Classical Physics I (Spring 2015)

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PHY 131
Lecture 4
Finish Chapter 2

Describing Motion:
Kinematics in One Dimension

2/6/15 Lecture 4 1
 Are you here with clicker set to channel 21?
1. Yes

175

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Ye
2/6/15 Lecture 4 2
 RE-CAP: 1d Motion with Constant Acceleration
• Sec. 2-5 of the text begins with the derivation of four “kinematic equations”
– Notation will now be simplified:
 Initial time will be represented by t0 = 0 (not t1) and elapsed time by t (not by t2 ).
 The “1d” coordinate can be called x or y or anything; we’ll use x as the example here.
 Initial position will be represented by x0 = 0 (not x1) and initial velocity by v0 = 0 (not by v1)
 At time t position and velocity will be called x and v (not x2 and v2)
 The average velocity during time interval (t ─t0) will be (because t0 = 0)

 The acceleration, which we take to be constant in time, will then be

• Study the derivations in Sec. 2-5. The results are these highlighted equations:

Warning: these four equations are NOT valid if a ≠ constant !!!

2/6/15 Lecture 4 3
 RE-CAP: Solving “Word” Problems: text p. 30. All “9 steps” are used
in the worked out

2/6/15 Lecture 4 4
 RE-CAP: Solving “Word” Problems: text p. 30. All “9 steps” are used
in the worked out

2/6/15 Lecture 4 5
 RE-CAP: Solving “Word” Problems: text p. 30. All “9 steps” are used
in the worked out

3 significant figures
in the result because
all input numbers
have 3 sig. figs.

2/6/15 Lecture 4 6
 A car starts from rest and accelerates at constant a = 10 m/s2 in a race
that is 402 m long. How fast is the car going at the finish line?

1. 63 m/s
2. 90 m/s
3. 809 m/s
4. 8040 m/s
5. Cannot be determined
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2/6/15 Lecture 4 7
 A car starts from rest and accelerates at constant a = 10 m/s2 in a race
that is 402 m long. How long does the race last?

1. 9.0 s
2. 13 s
3. 18 s
4. 80 s
5. Cannot be determined

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2/6/15 Lecture 4 8
 RE-CAP: Here’s where we finished Lecture 3: P1
“Time for a ball to drop a distance h” v0 = 0 (from rest)

• Sketch + symbols + givens + wanteds:y a = constant = –g = –9.80 m/s2

y0 = 44.0 m
vy(t)
– Only one direction y is involved y(t) = 0 m;

– Acceleration (from gravity) is constant 44.0 m t = ??

– vy varies with t (increases until impact)

• Solution: need to find t given y0, v0, a x

Check:
units; precision; is
answer sensible?

Yes!
2/6/15 Lecture 4 9
 Follow-on Problems from P1? Yes!
• P2: What is the ball’s speed just as it hits the ground?
– simple: v (t=3.00 s) = v0 – gt = ? Eq. (2-12a):
= 0 – 9.80 ms─2 × 3.00 s
= –29.4 m/s (i.e., “downward”)
• P3: A person on the ground now throws a ball straight up at 20 m/s
(~50 mi/hr). How high above ground will it go?
– Draw new diagram! We need ymax (and, for below, tmax)
– simple: y - y0 = (v2 – v02)/2a Eq. (2-12c)
ymax – 0 = (0 – v02)/(–2g)
ymax = v02/2g
= (20.0 ms–1)2/(2 x 9.80) ms–2 = 20.4 m (well below roof height)
• P4: How long before the ball returns to the ground?
– simple: v (at ymax) = v0 – gtmax Eq. (2-12a)
thus: tmax = (v0 ─ 0)/g = 20 ms–1/9.80 ms-2
= 2.04 s ⇒ ttotal = 2tmax = 4.08 s
• P5: A ball thrown straight up stays ttot = 4.00 s in the
air before it hits ground again; how high did it go?
v – v0 = –gt ; at ttot = 4.00 s: v = –v0 Eq. (2-12a)
thus: –2v0 = –gttot, and v0 = 19.8 m/s  compare to P3 and P4
2/6/15 Lecture 4 10
 Ask a Different Question from P1: P1’
• A ball is thrown upwards from the roof with v0= 15 m/s.
When does it hit the ground now?
v0 = +15 m/s (up)
Sketch + symbols + givens + to find(s): y
a = –g = –9.80 m/s2
– Only one dimension: y (but up and down)
y0 = 44 m
– Acceleration is constant
y(t) = 0 m;
– vy varies with t v (t)
t = ??
44 m
• Solution: need to find t given y0, v0, a

2/6/15 Lecture 4 11
 Continued: Ask a Different Question from P1: P1’
v0 = +15 m/s (up)
y
a = –g = –9.80 m/s2
y0 = 44 m
y(t) = 0 m;
v (t)
t = ??
44 m

y
x

This is a plot of y (in m) vs. t (in s) for the above

equation. Note the parabolic shape because the
motion follows a quadratic equation in t. Also
note that the curve crosses y = 0 twice: viz.,
. For our problem P1’,
O Ot the motion before t = 0 “doesn’t exist”! But it
does exist “in the quadratic equation.” + 4.80 s
is the “physical value” that is correct for P1’.
2/6/15 Lecture 4 12
 text, p. 33:

Notation: P or P means police; S or S means speeder.

2/6/15 Lecture 4 13
 text, p. 33:

Fig. 2-24(b): The analysis on the previous slide

showed that no matter what constant, positive
acceleration P uses, P will always catch up to S,
but P will reach a speed of 300 km/h, which is
unreasonably and dangerously fast.

Plot Warning: The time t when P catches up to

S is NOT the crossing point on this v vs. t plot.
THIS crossing point only shows the time at
which the speed of P reaches the (constant)
speed of S. The previous slide showed that P
had to reach twice the speed of S to overtake S.

2/6/15 Lecture 4 14
 text, p. 33:

Fig. 2-24(a): The analysis on the previous slide

showed that now matter what constant,
positive acceleration P has, it will always catch
up to S, but P will have a speed of 300 km/h,
which is unreasonably and dangerously fast.

The crossing time t on this x vs. t plot IS the

time when P catches up to S because it is the
time when the two coordinates (the spatial
locations of the two cars) are the same.
We saw in the previous slide it was NOT the
crossing point on the v vs. t plot.

2/6/15 Lecture 4 15
 text, p. 33:
Note the “new strategy” has
2 non-constant accelerations,
one for S and one for P.
constant-acceleration
formulas are invalid!
2/6/15
Fig. 2-24(c): The analysis three slides earlier showed that
no matter what constant, positive acceleration P had, it
would always catch up to S, but P would have a speed
of 300 km/h, which is unreasonably and dangerously fast
What is the policeman driving P to do? A constant-
acceleration strategy will not work! If S keeps moving at
high speed, and if P is not a special, high-speed vehicle
(race car), S will outrun P. In this case the police would
call for a second police car or “road block” further
ahead or a police helicopter. More likely is that S will
realize he better slow down (decelerate) if he is to avoid
some time in jail. This v vs. t plot shows this more
reasonable strategy for S and P. S decelerates; P starts
out with a high acceleration and then decreases it a bit.
However, the previous warning is still true: the crossing
point on this v vs. t plot is NOT when P reaches S. That
happens at the crossing point on an x vs. t plot.
Lecture 4 16
 Let’s Have Some Fun

The first scientific progress on this topic

happened nearly four centuries ago.
So it’s an old topic in physics.

But it’s not a “dead topic”. It’s an

active topic in modern physics research.

What is this topic?

2/6/15 Lecture 4 17