Chapter 1
Kinematics
CHAPTER OUTLINE
In this chapter, you will:
● use the terms displacement, distance, speed, velocity and
acceleration and identify which are scalar and which are vector
quantities.
● determine instantaneous and average values of speed, velocity and
acceleration.
● use the equations of kinematics to solve problems with uniformly
accelerated motion.
● use and analyse appropriate graphs to represent the motion of
objects; this will include
● constructing displacement–time, velocity–time and
acceleration–time graphs.
● estimating gradients of displacement–time graphs to find
velocity, and velocity–time graphs to find acceleration.
● calculating areas under velocity–time graphs to find
displacement and under acceleration–time graphs to find
change of velocity.
● use error bars on graphs of displacement against time to estimate
the maximum and the minimum velocities, and on graphs of
velocity against time to estimate the maximum and minimum
accelerations.
● resolve the motion of projectiles into horizontal and vertical
components and use them to solve problems.
● examine the qualitative effect of fluid resistance on the motion of
projectiles.
KEY TERMS
position: the coordinate on the number line
displacement: change in position
distance: length of path followed
uniform motion: motion with constant velocity
average velocity: the displacement divided by the time to achieve that
s
displacement: v
t
(instantaneous) velocity: the rate of change of position; it is a vector
(instantaneous) speed: the magnitude of the instantaneous velocity
v
acceleration: the rate of change of velocity; it is a vector: a or
t
v u
t
acceleration of free fall: the acceleration, g, due to the pull of the Earth
on a body; g = 9.8 ms−2 near the surface of the Earth
position vector: the vector from the origin of a coordinate system to the
position of a particle
fluid resistance force: a speed-dependent force opposing the motion of
a body through a fluid
terminal speed: the constant speed attained when the resistance force
becomes equal to the force pushing the body
equations of kinematics: v = u + at, s ut at ,
u v
s t , v2 = u2 + 2aΔs where, u = initial velocity, v = final
velocity, s = displacement/distance moved, a = acceleration, t = time
components of a vector: two (or three in three dimensions) mutually
perpendicular vectors that, when added together, form the vector itself—
in practice, this usually involves the use of trigonometry:
vx v θ
vy v θ
where θ is the angle between the vector and the x-axis
Exercise 1.1 Displacement, distance,
speed and velocity
The following questions will help you to improve your skill with
calculations involving displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration.
1 a Explain the difference between distance and displacement.
b Explain the difference between speed and velocity.
2 Calculate the speed, in ms−1, of a:
a car that travels 200 km in 90 minutes; suggest why your answer is
an average speed
b sound wave that reaches an observer’s ears having travelled 1.5
km in 4.5 s
c transatlantic liner that takes five days to travel 6000 km.
3 A high-speed train travels between Beijing and Tianjin. If the train
travels at a speed of 97 ms−1, calculate the time it takes for the train to
travel the 117 km journey.
4 Proxima Centauri is the closest star to our Sun. It is 3.78 × 1016 m
from the Earth. (The speed of light, c = 3.0 × 108 ms−1)
a Calculate the time it takes for light to travel from Proxima
Centauri to the Earth.
b How else could the distance from Proxima Centauri to the Earth
be stated?
TIP
To solve calculation questions, begin by writing the equation you want
to use; then put in the numbers and then write the answer. Don’t forget
to use the correct amount of significant figures and don’t forget to
include the correct units.
5 Calculate the acceleration in the following situations:
a A boy walking along the road changes his speed from 0.6 ms−1 to
1.2 ms−1 in a time of 1 minute.
b The velocity of an electron changes from 0.0 ms−1 to 2 × 107
ms−1 in a time of 4.0 ns.
c An aeroplane approaching an airport changes its speed from 90
ms−1 to 30 ms−1 in a time of 20 minutes.
6 An athlete running at a constant speed moves around a bend in the
track. Explain why the athlete has accelerated even though his speed
has not changed.
7 A molecule of nitrogen in the air travels 3 cm horizontally and 4 cm
vertically in a time of 100 μs.
a Calculate the magnitude of the overall displacement of the
molecule.
b Calculate the average speed of the molecule.
c Calculate the direction in which it has travelled relative to the
horizontal.
d State its average velocity during the 100 μs period.
8 On the horizontal surface of a flat table, the co-ordinates, in cm, of a
ball change uniformly from (1, −1) to (5, 5) during a time of 4.0 s.
a Calculate the magnitude of the overall displacement of the ball.
b Calculate the average speed of the ball.
c By writing the overall displacement of the ball as the x- and y-
components of a vector, calculate the angle to the x-axis of the
motion of the ball.
d State the velocity of the ball during the 4.0 s period.
Exercise 1.2 Uniformly accelerated
motion: the equations of kinematics
The following questions will help you perfect your ability to use the
equations of kinematics (sometimes called suvat equations) to solve
problems involving uniformly accelerated motion.
1 Figure 1.1 shows a velocity–time graph for part of a journey made by
an electric train.
Figure 1.1
a If the train had travelled at the same speed as its initial speed
throughout the journey, state an algebraic expression for how far
the train would have travelled.
b Copy the graph and shade in the region of the graph that
represents your answer to part a.
The remaining part of the graph shows the extra distance travelled by
the train because it was accelerating.
c Show that the acceleration, a, of the train can be given as
v u
a .
t
d Show that the extra distance travelled by the train due to its
acceleration can be expressed as at .
e Shade this region on your copy of the graph.
f State the algebraic expression for the total distance travelled
during the journey.
2 A passenger in a car starts a stopwatch when the car is travelling at
28.8 km hour−1. The car accelerates with a constant acceleration of 2.0
ms−2 for the next 10 s.
Calculate the:
a speed of the car after 10 s of acceleration (give your answer in
ms−1)
b distance that the car has travelled during the 10 s period (give
your answer in m).
3 A girl drops her mobile phone from a window that is 15 m above the
ground. Taking the acceleration of the Earth’s gravitational field to be
10 ms−2 and ignoring any effects of air friction:
a Sketch a velocity–time graph for the phone from when it leaves
the girl’s hand to when it hits the ground.
b Calculate the time it takes for the phone to hit the ground.
c Calculate the phone’s velocity just before it hits the ground.
4 A baseball pitcher practises by throwing a ball vertically into the air
with an initial velocity of 30 ms−1 and catching it when it falls back.
Ignoring any effects of air resistance, and using g = 10 ms−2, calculate:
a how much time it will take for the ball to reach its highest point
b how far above the pitcher the ball reaches.
TIP
If you consider upwards as a positive direction, then acceleration due to
gravity, which is downwards, must be negative.
5 When a parachutist jumps from an aeroplane, he hits the ground with a
landing speed of 6.0 ms−1.
What is the minimum jump height required to simulate this landing
speed?
6 As of July 2020, the world 100 m and 200 m athletics records were
both held by Usain Bolt. His times for these two events are 9.58 s for
the 100 m and 19.19 s for the 200 m.
If we model Usain Bolt’s running in both events by a uniform
acceleration to his maximum speed followed by a constant speed to the
finish, calculate Usain Bolt’s maximum speed. (You may assume that
he runs at the same maximum speed in both events and that there are
no effects of air friction.)
TIP
Consider first sketching graphs of his two journeys and using what you
know about speed-time graphs to produce a pair of simultaneous
equations.
Exercise 1.3 Graphs of motion
The following questions will help you to improve your use of graphs and
solve problems about journeys.
1 a Figure 1.2 shows a journey made by a pedestrian.
Figure 1.2
Use the graph to find the:
i average speed of the pedestrian for the whole journey
ii speed of the pedestrian during the first 8 s.
b Figure 1.3 shows a velocity–time graph for a journey.
Figure 1.3
What aspect of the journey is shown by the:
i gradient of the graph
ii area under the graph?
2 In an experiment, Lucy measures the displacement of a moving object.
Her measurements are shown in Table 1.1. All of Lucy’s
measurements of displacement have an uncertainty of ±1.0 cm.
Time / s 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0
Displacement / cm 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 12.0
Table 1.1
a Use the results in the table to draw a graph of displacement
against time.
b Add to your graph appropriate error bars for all points.
c Find, from the graph, the speed at which the object was moving.
d Use the error bars you have drawn to find the maximum and
minimum speed of the object.
e Hence state the speed of the object and its uncertainty.
TIP
When drawing graphs, make sure you always label the axes with the
correct title and units.
3 The graph in Figure 1.4 shows the velocity of a projectile that is fired
vertically upwards from the ground until it momentarily comes to a
stop. There are no effects due to air friction.
