
d) How long is the rocket in the air?
We just figured out how long it took to get to ymax, we now have to find out how long it
takes to fall, then add the two numbers together.
Use
y = vt + ½ at2
and solve for t.
Note that v = 0 (the velocity at the top of the

trajectory = v at ymax = y2 from part b), hence

General Physics I
Example
d) How long is the rocket in the air?
where t(c) (the time it takes to fall from the maximum

height to the ground from part c).
The total time in the air is then just the sum of the
time found in part (b) and the time found in part (c):
ttotal = t(b) + t(c)

General Physics I
Example
A ball is thrown straight upward at the edge of a tall

building with a velocity of 20 m/s. The height of the
building is 50 m.

General Physics I
Example
A ball is thrown straight upward at the edge

of a tall building with a velocity of 20 m/s.
The height of the building is 50 m.

General Physics I
Example


General Physics I
Example


One Dimensional Motion

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General Physics I

One Dimensional Motion

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

We first need to describe the motion of a particle

For simplicity we will start with motion in one dimension

We want to tell where the particle is for a given time

List three ways that we can do that

Example: x(t) = − 20 m + (2 m/s)t

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

Displacement is the distance that the particle moves between an initial

It can be either positive or negative depending on whether is to xf the

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

Velocity has the same direction (sign) as the displacement

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

1) Plot position vs. time

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

Instantaneous velocity at a particular time is given by the limit of the

It is the slope of the

This is called taking

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

Acceleration is the change in velocity Δv divided by Δt

Instantaneous acceleration is the

Is acceleration in the same direction as

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

are all vectors

They have both magnitude (size) and direction.

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

• We will primarily be interested in cases where the acceleration is constant

Slight change in notation

Δv = aΔt → vf − vi = a(tf − ti)

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

Graphs of Constant Acceleration

• acceleration vs. time

• velocity vs. time

• position vs. time

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

Graphs of Constant Acceleration

• acceleration vs. time

• velocity vs. time

• position vs. time

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

One-Dimensional (1-D) Motion with Constant Acceleration

1. Equations of 1-D motion:

b) Let the final conditions be arbitrary  no subscript is written: x, v,& t.

c) For constant acceleration  ∆v/∆t (i.e., the slope) is constant (i.e., it

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

One-Dimensional (1-D) Motion with Constant Acceleration

i. Velocity (i.e., instantaneous velocity from acceleration definition):

for constant “a”.

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

One-Dimensional (1-D) Motion with Constant Acceleration

ii. Average velocity:

for constant “a”. (2)

Lecture 2: One Dimensional Motion

One-Dimensional (1-D) Motion with Constant Acceleration

iv. Velocity (i.e., instantaneous velocity, yet another way):

Take Equation (1) and solve for t: