Kinematics

(a) state what is meant by speed and velocity.

Definition is given in units' Table

(b) calculate average speed using distance travelled/time taken.

average speed =

Question:

Calculate the speed of an object which has covered a distance of 5 km in 2 minutes.

Important note: standard unit of distance is not kilometer but meter and standard unit of time is not minutes but seconds. In exams,
we must keep our units in standard form unless told otherwise.

Solution:

Distance = 5 km = 5000 m and Time = 5 minutes = 5 x 60 = 120 seconds

Using above formula and pluging values

Avg. speed = 5000 / (2 x 60) = 41.67 m/s

(c) state what is meant by uniform acceleration and calculate the value of an acceleration using change in
velocity/time taken.

Definition of acceleration is given in units' section above.

Uniform Acceleration: Uniform acceleration means constant acceleration.

Since acceleration means change in speed, if the object is speeding up with the same value each second then we can say that
object is moving with uniform acceleration. Suppose, if the speed is zero at t= 0 sec then after t=1 sec speed has increased to 10
m/s then at t=2 sec speed has increased to 20 m/s then at t= 3 sec speed has increased to 30 m/s and so on. So after each second
speed is increasing by 10 m/s or at constant rate. Therefore, we can say that object is accelerating at 10 m/s2 (m/s2 is the unit of
acceleration.)

acceleration =

a=

acceleration's definition is already given in table of section 1.1.

Acceleration happens when speed increases but what if speed decreases? This is called deceleration or retardation. It's the
opposite of acceleration.

So if in calculation you are getting a negative acceleration it means the speed is decreasing, which means object is deceleration.

Caution:

Suppose you are solving a question to find acceleration and its value is coming as a negative number, which means the object is
decelerating. Then how should you write your answer as

a) Acceleration = - 5 m/s2 or b) Deceleration = -5 m/s2

c) Deceleration = 5 m/s2

The correct answer is either (a) or (c ) and if you are thinking for (b) then you will lose marks for your entire answer in exam paper.
This is because ve acceleration automatically means deceleration. And if placing ve sign after deceleration would change its
meaning to acceleration as

-ve acceleration = deceleration AND ve deceleration = acceleration.

Note: Two types of questions will be asked

Type 1: problems in which initial speed, final speed and time will be given. You just have to use formula to find acceleration. These
are dead easy, just apply formula and then plug and play.
Type 2: find acceleration by using graphs. Only speed-time or velocity-time graphs will be given. Because--- gradient is the most
________ thing in graphs.

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(d) discuss non-uniform acceleration.

Through out the text we will discuss only uniform acceleration. Constant acceleration means object's speed is increasing at a
constant rate. Suppose a car is speeding up each second: 0 m/s , 10 m/s , 20 m/s , 30 m/s and so on. In this particular case speed
is increasing by 10 m/s in each second so we can say that car is accelerating at a constant rate of 10 m/s 2 .

However, if acceleration is not constant then it could be increasing acceleration or decreasing acceleration as shown in graphs
(mention page number)

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e) *plot and *interpret speed-time and distance-time graphs.
(f) *recognise from the shape of a speed-time graph when a body is
(1) at rest,
(2) moving with uniform speed,
(3) moving with uniform acceleration,
(4) moving with non-uniform acceleration.
(g) calculate the area under a speed-time graph to determine the distance travelled for motion with uniform
speed or uniform acceleration.

1.2 understand and use distance-time graphs:

Edexcel people love graphs and distance-time graph is no exception. You people need to know all which I have written down for
you. All that is written is only for the sole purpose of making you eligible for A-gradenot for making you expert on this section of
graphs.

Let's begin!

Two types of questions are usually asked i) Drawing/plotting a graph Or Describing a graph ii) Work out quantities from graphs

i) drawing/plotting graph:

Always put distance on Y-axis and time on X-axis unless told otherwise. Always put units along with quantities in brackets. As shown
in graph below; distance (m) and time (s).

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For plotting graphs two types of questions are possible

Type 1: Examiners may give you a situation and ask you to draw it on graph or examiner may exhibit a graph and ask you to
describe it. Similar to the one given on next page.

The absolute essential commandment, which your father and mother will probably never tell you even Moses never told anyone is
that "gradient/steepness is the most important thing in graphs." Every time you analyze graphs check its gradient this will probably
change your life forever.

