PHYS 1 – PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS ENGR. FREDERICK P.

PEREZ II, CE

CHAPTER 2: MOTION AVERAGE VELOCITY AND SPEED

We o en are interested in the speed of something moving. The average speed of a
Imagine a vehicle travelling at high speed on a highway. You may explain the car's par cle is the total distance traveled by the par cle divided by the total me from
mo on to someone else in a variety of ways. You may explain, for instance, how the car's start to finish:
posi on changes as it moves from one place to another, how fast it is moving, which way it 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑠
𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 = =
is travelling, and whether it is moving more slowly or more quickly. These fundamental 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 Δ𝑡
A more useful quan ty is one that describes both how fast and in what direc on an object
mo on descriptors, which are called accelera on, velocity, and displacement, are crucial to
moves. The term used to describe this quan ty is velocity. The average velocity, 𝒗𝒂𝒗𝒆 , of a
physics. Physics was founded over 400 years ago to explain how objects move.
par cle is defined as the ra o of the displacement Δx to the me interval Δt:
Mechanics is the study of mo on and the associated ideas of mass and force.
Δ𝑠 𝑥 − 𝑥
Kinema cs, the area of mechanics that studies the proper es of mo on, is where we start 𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑉𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 = =
Δ𝑡 𝑡 −𝑡
our inquiry into mo on. All of physics involves mo on, and to comprehend how force and
EXAMPLE 2.2
mass affect mo on, one must have a solid understanding of kinema cs.
The dog that you were playing catch with in Example 2-1 jogged 20.0 away from you in 1.0s
to retrieve the s ck and ambled back 15.0 in 1.5 s (Figure 2-4). Calculate (a) the dog’s
2-1. DISPLACEMENT, VELOCITY, AND SPEED
average speed, and (b) the dog’s average velocity for the total trip.
In kinema cs, any object can be considered a par cle as long as we are not interested in its
EXAMPLE 2.3
size, shape, or internal mo on. For example, we can consider cars, trains, and rockets
It normally takes you 10 min to travel 5.0 mi to school along a straight road. You leave home
par cles. Earth and other planets can also be thought of as par cles as they move around
15 min before class begins. Delays caused by a broken traffic light slow down traffic to 20
the Sun. Even people and galaxies can be treated as par cles.
mi/h for the first 2.0 mi of the trip. Will you be late for class?
EXAMPLE 2.4
POSITION AND DISPLACEMENT
Two trains 60 km apart approach each other on parallel tracks, each moving at 15 km/h. A
To describe the mo on of a par cle, we need to be able to describe the posi on of
bird flies back and forth between the trains at 20 km/h un l the trains pass each other. How
the par cle and how that posi on changes as the par cle moves.
far does the bird fly?
The distance traveled by a par cle is the length of the path a par cle takes from its
ini al posi on to its final posi on. Distance is a scalar quan ty and is always indicated by a
INSTANTANEOUS VELOCITY AND SPEED
posi ve number. Displacement is the change in posi on of the par cle. It is posi ve if the
The two equa ons given above for speed and velocity discuss only the average
change in posi on is in the direc on of increasing x (the +x direc on), and nega ve if it is in
speed and average velocity over a given me interval. Most o en, as with a car’s
the -x direc on. Displacement can be represented by vectors, as shown in the previous
speedometer, we are not interested in an average speed or velocity, but in the instantaneous
chapter.
velocity or speed at a given moment. That is, we don’t want to know how many meters an
EXAMPLE 2.1
object is moving right now. Instantaneous velocity is not a tricky concept: we simply take the
You are playing a game of catch with a dog. The dog is ini ally standing near your feet. Then
equa on above and assume that it is very, very small.
he jogs 20 feet in a straight line to retrieve a s ck, and carries the s ck 15 feet back toward
Most problem on Physics ask about an object’s instantaneous velocity rather than
you before lying on the ground to chew on the s ck. (a) What is the total distance the dog
its average velocity or speed over a given me frame. Unless a ques on specifically asks yo
travels? (b) What is the net displacement of the dog? (c) Show that the net displacement for
about the average velocity or speed over a given me interval, you can safely assume that it
the trip is the sum of the sequen al displacements that make up the trip.
is asking about the instantaneous velocity at a given moment.

Page | 6
 PHYS 1 – PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS ENGR. FREDERICK P. PEREZ II, CE

EXAMPLE 2.5
If the displacement of the par cle varies with respect to me and is given as (6t2 +
2t + 4) m, find the instantaneous velocity when t=5 seconds.
EXAMPLE 2.6
If distance as a func on of me is known to us, we can find out the instantaneous speed at
any me. Let’s understand this by means of an example. Let Distance (s) = 5t3 m.

ACCELERATION
Accelera on is the rate of change of velocity with respect to me. The average accelera on,
𝒂𝒂𝒗𝒆 , for a par cular me interval Δt is defined as the change in velocity, Δv, divided by that
me interval:
Δ𝑣 𝑣 − 𝑣
𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 = =
Δ𝑡 𝑡 −𝑡
Instantaneous accelera on is the limit of the ra o as Δt approaches zero. On a plot of
velocity versus me, the instantaneous accelera on at me t is the slope of the line tangent
to the curve at that me:
Δ𝑣
𝑎 = lim
→ Δ𝑡
EXAMPLE 2.7
A truck is moving with a constant velocity, v = 5 m.s-1. The driver stops for diesel and the truck
accelerates forward. A er 20 seconds, the driver stops accelera ng to maintain a constant
velocity, v = 25 m.s-1. What is the truck’s accelera on?
EXAMPLE 2.8
Find the final velocity of the ball that is dropped from the second floor if the ball takes 18
seconds before hi ng the ground. The accelera on due to gravity is g = 9.80 m.s-2.
EXAMPLE 2.9
A car is traveling at 45 km/h at me t= 0. It accelerates at a constant rate of 10 km/(h-s).
(a) How fast is it traveling at t =2.0 s? (b) At what me is the car traveling at 70 km/h?

Page | 7