1 Methods of Science (continued)

Student Edition, pp. 4–7 Write three sentences about physics and science.

What is physics? Physics is a branch of science that involves the study of the physical world.
• Physics is a branch of
science. Physics involves the study of matter and energy and how they interact.
• Physics involves the study
of matter and energy. Science is the use of scientific inquiry to form testable explanations and

make predictions about the natural world and the knowledge gained.

Scientific Methods Fill in the blanks of the flow chart below using information about
• Scientific methods are scientific methods.
patterns of investigational
procedures.
• There are several common
steps in investigational State the problem.
procedures.

Gather information.

Modify the
hypothesis.
Form a hypothesis.

Repeat
several
times.
Test the hypothesis.
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

Analyze data.

Draw conclusions.

Hypothesis is Hypothesis is
not supported. supported.

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3
1 Methods of Science (continued)
Student Edition, pp. 7–9 Identify three main ideas about models.

Models • Models are used to help people understand difficult concepts.

• A model is a representation
of an idea, event, structure, • Models change through time as new information is learned.
or object that helps people
understand it. • There are different types of models, including physical models and
• Models change as new
information is learned. computer simulations.

Scientific Theories and Get It? Discuss how computer simulations can help develop
Laws possible solutions to a problem.
• A scientific theory is an
explanation of things or Computer simulations can help us model situations that are difficult to
events based on knowledge
gained from many study directly, such as climate and weather patterns. With enough data
observations and
investigations. collected over several years, weather scientists can build models to
• A scientific law is a
statement about what document changes over the years. Such data can help scientists
happens in nature and
seems to be true all correlate activities on Earth with climate changes.
the time.

Compare and contrast scientific theories and scientific laws by

completing the Venn diagram.
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

scientific theories scientific laws

• explanations of Both • explain what will
things or events • involves happen under
natural events certain
• based on
or processes conditions
knowledge
gained through • do not explain
time why events
happen
• modified or
refined when new • seem to be true
language learned at all times

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4
 1 Methods of Science (continued)
Student Edition, p. 9 Write three true statements about the limitations of science.

The Limitations of • Scientists make predictions and form explanations about the
Science
• Science can explain many natural world.
things about the world.
• Science does not answer • Scientists’ claims have to be testable and verifiable.
opinion, value, or emotion
questions. • Questions about opinions, values, or emotions are not subject to

scientific inquiry.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

1. Summarize the steps you might use to carry out an investigation using scientific
methods.

Possible answer: I would make observations and ask a question based on the observations. I would

research what is already known about the problem and form a hypothesis. I would design and carry

out an experiment to test my hypothesis and analyze the results. I would check to see whether the

results supported my hypothesis. I might ask another question based on the results or observations

I made during the experiment.

2. Define the term hypothesis. Identify three ways to test a hypothesis.

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

A hypothesis is a possible explanation for a problem using what you know and what you observe.

A hypothesis can be tested by making observations, by building a model, or by performing an

experiment. A scientific theory is an explanation of things or events based on knowledge gained from

many observations and investigations. Well-tested and supported hypotheses can be incorporated

into theories.

Science Notebook • A Physics Toolkit

5
1 Methods of Science (continued)
3. Describe why it is important for scientists to avoid bias.

Bias can affect the results or conclusions of an investigation, making them invalid.

4. Explain why scientists use models. Give an example of a scientific model not
mentioned in this lesson, and explain how that model is useful.

Scientists use models to help explain or learn more about things that are too large, too small, or too

far away to visualize or observe easily. Examples may include the solar system, a cell, a DNA model,

or the aerodynamics of an aircraft.

5. Analyze Your friend finds that 90 percent of students surveyed in the cafeteria like
pizza. She says this scientifically proves that everyone likes pizza. How would you
respond to her conclusion?

Testing opinions is not scientific. It is impossible to prove that an opinion is true for everyone.

In addition, the survey was based on a small part of the population, and it included only students at

one school. The results cannot be extended to the entire population.

6. Critical Thinking An accepted value for free-fall acceleration is 9.8 m/s2.

In an experiment with pendulums, you calculate that the value is 9.4 m/s2.
Should the accepted value be tossed out to accommodate your new finding? Explain. Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

No; the value of 9.8 m/s2 has been established by many other experiments, and to discard the finding,

you would have to explain why it is wrong. There are probably some factors affecting your calculation,

such as friction or how precisely you can measure the different variables.

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6
 A Physics Toolkit
2 Mathematics and Physics
REVIEW Recall and write the definition of the Review Vocabulary term.
VOCABULARY
SI Système International d’Unités—the improved, universally accepted
SI
version of the metric system that is based on multiples of ten; also called

the International System of Units

NEW VOCABULARY Use your book to fill in the term that matches each definition.
dimensional analysis method of treating units as algebraic quantities so they can be cancelled
significant figures valid digits in a measurement

Student Edition, Explain why physicists use mathematics.

pp. 10–11
Mathematics in Physics Physicists use mathematics to explain relationships between
• Physicists use the language
of mathematics. measurements and to make predictions. They rely on numerical results
• Equations represent
from experiments to support their conclusions.
relationships between
measurements.

SI Units Fill in the blanks about SI Units.

• SI units are used by
scientists worldwide. The scientific notation for the prefix femto– is 10-15 . SI units
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

• SI uses seven base units.

that are not base units are called derived units. SI units are

based on powers of 10 .

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7
2 Mathematics and Physics (continued)
Student Edition, pp. Get It? Identify the prefix that would be used to express
11–13 2,000,000,000 bytes of computer memory.