Figure 1.4
a Show that the graph is consistent with the Earth’s gravitational
acceleration, g, having the value 10 ms−2 (1 s.f.)
b Use the graph to calculate the height at which the projectile came
to a stop.
c Copy and add to the graph a line to show how the projectile’s
velocity would change as it returns to the ground.
4 A speedboat moves at a constant speed of 9 ms−1 for 5 s, at which time
it accelerates at 2 ms−2 for 4 s.
a Sketch a graph of the speedboats journey over the 14 s period.
b Use the graph to calculate the distance travelled by the speedboat.
c Show that your answer to part b is consistent with the equation:
s ut at
5 Figure 1.5 shows how the velocity of child’s toy varies during a 20 s
period. At t = 0, the toy’s velocity = 5 cms−1 and at t = 20 s, the toy’s
velocity = −7.5 cms−1.
Figure 1.5
a Describe the motion of the toy during the 20 s period.
b Use the graph to calculate the acceleration of the toy.
c Use the graph to find the total displacement of the toy.
d i How far did the toy actually travel during the 20 s period?
ii Explain why your answers to c and d are different.
6 Table 1.2 shows how the velocity of an object varied during a period of
80 s.
Time / s 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Velocity / ms−1 0 2.0 4.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 3.0 0
Table 1.2
All of the velocity values in the table have an uncertainty of ± 0.5
ms−1.
a Draw a graph of velocity against time for the motion of the object.
b Use the graph to calculate the total displacement of the object.
c Calculate the acceleration of the object during the first 30 s.
d By adding suitable error bars to your graph find the maximum
and minimum values of the acceleration during the first 30 s.
7 Figure 1.6 shows how the acceleration of an initially stationary object
varies with time during a 30 s period.
Figure 1.6
a Use the graph to determine the change of velocity of the object
during the first 20 s.
b Sketch a graph of velocity of the object against time for the 30 s
period.
c Using your sketch, or otherwise, determine the total displacement
of the object.
Exercise 1.4 Projectile motion
This exercise contains questions to help you solve problems associated with
projectile motion without the effect of fluid resistance. Projectiles subject to
the effects of fluid resistance are examined qualitatively only.
1 A glass marble, rolling at 1.0 ms−1 along a table top, reaches the edge
of the table and falls to the floor. The height of the table top is 1.0 m
above the floor. Ignore any effects due to air friction and use g = 10
ms−2.
a Sketch a simple diagram to show the path that the marble takes
after it leaves the table top until it hits the floor.
b Explain the shape of the path you have drawn by considering the
horizontal and vertical components of the marble’s velocity.
c Calculate the time it takes for the marble to reach the floor after it
leaves the edge of the table.
d When the marble hits the floor, calculate how far from the edge of
the table the marble has travellled.
2 A plane flying horizontally at a speed of 70 ms−1 releases a crate of
supplies for some charity workers at their base on the ground below.
a If the plane had been 80 m above the ground when it released the
crate, using g = 10 ms−2 and assuming no effects due to air
friction:
i calculate the vertical component of the crate’s velocity just
before it hits the ground,
ii hence determine the magnitude and direction of the crate’s
velocity just before it hits the ground.
b Where will the plane be relative to the crate when the crate hits
the ground?
3 At a shooting gallery, a man fires a bullet from a rifle horizontally at a
target.
The target is 75.00 m away.
The bullet leaves the rifle at a speed of 150.0 ms−1.
Ignoring any effects of air friction on the bullet, and using g = 10 ms−2:
a calculate the time it takes for the bullet to hit the target,
b using the equation v2 = u2 + 2as, with the appropriate value for v,
show that the bullet hits the target 1.25 m below the horizontal,
c calculate the total velocity vector for the bullet just as it hits the
target.
4 Mercurio, the human cannonball in a circus show, is fired from a
cannon at an initial velocity of 20 ms−1 at an angle of 30° above the
horizontal.
How far away from the cannon should the net be placed to catch
Mercurio if he is to land at the same horizontal level as the cannon?
Assume no effects due to air friction and use g = 10 ms−2.
5 Two cricketers practise by throwing a cricket ball to each other, as
shown in Figure 1.7
Figure 1.7
Ignoring any effects of air friction and using g = 9.81 ms−2, calculate:
a the vertical component of the ball’s velocity as it leaves cricketer
A’s hands,
b the time it takes for the ball to reach its highest point,
c the height, s, that the ball reaches above the cricketer’s hands,
d how far apart, x, the two cricketers are.
