Physics SL
Physics SL
5
Chapters
329
Notes
Theme A - Space, Time & Motion
Theme A - Space, Time & Motion
Theme B - The Particulate Nature Of Matter
Theme B - The Particulate Nature Of Matter
Theme C - Wave Behaviour
Theme C - Wave Behaviour
Theme D - Fields
Theme D - Fields
Theme E - Nuclear & Quantum Physics
Theme E - Nuclear & Quantum Physics
IB Resources
Theme A - Space, Time & Motion
Physics SL
Physics SL

Theme A - Space, Time & Motion

Unveiling Kinematic Equations: Dive into Motion Analysis

Word Count Emoji
671 words
Reading Time Emoji
4 mins read
Updated at Emoji
Last edited on 5th Nov 2024

Table of content

First thing first: We're discussing Motion in Physics, and more precisely, the three (well, actually four, but we don't use the last one that often) equations of motion. These equations are your toolkit when dealing with questions about, well, motion!

First equation of motion

Imagine you're in a car (🚗 vroom vroom) that's accelerating. You start with some initial speed u, then you put the pedal to the metal, and after some time t, you're at a new speed v. This is described as v = u + at. It's like saying "my new speed is my old speed plus all that acceleration over time".

  • Real World Example: If you're in a car at a speed of 20 m/s, and you accelerate at 5 m/s² for 3 seconds, your final speed will be 20 m/s + (5 m/s² * 3s) = 35 m/s. So, you're going faster than before!

Second equation of motion

in that car. It's like calculating the area under the graph of speed vs time (remember, area under graph = sum of all tiny pieces of distance travelled at each moment). The equation s= ut + ½at² tells us just that. It says "the total distance covered is initial speed times time plus half the product of acceleration and square of time".

  • Real World Example: Using the previous example, the distance you covered in that car will be 20 m/s * 3s + 0.5 * 5 m/s² * (3s)² = 60 m + 22.5 m = 82.5 m. That's quite a stretch!

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IB Resources
Theme A - Space, Time & Motion
Physics SL
Physics SL

Theme A - Space, Time & Motion

Unveiling Kinematic Equations: Dive into Motion Analysis

Word Count Emoji
671 words
Reading Time Emoji
4 mins read
Updated at Emoji
Last edited on 5th Nov 2024

Table of content

First thing first: We're discussing Motion in Physics, and more precisely, the three (well, actually four, but we don't use the last one that often) equations of motion. These equations are your toolkit when dealing with questions about, well, motion!

First equation of motion

Imagine you're in a car (🚗 vroom vroom) that's accelerating. You start with some initial speed u, then you put the pedal to the metal, and after some time t, you're at a new speed v. This is described as v = u + at. It's like saying "my new speed is my old speed plus all that acceleration over time".

  • Real World Example: If you're in a car at a speed of 20 m/s, and you accelerate at 5 m/s² for 3 seconds, your final speed will be 20 m/s + (5 m/s² * 3s) = 35 m/s. So, you're going faster than before!

Second equation of motion

in that car. It's like calculating the area under the graph of speed vs time (remember, area under graph = sum of all tiny pieces of distance travelled at each moment). The equation s= ut + ½at² tells us just that. It says "the total distance covered is initial speed times time plus half the product of acceleration and square of time".

  • Real World Example: Using the previous example, the distance you covered in that car will be 20 m/s * 3s + 0.5 * 5 m/s² * (3s)² = 60 m + 22.5 m = 82.5 m. That's quite a stretch!

Unlock the Full Content! File Is Locked Emoji

Dive deeper and gain exclusive access to premium files of Physics SL. Subscribe now and get closer to that 45 🌟