Kinematics

Mechanics: Branch of Physics that looks into motion with/without

reference to force.

Kinematics: Sub-branch of Physics that describes motions of objects and

bodies without considering the forces that cause them.

Rest: Object / Person isn’t moving with respect to the observer.

Motion: Object / Person is moving with respect to the observer. Types of

motions:

Translatory Motion: Motion in which all points of a moving body move

uniformly in the same direction. (Up, Down, Left, Right, Front, Back).

a. Rectilinear: Translatory motion that occurs in a straight line

(one direction only).
b. Curvilinear: Translatory motion when an object moves in a
curved / circular path.
c. Irregular: Translatory motion when an object has no specific
path. (Random motion)

Rotatory Motion: All points of a body maintain a constant distance and

rotate in circular paths about an axis. (Spinning around)

Vibratory Motion: Periodic back-and-forth movement of a body repeatedly

about a mean position.

Distance: Length of path travelled between two locations/positions.

Displacement: The shortest distance between two locations/positions.
Speed: It tells us how fast we are moving and is the ratio between total
distance travelled and total time taken for the travel. Scalar Quantity. It is
the rate of change of distance
(Speed = Distance / Time)

Average Speed: It is the ratio between Total Distance travelled and the
Total time taken for the travel (Average Speed = Total Distance / Total
Time)

Instantaneous Speed: The speed of an object at that very particular

specific instance of time.

Uniform Speed: When an object is travelling at a constant speed and the

rate of change of distance remains the same. It doesn’t get faster or slower

Variable Speed: When an object is travelling at different speeds and the

rate of change of distance varies. It can get faster or slower

Velocity: It tells us how fast we are moving and is the ratio between total
displacement and total time taken for the travel. Vector Quantity. It is the
rate of change of displacement
(Velocity = Displacement / Time)

Average Velocity: It is the ratio between Total Displacement travelled and

the Total time taken for the travel.
(Average Velocity = Total Displacement / Total Time)

Instantaneous Velocity: The velocity of an object at that very particular

specific instance of time.

Uniform Velocity: When an object is travelling at a constant velocity, the

rate of change of displacement remains the same and the direction doesn’t
change. It doesn’t get faster or slower and travels in the same direction.
Variable Velocity: When an object is travelling at different velocities, the
rate of change of displacement varies and the direction can change. It can
get faster or slower and the direction can change.

Acceleration: It tells us how fast our velocity is changing and is the ratio
between velocity and time taken for the travel. It is the rate of change of
velocity. Vector Quantity.
(Acceleration = Velocity / Time)

Deceleration: Negative Accleration

Uniform Acceleration: When an object is travelling at a constant

acceleration, the rate of change of velocity remains the same and the
direction doesn’t change. It doesn’t get faster or slower and travels in the
same direction.

Non-Uniform / Variable Acceleration: When an object is travelling at

different acceleration, the rate of change of velocity varies and the direction
can change. It can get faster or slower and the direction can change.

Motion Due To Gravity: This is movement due to gravity which causes

objects to accelerate at the rate of 9.8m/s².

Distance-Time Graph: y-value tells the distance travelled while the x-value
tells the time taken to travel. The gradient / slope of the graph is the speed.

Speed-Time Graph: y-value tells the speed you are travelling at while the
x-value tells the time taken to travel. The gradient / slope of the graph is the
acceleration. Area under the graph / curve is equal to distance
 Short Answer Questions

Q1. In a park, children are enjoying a ride on a Ferris wheel. What kind
of motion does the big wheel have, and what kind of motion do the
riders experience?

Ans. Big Wheel - Rotational Motion. Riders - Circular Motion

Q2. A boy moves for some time. Give two situations in which his
displacement is zero but the distance covered is not zero.

Ans. These are the 2 situations:

1. If the boy starts at a point, moves in a circular path, and returns to the
starting point.
2. If the boy walks along a straight path, turns around, and returns to his
starting point.

Q3. A stone tied to a string is whirling in a circle. What is the direction

of its velocity at any instant?

Ans. The same direction as the tangent on the point where the stone is at.

Q4. Is it possible to accelerate an object without speeding it up or

slowing it down?

Ans. Yes. (Change the direction)

Q5. Can a car moving towards the right have a direction of

acceleration towards the left?

Ans. Yes, if the car is decelerating or slowing down while moving to the
right.

Q6. With daily life examples, describe the situations in which:

a. Acceleration is in the direction of motion.

Ans. A car is speeding up while moving forward.

b. Acceleration is against the direction of motion.

Ans. A car is slowing down as it approaches a red light.

c. Acceleration is zero and body is in motion

Ans. A car is moving at a constant speed on a straight highway.

Q7. Examine the distance-time graph of a motorcyclist. What does

this graph tell us about the speed of the motorcyclist? Also, plot its
velocity-time graph.

Ans. The graph shows a straight, sloping line, which indicates constant
speed as distance increases uniformly with time (gradient is constant). For
the velocity-time graph, it would be a horizontal line, to show constant
velocity.

Q8. Which controls in a car can produce acceleration or deceleration?

Ans. The accelerator causes acceleration. The brake pedal causes

deceleration. The steering wheel can changes the direction, causing both.

Q9. If two stones of 10 kg and 1 kg are dropped from a 1 km high

tower, which will hit the ground with greater velocity? Which will hit
the ground first? (Neglect air resistance)

Ans. Both stones will hit the ground at the same time and with the same
velocity because they are falling with the same acceleration due to gravity
(9.8m/s2) which remains constant as air resistance is absent.
Q10. A 100 g ball is just released (from rest), and another is thrown
downward with a velocity of 10 m/s. Which will have greater
acceleration? (Neglect air resistance)

Ans. Both will have same acceleration

 Long Answer Questions

Q1. Differentiate between rest and motion. Show that rest and motion
are relative to the observer with an example.

Ans. An object is at rest if it does not change its position with respect to its
surroundings over time. An object is in motion if it changes its position with
respect to its surroundings over time. A passenger sitting in a moving train
is at rest relative to another passenger in the train, but in motion relative to
someone standing outside on the platform.

Q2. What are different types of motion? Define each type of motion
with examples from daily life.

Ans. (Written in notes)

Q3. What are scalars and vectors? Give examples. How are vectors
represented symbolically and graphically?

Ans. Scalar quantities are quantities with only magnitude, no direction (e.g.,
speed, distance, mass).
Vector quantities are quantities with both magnitude and direction (e.g.,
velocity, displacement, force).

Symbolical representation: An arrow above the variable.

Graphical representation: An arrow

Q4. Define the term position. Differentiate between distance and

displacement.

Ans. Position: The location of an object relative to a reference point.

(Other definitions in notes)

Q5. Differentiate between speed and velocity. Also define average
speed, uniform and variable speeds, average velocity, uniform and
variable velocities.

Ans. (Written in notes)

Q6. What are freely falling bodies? What is gravitational acceleration?

Write down sign conventions for gravitational acceleration. Write
three equations of motion of a freely falling body.

Ans. Free-falling bodies are bodies that fall under the influence of gravity
only, and no other forces act on them.
Gravitational Acceleration is the acceleration due to gravity. (9.8m/s2).
In most cases, downwards is considered positive (until and unless the
question states the opposite).
(3 equations of motions are part of later Chapters)

Q7. Draw distance-time graphs for rest, uniform speed, increasing

speed, and decreasing speed.

Ans. (Done in lecture and notes)

Q8. Draw speed-time graphs for zero acceleration, uniform

acceleration, and uniform deceleration. Also, show that the area
under the speed-time graph represents the distance covered by the
body.

Ans. (Done in lecture and notes)