Motion in a One Dimension and

Two Dimension
Reference Frame

To determining whether a body is at rest or in motion we must compare the motion of

the body with some other body, called the reference body. To locate the position of
body with respect to the reference body, a system of co-ordinates fixed to the reference
body is constructed. This is called as reference frame or frame of reference. There
are Two types of reference frames :

(i) Inertial frame of reference, and

(ii) Non-inertial frame of reference.

Inertial frame of reference : A frame of reference which is either at rest or

moving with uniform velocity is called an inertial frame of reference.

In this frame of reference

A few examples of inertial frames of reference are :

(i) A frame of reference remaining fixed with respect to stars is an inertial frame of
reference.
(ii) A space ship moving in space without spinning and with its engine shut off is an
inertial frame of reference.
(iii) A train moving on a horizontal track with constant velocity is an inertial frame of
reference.

Non-inertial frame of reference :

. In this frame of reference
.

A example of non inertial frames of reference are :

A ball lying on the floor of a stationary bus. When the bus is accelerated or
retarded, the ball starts moving. The bus is said to an example of non-inertial or
accelerated frame of reference.
▶ Is the Earth an Inertial Frame of Reference ?

Ans. Our experiments are performed in a reference frame which is fixed to the earth. In
fact, the , because it is accelerated due to its
daily rotation about its axis as well as due to its orbital motion around the sun. But the
effect of these accelerations are too small to be considered for almost all practical
purposes. Hence the earth may be taken as an inertial reference frame to a fairly good
approximation.

▶ Motions in One, Two or Three Dimensions

The motions of a particle may be in one, two or three dimensions. These are :

: A train moving along a straight track, a body falling freely under gravity etc.

: The earth revolving round the sun, an insect crawling on the floor etc.

A flying bird, a flying aeroplane, a flying kite are the examples of three
dimensional motion.

It is a , i.e. it has only magnitude but no direction. It is

expressed by unit of length, such as it is metre (m) in SI unit.
 so in saying about displacement, along
with its magnitude its direction has also to be mentioned.

(i) The displacement has the unit of length.

(ii) The displacement may be positive, negative or zero.

(iii) The magnitude of the displacement of a body between two points gives the shortest
distance between them.
(iv) The displacement of a body between two points does not give us any idea about the
path followed by the body.
(v) The displacement of a body between two points has a unique value.
(vi) The actual distance travelled by the body may be greater than or equal to the
magnitude of the displacement.
(vii) The displacement remains unaltered even if the origin of the coordinate axes be
shifted.
(viii) As a particle cannot be at two different positions at the same time, so the
displacement is a single valued function of time.
(ix) The displacement changes if its direction be changed.

It is measured by the distance covered by the body in unit time.

Thus,

Speed does not give any idea about the direction of motion. Speed can be positive, but
never negative or zero. Speed is a scalar quantity. Its units are and
system. The dimensions of speed are .

(i)

(ii)

(iii)
The average speed is given by the ratio of the total distance covered by the body to the
total time taken.

Thus,

(iv)

Thus, if the moving particle covers a path Δs in time interval Δt,

Δs ��
then, instantaneous speed= lim Δt
= ��
(In calculus notation)
Δt→0

Whenever we mention about speed of a particle, it always means the

instantaneous speed, if not mentioned otherwise. In case of uniform motion of a
particle, the instantaneous speed is equal to the uniform speed.

Velocity is a i.e., it has both magnitude and direction. The

velocity can be positive, negative or zero. The units and dimensions of velocity are same
as those of speed.

Velocity of a body may be of following types :

(i)

(ii)
(iii)

(iv)

Thus, if the moving particle undergoes a displacement Δs⃗Δs in time

Δs⃗ ds⃗
interval ΔtΔt, then instantaneous velocity= = lim = (In calculus notation)
Δt→0 Δt ��

If not mentioned otherwise, the term velocity means instantaneous velocity.

1. Speed is the time rate of change of 1. Velocity of a body is the time rate of change
position of a body in any direction. of its displacement.

2. Speed is a scalar quantity, i.e. it has

2. Velocity is a vector quantity, i.e. it has both
only magnitude but no definite
magnitude and also a particular direction.
direction.

3. With a proper direction attached to the

3. Instantaneous speed is the
instantaneous speed, instantaneous velocity is
magnitude of instantaneous velocity.
obtained.

4. A body moving with uniform speed 4. A body moving with uniform velocity
may not have uniform velocity. always possesses uniform speed.

