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Chapter 3
Motion in Two or Three Dimensions

3.1 Position and Velocity Vectors

(A) The position vector
!
r
r of an object is defined as
the vector that goes from the origin of the coordinate
system to the point P that the object is at. The cartesian
coordinates x, y, and z of point P are the x-, y-, and z-
components of the position vector
!
r
r





!
r
r " x

i +y

j +z

k




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(B) The average velocity vector v
r
ave
of an object as it
moves from some initial position
i
r
r
to some final position
f
r
r
during the time interval !t = t
f
t
i
is equal to the ratio
of r
r
! to !t.

t
r
ave
v
!
!
=
r
r


Note that the displacement vector r
r
! points in the same
direction as the average velocity v
r
ave
vector!









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The instantaneous velocity v
r
is defined as the limit of
the average velocity
t
r
!
!
r
as !t approaches zero. That is, v
r

equals the derivative of the position vector with respect to
time.

dt
r d
t
r
v
0 t
lim
r
r
r
=
!
!
" !
=





3.2 The Acceleration Vector
The average acceleration vector
ave
a
r
of an object whose
velocity changes by v
r
! during a time interval !t is
defined as
t
v
t
v
a
i
v
f
ave
!
=
!
!
=
"
r
r
r
r



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Again, note that
ave
a
r
points in the same direction as v
r
! .

The instantaneous acceleration a
r
is defined as the limit
of the average acceleration
t
v
!
!
r
as !t approaches zero.
That is, a
r
equals the derivative of the velocity vector with
respect to time.
dt
v d
t
v
a
0 t
lim
r
r
r
=
!
!
" !
=

3.4 Motion in a Circle
Tangential and Radial Acceleration
A particle accelerates whenever its velocity vector v
r

changes over time.

(i) A change in the magnitude of the velocity vector
results in a tangential component of acceleration
!
a
||
.

!
a
||
=
d
r
v
dt

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(ii) A change in the direction of the velocity vector results
in a centripetal component of acceleration
!
a
"
.
!
a
"
=
v
2
r
directed toward the center of the circle.








coordinates, one can write the acceleration vector for
circular motion more generally as:


!
r
a =
r
a
||
+
r
a
"
=
d
r
v
dt

# $
v
2
r
r
This is the general acceleration of a particle in non-
uniform circular motion.

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Uniform Circular Motion
This is the case of motion in two dimensions
in which a particle moves at constant speed in a
circular path.
The period T of the motion is defined as the time
required by the particle to complete one revolution. For
uniform circular motion,

v
r 2
T
!
=
where
r = the radius of the circular path
v = the speed (constant)







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Two-Dimensional Motion with Constant Acceleration

The kinematic equations which describe the motion of a
particle moving with constant acceleration are:
2
i i f
t a
2
1
t v r r
r r r r
+ = !
t a v v
i f
r r r
+ =
) r r ( a 2 v v
i f
2
i
2
f
r r r
! " + =

If one writes the vectors above in terms of their x- and y-
components, then using
j

y i

x r + =
r

j

v i

v v
y x
+ =
r

j

a i

a a
y x
+ =
r

one obtains two sets of kinematic equations: one set
describing the motion along the x-axis, and the other set
describing the motion along the y-axis. The kinematic
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equations are:

x-motion: (horizontal motion)
2
x
ix i f
t a
2
1
t v x x + = !
t a v v
x
ix fx
+ =
) x x ( a 2 v v
i f
x
2
ix
2
fx
! + =

y-motion: (vertical motion)
2
iy i f
t a
2
1
t v y y
y
+ = !
t a v v
y iy fy
+ =
) y y ( a 2 v v
i f
2
iy
2
fy y
! + =

The parameter that connects the motion along the x-axis
with the motion along the y-axis is the time t.


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3.3 Projectile Motion
Given that the free-fall acceleration due to gravity is

! = ! = g s / m 8 . 9 a
2
r

then
a
x
= 0 ! constant velocity motion in the
horizontal direction.
a
y
= g ! free-fall motion in the vertical
direction.










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Hence, for projectile motion in 2-Dimensions:
x-motion: y-motion:
t v x x
ix i f
= !
2
iy i f
t ) g (
2
1
t v y y + = !
ix fx
v v = gt v v
iy fy
=
) y y ( ) g ( 2 v v
i f
2
iy
2
fy
! + =

3.5 Relative Velocity
The general rules for adding relative velocities are:
FE AF BA BE
v v v v
r r r r
+ + =
and
BA AB
v v
r r
! =
where
(a) Write each velocity with a double subscript in the
proper order, meaning velocity of (first subscript)
relative to (second subscript).
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(b) When adding relative velocities, the first letter of any
subscript is to be the same as the last letter of the
preceding subscript.
(c) The first letter of the subscript of the first velocity in
the sum, and the second letter of the subscript of the
last velocity, are the subscripts, in that order, of the
relative velocity represented by the sum.
(d) The velocity of body A relative to body B,
AB
v
r
is the
negative of the velocity of body B relative to body A,
BA
v
r
. That is,
AB
v
r
= -
BA
v
r