6 A projectile is fired from ground level to the top of a building which is
200 m away and 150 m high. If the projectile lands on the roof of the
building 8.0 s later, ignoring any effects due to air friction, determine
the initial velocity of the projectile. Use g = 10 ms−2.
TIP
With questions like this, sketch a diagram to help you visualise what is
happening.
7 Physics questions about the motion of projectiles usually make the
assumption that there are no effects due to fluid resistance. It is a
simplification that allows physicists to model the motion of projectiles
easily. Sometimes, however, the simple model and what happens in
real life are not the same.
Figure 1.8 shows two ways in which the velocity of an object changes
when it is dropped from a large height above the ground. Line A shows
the simple model that assumes no effects due to fluid resistance, and
curve B shows what actually happens in real life. Use g = 10 ms−2.
Figure 1.8
a State what the gradient of line A should be.
b Suggest why curve B is the shape it is. Your answer should make
reference to the gradient of the curve and why it is not constant.
c Suggest why curve B flattens out to a horizontal line. How do
physicists describe this motion?
d Sketch, on Figure 1.8, possible curves for an object of the:
i same mass but less density, labelled curve C,
ii same mass but greater density, labeled curve D.
8 Abdul is playing a game of lawn tennis. When he serves, he tries to hit
the ball from a height of 2.5 m. He wants the ball to travel 18.2 m
horizontally before landing on the other side of the net. The net is 0.91
m high at its lowest point and is 11.9 m from Abdul.
Assume that the tennis ball travels horizontally from Abdul’s racket,
and there are no effects due to air friction. Use g = 10 ms−2.
a Show that the time it takes for an object to fall, from rest, a
distance of 2.5 m is 0.707 s.
b What does this suggest the initial horizontal speed of the tennis
ball to be as it leaves Abdul’s racket?
c How much time will the tennis ball have taken to reach the net?
d Show that the tennis ball will pass over the net.
In fact, according to the Lawn Tennis Association, the tennis ball may
leave a server’s racket at a speed of up to 230 km hr−1.
e Calculate the (faster) speed of the tennis ball in ms−1.
f How much time would this serve take for the ball to travel 18.2 m
from the server?
g Is the time you calculated in part f sufficient for the ball to travel
the vertical distance of 2.5 m in order to land in the serving box
on the other side of the net?
h Suggest how a real serve in a tennis game differs from Abdul’s
‘ideal’ serve described in this question. Outline what the effects
of any differences are.
EXAM-STYLE QUESTIONS
Multiple choice questions
1 The following are three quantities used to describe the motion
of a body:
i Displacement
ii Velocity
iii Acceleration
Which of the following correctly describes the vector nature of
the quantities?
A i only
B i and ii only
C ii and iii only
D i, ii and iii
2 The following are three statements about the motion of a body:
i A body moving with constant speed cannot be
accelerating.
ii A body moving always in the same direction could be
accelerating.
iii A body moving with a changing direction must be
accelerating.
Which of the following is/are true?
A i only
B ii only
C iii only
D i and iii
3 Which of the following statements about the motion of a body
is false?
A It is not possible to travel at a constant speed for 1 minute
and have a displacement of zero.
B It is not possible to travel at a constant velocity for 1
minute and have a displacement that is zero.
C A body travelling for 1 minute with a changing velocity
can have a final displacement of zero.
D A body travelling with a constant velocity for 1 minute
must have a non-zero displacement.
4 A man walks eastwards a distance of 4.0 km and then moves
northwards a distance of 3.0 km.
Which of the following statements correctly describes the
overall displacement of the man?
A 7 km in a direction that is 53° north of eastwards
B 7 km in a direction that is 37° north of eastwards
C 5 km in a direction that is 37° north of eastwards
D 5 km in a direction that is 53° north of eastwards
5 A racing car accelerates from rest at 4 ms−2 until it has
travelled a distance of 50 m. The final speed of the car is:
A 10 ms−1
B 12.5 ms−1
C 20 ms−1
D 25 ms−1
6 In 1969 Neil Armstrong dropped a spanner whilst standing on
the surface of the Moon, where acceleration due to gravity is
of the Earth’s. The time it took to fall to the Moon’s surface
was:
A of the time it would have taken on the Earth
B times the time it would have taken on the Earth
C times the time it would have taken on the Earth
D times the time it would have taken on the Earth
7 Figure 1.9 shows four different journeys on the same velocity–
time axes.