5. Speed can be positive but never

5. Velocity can be positive, negative or zero.
negative or zero.

It is a When the velocity is increasing

and when it is decreasing it is
called .
(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

Thus, if the moving particle undergoes a change of velocity of ΔvΔv in time

ΔV ��
interval ΔtΔt, then, instantaneous acceleration= lim Δt = �� (In calculus notation)
Δt→0

If a body of mass m be moving with a velocity v⃗, then its momentum p⃗​ is given
by,

Momentum is a . Its direction is .

● Why is the rate of change of acceleration not considered in the study of linear
motion ?
Ans. In the study of linear motion it is sufficient to have the knowledge of acceleration,
as the basic laws of motion involve acceleration only and not the rate of change of
acceleration.
● Is it true or not, a particle in one dimensional motion with constant speed must
have zero acceleration ?
Ans. When a particle moves along a straight line with constant speed, its velocity
remains constant with time. Thus, change in velocity being zero, acceleration of the
particle also must be zero.

● Can a body have zero velocity but finite acceleration ?

Ans. Yes, when a body thrown upward reaches maximum height its velocity becomes
zero, but still it has acceleration in the form of acceleration due to gravity acting
downward.

● The direction in which a body moves is given by the direction of its velocity and
not by the direction of acceleration. Explain.
Ans. A body thrown vertically upward moves up in the direction of its velocity but
acceleration acting on it is the acceleration due to gravity acts in the opposite directions.
Thus the direction of motion of the body is that of the velocity and not that of the
acceleration.

A particle when moves in a straight line with uniform acceleration, its

displacement, velocity and acceleration all have the same direction. Let a particle moves
along a straight line with a uniform acceleration has velocities and at the beginning
and at the end of the time interval respectively and covers a distance during this
interval of time. Then the equations are :
�
(i) v=u + at (ii) s=ut + at2 (iii) v2= u2 + 2as
�

Q. Draw the position-time graph for an object in uniform motion. Show that the
slope of the position-time graph gives the velocity of the object.

Ans: Position-time graph for uniform motion.

An object in uniform motion covers equal distances in equal intervals of time. So
the position-time graph for an object in uniform motion along a straight line path
is a straight line inclined to the time-axis, as shown in Figure
 .

�� �� − �� ������������
Slope of position-time graph AB = ��� � = = = = Velocity( v)
�� �� − �� ����

Hence the slope of the position-time graph gives velocity of the object.

25. Draw the position-time graph for uniformly accelerated motion. What does its
slope give?

Position-time graph for uniformly accelerated motion.

The position-time relation for uniformly accelerated motion along a straight line is:
�
x=x0+v0t+ at2
�

Clearly, x ∝t2 i.e., x is a quadratic function of t. So the position-time graph for uniformly
accelerated motion is a parabola, as shown in Fig.

����� ������ �� �������� ��−��������

Slope of position-time graph: =
����� ������ �� ���������� ��−��������

��
= = Velocity at instant t
��

Thus the slope of the position-time graph gives the instantaneous velocity of the object.
Moreover, the slope of the x−t graph at time t=0 gives the initial velocity v0 of the object.
 For Your Knowledge

** A straight line graph has a single slope. So if the displacement -time graph is
straight line, it represent constant velocity. If the velocity time graph is straight line, it
represent a constant acceleration.

** constant velocity graph ** constant acceleration graph

** A curved graph has multiple slope. As the displacement- time graph bent upwards
with the passage of time, the value of � increase, slope (= tan �) of the curve increase ,
consequently the velocity increases and hence the motion is accelerated.

** As the displacement- time graph bent downwards with the passage of time, the
value of � decrease, slope (= tan �) of the curve decrease , consequently the velocity
decreases and hence the motion is decelerated.
 Important Question-Answers:
Q1. What does the slope of a position-time graph represent?

Answer: It represents the velocity of the object.

Q2. What does the slope of a velocity-time graph represent?

Answer: It represents the acceleration of the object.

Q3. What does the area under a velocity-time graph represent?

Answer: It represents the displacement covered by the object in the given

time.

Q4. How can you identify acceleration or deceleration from a distance-

time graph?

Answer: Acceleration: Upward bending curve (slope increasing).

Deceleration: Downward bending curve (slope decreasing).

Q5. Can a distance-time graph have a vertical line? Why?

Answer: No, because it would mean the object covered distance without
time passing, which is physically impossible.

Q6. What type of graph represents uniform velocity on a displacement-

time graph?

Answer: A straight line inclined to the time-axis.