IGCSE YEAR 1 DESCRIBING MOTION

PHYSICS NOTES

Speed
• The speed of an object is the distance it travels per unit time
• Speed is a scalar quantity
o This is because it only contains a magnitude (without a direction)
• For objects that are moving with a constant speed, use the equation below to
calculate the speed:

v= d

• Where:
o Speed is measured in metres per second (m/s)
o Distance travelled is measured in metres (m)
o Time taken is measured in seconds (s)

Average Speed

• In some cases, the speed of a moving object is not constant

o For example, the object might be moving faster or slower at certain
moments in time (accelerating and decelerating)
• The equation for calculating the average speed of an object is:

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Velocity

• The velocity of a moving object is similar to its speed, except it also

describes the object’s direction
o The speed of an object only contains a magnitude - it’s
a scalar quantity
o The velocity of an object contains both magnitude and direction, e.g.
‘15 m/s south’
• Velocity is therefore a vector quantity because it describes both magnitude
and direction

• The equation for velocity is very similar to the equation for speed:

• Where:
o v = velocity in metres per second (m/s)
o s = displacement, measured in metres (m)
o t = time, measured in seconds (s)
• Velocity is a vector quantity, so it uses displacement, s, rather than distance
which is scalar.

Acceleration
• Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity
o In other words, it describes how much an object's
velocity changes every second
• The equation below is used to calculate the average acceleration of an object:

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 • Where:
o a = acceleration in metres per second squared (m/s2)
o Δv = change in velocity in metres per second (m/s)
o Δt = time taken in seconds (s)

• The change in velocity is found by the difference between the initial and
final velocity, as written below:

change in velocity = final velocity − initial velocity

Δv = v − u

• Where:
o v = final velocity in metres per second (m/s)
o u = initial velocity in metres per second (m/s)

• The acceleration of an object can be positive or negative, depending on

whether the object is speeding up or slowing down
o If an object is speeding up, its acceleration is positive
o If an object is slowing down, its acceleration is negative (sometimes
called deceleration)

Problem1.

A Japanese bullet train decelerates at a constant rate in a straight line. The velocity
of the train decreases from 50 m/s to 42 m/s in 30 seconds.

(a) Calculate the change in velocity of the train.

(b) Calculate the deceleration of the train, and explain how your answer shows the
train is slowing down.

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Part (a)

Step 1: List the known quantities

Initial velocity = 50 m/s

Final velocity = 42 m/s

Step 2: Write the relevant equation

change in velocity = final velocity − initial velocity

Step 3: Substitute values for final and initial velocity

change in velocity = 42 − 50 = −8 m/s

Part (b)

Step 1: List the known quantities

Change in velocity, Δv = − 8 m/s

Time taken, t = 30 s

Step 2: Write the relevant equation

Step 3: Substitute the values for change in velocity and time

a = −8 ÷ 30 = −0.27 m/s

Step 4: Interpret the value for deceleration

o The answer is negative, which indicates the train is slowing down

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Using Graphs to study motion

Distance – time graph

• A distance-time graph shows how the distance of an object moving in a
straight line (from a starting position) varies over time:

Constant Speed on a Distance-Time Graph

• A straight line represents constant speed

• The slope of the straight line represents the magnitude of the speed:
o A very steep slope means the object is moving at a large speed
o A shallow slope means the object is moving at a small speed
o A flat, horizontal line means the object is stationary (not moving)

State of object Shape of distance – time graph

At rest Horizontal line

Moving at constant speed Straight line of positive gradient
Acceleration (speeding up) Curve with increasing gradient as time
increases
Deceleration (speeding down) Curve with decreasing gradient as time
increases

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Changing Speed on a Distance-Time Graph

• Objects might be moving at a changing speed

o This is represented by a curve
• In this case, the slope of the line will be changing
o If the slope is increasing, the speed is increasing (accelerating)
o If the slope is decreasing, the speed is decreasing (decelerating)

• The speed of a moving object can be calculated from the gradient of the line
on a distance-time graph:

• The rise is the change in y (distance) values

• The run is the change in x (time) values

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Problem 2.

Ose decides to take a stroll to the park. He finds a bench in a quiet spot and takes a
seat, picking up where he left off reading his book on Black Holes. After some time
reading, Ose realises he lost track of time and runs home.

A distance-time graph for his trip is drawn below.

a) How long does Ose spend reading his book?

b) There are three sections labelled on the graph, A, B and C. Which section
represents Ose running home?
c) What is the total distance travelled by Ose?

Answer:
Part (a)

-Ose spends 40 minutes reading his book

-The flat section of the line (section B) represents an object which is stationary - so
section B represents Ose sitting on the bench reading

-This section lasts for 40 minutes - as shown in the graph below

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Part (b)

o Section C represents Ose running home

o The slope of the line in section C is steeper than the slope in section A
o This means Ose was moving with a larger speed (running) in section C

Part (c)

The total distance travelled by Ose is 0.6 km

The total distance travelled by an object is given by the final point on the line - in this
case, the line ends at 0.6 km on the distance axis.

Speed-time graph
A speed-time graph shows how the speed of a moving object varies with time

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Acceleration on a Speed-Time Graph

• Speed-time graphs also show the following information:

o If the object is moving with a constant acceleration or deceleration
o The magnitude of the acceleration or deceleration
• A straight line represents constant acceleration
• The slope of the line represents the magnitude of acceleration
o A steep slope means large acceleration (or deceleration) - i.e. the
object's speed changes very quickly
o A gentle slope means small acceleration (or deceleration) - i.e. the
object's speed changes very gradually
o A flat line means the acceleration is zero - i.e. the object is moving
with a constant speed

• The distance travelled by an object can be found by determining the area

beneath the graph

SPEED

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 • If the area beneath the graph forms a triangle (the object is accelerating or
decelerating) then the area can be determined using the formula:

• If the area beneath the graph is a rectangle (constant velocity) then the area
can be determined using the formula:

State of object Shape of speed-time graph

At rest Horizontal line along the time axis
Moving at constant speed A non zero horizontal line
Constant acceleration Straight line of positive gradient
Changing acceleration A curved graph
Constant deceleration Straight line of negative gradient

Free fall
Acceleration of free fall
• In the absence of air resistance, all objects fall with the same acceleration
• This is called the acceleration of freefall (this is also sometimes called
acceleration due to gravity)

Acceleration of free fall = g = 9.8 m/s2

• This means that for every second an object falls, its velocity will increase by
9.8 m/s
• The symbol g also stands for the gravitational field strength, and can be
used to calculate the weight of an object using its mass:

weight = mass × gravitational field strength

W = mg

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ADDITIONAL NOTES:

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