Kinematics
Fundamental Quantities
Scalars and Vectors
| Scalar (magnitude only) | Vector (magnitude and direction) |
|---|---|
| Distance | Displacement |
| Speed | Velocity |
| Mass | Weight |
| Energy | Force |
| Temperature | Acceleration |
| Time | Momentum |
Distance and Displacement
- Distance: total path length travelled (scalar).
- Displacement: change in position from start to finish (vector).
Speed and Velocity
- Speed: rate of change of distance.
- Velocity: rate of change of displacement.
Acceleration
- Acceleration: rate of change of velocity.
Average acceleration:
Instantaneous acceleration is the derivative of velocity with respect to time.
Kinematics Equations (SUVAT)
For motion with constant acceleration in a straight line:
| Equation | Variables | Missing |
|---|---|---|
Where:
- = displacement
- = initial velocity
- = final velocity
- = acceleration
- = time
Uniformly Accelerated Motion in Two Dimensions
When acceleration is constant (both magnitude and direction), the SUVAT equations can be applied Separately to each component.
Equations
Projectile Motion Revisited (Vector Form)
For a projectile launched with initial velocity :
- ,
Additional IB Exam-Style Questions
Question 8 (Paper 2 style)
A particle moves along a straight line. Its acceleration is given by .
(a) Find the time when the particle is momentarily at rest.
When : or .
(b) Find the displacement at .
(c) Find the distance travelled between and .
Since for The distance equals the displacement: .
Question 9 (Paper 1 style)
A ball is projected at speed at angle above horizontal on level ground. For what value of is the horizontal range maximised?
The range is . This is maximised when I.e., So .
Question 10 (Paper 2 style)
An object is released from a hot air balloon ascending at . At the moment of Release, the balloon is at a height of .
(a) Find the maximum height reached by the object.
At release: , .
Maximum height .
(b) Find the time to reach the ground.
At ground: .
(c) Find the velocity just before impact.
Speed (downward).
For the A-Level treatment of this topic, see Kinematics.
See Also
References
- Halliday, D., Resnick, R. & Walker, J. (2013). Fundamentals of Physics (10th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
- Giancoli, D. C. (2014). Physics: Principles with Applications, International Student Edition (7th ed.). Pearson.
- Cripps, C. (2014). Cambridge Physics for the IB Diploma. Cambridge University Press.
- Kerr, J. (2020). Physics for the IB Diploma (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
- Hewitt, P. G. (2015). Conceptual Physics (12th ed.). Pearson.