Figure 1.9
Which of the journeys shows an increasing acceleration?
8 The area under an acceleration–time graph is:
A Distance travelled
B Displacement
C Average velocity
D Change of velocity
Short answer questions
9 When a golfer hits a golf ball, the club head makes contact
with the golf ball for a time of 0.4 ms. During this time, the
speed of the golf ball increases from rest to 80 ms−1.
a Determine the average acceleration of the golf ball whilst
in contact with the club head. [1]
b Determine the distance that the golf ball travels during
this time. [2]
c High-speed photography has shown that during the
contact between the club head and the ball, the ball
squashes rather than remaining rigid. Suggest a reason
why your answer to part b is supported by this
observation. [1]
10 Learning to drive a car usually involves understanding how far
a car will travel when a driver applies the brakes in order to
stop. This distance is called the stopping distance. It is made
up of two components: the thinking distance and the braking
distance.
thinking distance = initial speed × driver reaction time
braking distance = distance travelled whilst coming to a stop
A typical healthy driver has a reaction time of about 0.5 s and
a typical family car can decelerate at about 5 ms−2.
a Complete Table 1.3. Some of the values have been
calculated for you. [2]
Initial Thinking Braking Stopping
speed / distance / m distance / m distance / m
ms−1
0 0 0 0
5 2.5 2.5 5
10 10
15 30
20 10
Table 1.3
b Use the data in your completed table to construct a graph
of stopping distance against initial speed. [2]
c Use your graph to estimate the initial speed of a car that
requires 40 m of stopping distance. [1]
11 Figure 1.10 shows the velocity–time graph for a ball thrown
vertically into the air and then caught by the thrower.
Figure 1.10
a Show on the graph where the ball has reached its highest
point. [1]
b Use the graph to determine how high the ball reaches. [2]
c Explain how the graph shows that the overall
displacement of the ball is zero. [2]
12 A firework rocket shoots vertically from the ground with a
constant acceleration of 20 ms−2 for 3.0 s, after which the
rocket stops burning its fuel. The rocket continues upwards
until it reaches its maximum height and then falls back to the
ground. Assume there are no effects due to air friction and use
g = 9.81 ms−2.
a Sketch a velocity–time graph for the rocket’s journey. (It
is not necessary to include any values on the axes of your
graph; only the shape is required.) [1]
b Calculate the maximum height reached by the rocket. [2]
c Calculate the total flght time of the rocket. [2]
13 A projectile is launched horizontally at a speed of 40 ms−1
from the top of a hill, 50 m above the ground. Ignoring the
effects of air friction, and using g = 9.81 ms−2, calculate the:
a time it takes for the projectile to hit the ground, [1]
b horizontal distance from the hill that the projectile travels, [1]
c total velocity vector of the projectile just before it hits
the ground. [3]
14 Figure 1.11 shows a velocity–time graph for a moving object.
Figure 1.11
a Determine the acceleration of the object between t = 12 s
and t = 20 s [1]
b Determine the total displacement of the object during its
25 s journey. [2]
c Use your answer to part b to determine the average
velocity of the object. [1]
15 Figure 1.12 shows how the displacement of an object varies
with time.
Figure 1.12
a Describe how the velocity of the object is varying during
each of the labelled sections of the graph, A, B and C. [3]
b Estimate the velocity of the object during the section of
the graph labelled B. [1]
c Calculate the average velocity of the object during its 30 s
journey. [1]
16 Figure 1.13 shows how the velocity of a wandering wild
elephant varies with time.
Figure 1.13
Use the graph to:
a Estimate the acceleration (in ms−2) of the elephant during
the period 30 minutes to 80 minutes. [2]
b Determine the total displacement (in metres) of the
elephant during the 200 minute journey. [2]
c Determine the average velocity (in ms−1) of the elephant
for the whole journey. [1]
17 Figure 1.14 shows how the acceleration of an initially
stationary object varies with time.
Figure 1.14
a Calculate how far the object moved in the first 5 s. [1]
b Draw a graph of velocity of the object against time. [2]
c Use your graph to determine the total displacement of the
object during the 30 s journey. [2]
18 Figure 1.15 shows the graph of velocity against time for a
moving object.