Example#1
(a) A student walks from home to a library, waits to collect a book and then runs to a
friend's house.
The distance-time graph for the student is shown. Three sections of the graph are
labelled P, Q and R.
Complete the sentences with P, Q or R.

(i) The student is walking at constant speed in section .............................................(1)

(ii) The student is waiting at the library in section ...............................................(1)

(iii) The two sections of the graph that take equal amounts of time are

.............................. and ..............................(1)

(b) Use words from the box to complete the sentences.

You may use each word once, more than once or not at all.

(i) My answer to (a)(i) is because the section of the graph is

........................................ and ..................................................... (2)

(ii) My answer to (a)(ii) is because the section of the graph is

.....................................................................................................(1)
(c) How does the graph show that the student's friend lives nearer to the library than the
student does?

.....................................................................................................(1)

(Total 7 marks)
Example#1 Answers a-(i)P ; a-(ii)Q ; a-(iii) Q and Rb-(i)Sloping straight; b-(ii) Horizontal c-Less distance travelled in section R than
in section P

Type 2: Examiners may also give you a table in which values for distance and time is given and mayl ask you to plot graph. Try
example on next page.

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Example#2:

The table gives information about a journey made by a cyclist.

(a) Plot these points on the grid given below. (3)

(b) (i) Use your graph to find the distance in kilometres which the cyclist travelled in 4.5 hours.

Distance = ..........................km (1)

(ii) Use your graph to find the time in hours taken by the cyclist to travel 35 kilometres.

Time = ............................ hours (1)

(c) State the equation which relates average speed, distance moved and time taken.

................................................................ (1)
 (Total 6 Marks )

Example#2 Answers

a- all points correct

b(i)-Answer in the range of 67 to 68 (this will be different for you if you are printing it)

b(ii)- 2.3 to 2.4 (again this will vary)

c- average speed = (distance moved) / time taken

Note#1: Mostly straigth lines straight line questions will be asked. However, very simple questions relating to accelerating and
decelerating may be asked in which examiner may be asking how far object has travelled in some time.

Graphs given on next page are some good examples and rememeber their shapes.

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ii)work-out of quantities:

From distance-time graph you can find out the speed of an object by finding its gradient.

Before we start our discussion on examiners' manoeuvres you need to learn that people who make papers have only few
snakes(graphs) in their box, which are dished out in one way or other in examination papers. However, if you learn them all you can
grap full marks in examination.

But before jumping on exam questions, it is absolutely vital to know the shapes of following graphs.

Distance Time Graphs

Learn the shapes for following graphs

Lets discuss above graphs one by one.

Graph-A:

Gradient or steepness of graph shows speed. And a straight diagonal line on distance-time graph shows constant speed or average
speed. Higher the gradient higher speed.
In above diagram, lines a,b & c represents different gradients/steepness. Line "a" is the steepest therefore has higher average
speed than the rest where "c" has the lowest speed.

Graph B:

A straight horizontal line on distance-time graph shows that object is at rest/stationary.

In this graph distance is not increasing as time is increasing. This is only possible when object is not changing its position.

Graph C:

This is a curve graph. A curve line on distance-time graph shows that object is either accelerating or decelerating.

This graph shows that distance is increasing as time is increasing. Also notice that as time is increasing the graph is getting steeper
and steeper.

A curve line which is getting steeper and steeper with time on a distance-time graph represents acceleration.

If the graph is getting steeper at faster rate it means acceleration is higher as shown in following graphs

The graph above shows three curves, representing three objects, all of them are moving upwards as time increases. All of them
have covered same distance i.e. 50 meters but in different times. Now connect following statement or learn conclusion in bold
words.

Steepness represents the magnitude (value) of speed in distance-time graphs. You can see that all of three lines getting steeper and
steeper as time progresses. Their steepness is highest at the final stage of their journey. So if steepness represents speed then
increasing steeping would represent increasing speed. And increasing speed is called acceleration. This means these three
objects are accelerating at different rates.

Curve "a" got very steep very quickly this means that it has the highest acceleration amongst others. Where "c" took the most time
to reach the same steepness/speed, therefore, its acceleration is lowest.