Physics 1A

Motion Along a Straight Line

Purpose is to study the motion of objects how fast they move and how far they
move in a given amount of time.


Position and Displacement

To locate an object means to find its position relative to some reference point
often the origin of an axis. To the right is the positive direction while the left is
the negative direction.

x = x2 x1

represents the change in a quantity.
The actual number of meters covered for a trip is irrelevant, displacement only
involves the starting and final position.


Average Velocity and Average Speed


Vavg = x2 x2 / t2 t1

Savg = total distance / t

Average speed is a different way of describing how fast a particles moves.
Whereas the average velocity involves the particles displacement x, the average
speed includes the total distance covered.


Instantaneous Velocity and Speed

How fast a particle is moving at a given instant.
The velocity at any given instant is obtained from the average velocity by
shrinking the time interval t closer and closer to 0. As this happens the velocity
approaches a limiting value, which is that velocity at that instant.








Acceleration

When a particles velocity changes, it is said to undergo acceleration. For motion
along an axis, the average acceleration over interval t is



Where the particle has velocity v1 at time t1 and then velocity 2 and time 2. The
instantaneous acceleration is



The acceleration of a particle at any instant is the rate at which its velocity is
changing at that instant. Graphically, the acceleration at any point is the slope of
the curve of v(t) at that point.




In words, the acceleration of a particle at any instant is the second derivative of
its position x(t) with respect to time. Acceleration has both magnitude and
direction


Constant Acceleration

In many types of motion, the acceleration is said to be constant or approximately
so. For example when you accelerate in a car at a constant rate going from the
rest position.
When Acceleration is constant, the average acceleration and
instantaneous acceleration are equal



Here V0 is the velocity at time t=0 and v is the velocity at any later time t.



We can take the derivative of the equation and we get the answer of dv/dt = a
which is the definition of acceleration.


Free Fall Acceleration

Straight line motion with constant acceleration is that of an object rising or
falling free near the Earths surface. The constant acceleration equations describe
this motion but we make two changes
- We refer to the motion to the vertical y axis with +y vertically up.
- Replace a with g. g is the free fall acceleration.