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Displacementtime graphs
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Acceleration a change in velocity
Velocity changes when there is a change in its magnitude
(i.e. a change in speed), a change in its direction, or both.
So acceleration can include:
speeding up
slowing down (deceleration)
changing direction (e.g.
centripetal acceleration)
So even though a geostationary satellite is travelling in a
circle at a steady speed, it is actually accelerating as it
constantly changes direction!
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Velocitytime graphs
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Four suvat equations
Motion under constant acceleration can be described using
the following four equations:
1. v = u + at
2. s = ut + at
2
3. v
2
= u
2
+ 2as
4. s = (u + v)t
These are known as the suvat or constant acceleration
equations, where u is the initial velocity, a is the
acceleration, and s and v are the displacement and velocity
at time t. How can these equations be derived?
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Using the suvat equations
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Analysing a velocitytime graph
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Acceleration under gravity
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Acceleration of freefall
An object that falls to the ground with no forces acting on it
except gravity is said to be in freefall.
This can only occur when the effects
of air resistance are negligible.
Any object in freefall, close to the
Earths surface, experiences vertical
acceleration of 9.81 ms
-2
downwards.
This is often denoted by the letter g.
Freefall includes both rising
and falling motion, whether a
projectile follows a parabola or
a simple vertical line.
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Capturing projectile motion
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Equations of projectile motion
An object in freefall:
moves at a constant horizontal (x) velocity
moves at a constant vertical (y) acceleration.
a
x
= 0
a
y
= g
The following equations can therefore be applied.
Can you see how they have been derived?
x = v
x
t
y =
v
y
= u
y
+ gt
y = u
y
t + gt
2

v
y
2
= u
y
2
+ 2gy
u
y
+ v
y
t
constant x velocity
suvat equations
for u
y
and v
y

with a = g
2
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Birdman rally
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Height of a projectile
A tennis player hits a volley just above ground level, in a
direction perpendicular to the net.
The ball leaves her racquet at 8.2 ms
-1

at an angle of 34 to the horizontal.
Will the ball clear the net if it is 2.3 m
away and 95 cm high at this point?
What assumptions should you
make to solve this problem?
no air resistance
no spin
initial height is zero.
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Height of a projectile
We need to calculate the value of y at x = 2.3 m and
determine whether or not it is greater than 0.95 m.
What are the relevant
equations of motion?
x = v
X
t
y = u
y
t + gt
2

First, use the x equation to calculate t when x is 2.3.
2.3 = 8.2 cos34 t t = 0.34 s
34
8.2 ms
-1
0.95 m
2.3 m
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Height of a projectile
Now substitute this value
of t into the y equation to
find y, and determine
whether or not it is
greater than 0.95 m.
y = ((8.2 sin34) 0.34) + ( -9.81 0.34
2
)
So y is greater than 0.95 and the ball clears the net!
35
8.2 ms
-1
0.95 m
2.3 m
So the ball reaches x = 2.3 m when t = 0.34 s.
y = u
y
t + gt
2

y = 0.99 m
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Interactive cannon
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Glossary
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Whats the keyword?
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Multiplechoice quiz