Dimensional Analysis giga

• Dimensional analysis is a
method of treating units as
algebraic quantities. Demonstrate how to use dimensional analysis by using it to convert
• It can be used to check for 35 km/h to m/s.
errors in calculations.

(_
35 km _1000 m _ _
h ) ( 1 km ) ( 60 min ) ( 60 s )
1h 1 min
= 9.7 m/s
Significant Figures
• Significant figures are
valid digits in a
measurement.
• Rules must be used to
accurately determine the
number of significant
figures in a number.

Solving Problems Write three bullet points about significant digits.

• Problems can be solved
using a three-step process. • All nonzero digits are significant in a measurement.

• Zeros used to place the decimal point are not significant, but final zeros

and zeros located between nonzero digits are significant.

• When you perform any arithmetic operation on significant figures, the

result cannot be more precise than the least precise measurement.

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

Use with Example TRY IT !

Problem 1. Problem
Use this column for
DISTANCE, TIME, AND SPEED When a bus travels 253 km in 3.2 h,
scratch work and
what is the bus’s average speed?
sketches.
1. ANALYZE AND SKETCH THE PROBLEM

KNOWNS UNKNOWN

distance = 253 km speed =?

time = 3.2 h

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8
 2 Mathematics and Physics (continued)
Student Edition, p. 13 TRY IT ! (CONTINUED)
Use this column for 2. SOLVE FOR THE UNKNOWN
scratch work and
sketches. Use the speed equation. distance = speed × time

speed = _
Solve the equation for speed. distance
time

speed = _
Substitute the knowns. 253 km
3.2 h

Complete the calculation. speed = 79 km/h

3. EVALUATE THE ANSWER

Use your answer to calculate the distance the car traveled.

distance = speed × time = 79 km/h × 3.2 h = 253 km

The calculated distance matches the distance stated in the problem.
This means the average speed is correct.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

7. Modeling Why are concepts in physics described with formulas?

The formulas are concise and can be used to predict new data.

8. Significant Figures Solve the following problems, using the correct number of
significant figures each time.
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

a. 10.8 g - 8.264 g d. 13.78 g / 11.3 mL

2.5 g after rounding 1.22 g/mL

b. 4.75 m - 0.4168 m e. 6.201 cm + 7.4 cm + 0.68 m + 12.0 cm

4.33 m after rounding 93.6 cm after rounding

c. 139 cm × 2.3 cm f. 1.6 km + 1.62 m + 1200 cm

3.2 × 102 cm 1600 m after rounding

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9
2 Mathematics and Physics (continued)
9. Dimensional Analysis How many seconds are in a leap year?

31,622,400 s

10. Solving Problems Rewrite F = Bqv to find v in terms of F, q, and B.

v= _
F
Bq

11. Critical Thinking Using values given in a problem and the equation of
distance = speed × time, you calculate a car’s speed to be 290 km/h. Is this
answer reasonable? Explain. Under what circumstances might this be a reasonable
answer?

Sample answer: For most cars, the answer is unreasonable because 290 km/h is equivalent to

81 m/s or 180 mph. The speed might be reasonable for a race car.

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

Science Notebook • A Physics Toolkit

10
 A Physics Toolkit
3 Measurement
REVIEW Recall and write the definition of the Review Vocabulary term.
VOCABULARY
parallax the apparent shift in the position of an object when it is
parallax
viewed from different angles

NEW VOCABULARY Use your book to define the term below.

measurement
measurement a comparison between an unknown quantity and
precision
a standard
accuracy

Student Edition, p. 15 Fill in the Venn diagram to compare and contrast precision and
accuracy.

Precision Both Accuracy

the degree of characteristics how well the results

exactness of a of measured of a measurement
measurement values agree with the
accepted value
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

Science Notebook • A Physics Toolkit

11
3 Measurement (continued)
Student Edition, Describe a scenario in which you make an observation and record a
pp. 14–15 measurement quantifying your observation.

What is measurement? Sample answer: I want a piece of ribbon 12 cm long for an art project.
• Measurement quantifies
observations. I find a scrap piece of ribbon that I think is long enough. I measure
• Measurement is a
comparison between an the ribbon to make sure that it is at least 12 cm long. The ribbon
unknown quantity and a
standard. measures 13 cm.

Comparing Results Summarize the information about comparing results in three or four
• Measurements often are bullet points.
recorded with uncertainty.
• Measurements agree if • Sample answers: Scientists share their results, look for sources of
they are within the margin
of uncertainty. error, and try to reproduce the results.

• Results often are recorded with uncertainty.

Precision Versus Accuracy • A new measurement that is within the margin of uncertainty is in
• Precision is the degree of
exactness. agreement with the old measurement.
• Accuracy is an agreement
with the accepted value.

Explain how you can improve the accuracy of an electronic scale before
measuring and how you can improve the precision of the measurement.

Sample answer: You can improve the accuracy of an electronic balance

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education
by zeroing the balance before measuring, and you can improve the

precision of the measurement by using an electronic scale with the

highest possible degree of precision.

Get It? Compare and contrast precision and accuracy.

Both are important when making measurements. Precision is the degree

of exactness of a measurement. Accuracy is how well a measurement

agrees with the accepted value.

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12
 3 Measurement (continued)
Student Edition, Explain how parallax affects a measurement.
pp. 16–17
Parallax is the apparent shift in position of an object viewed at an angle.
Techniques of Good
Measurement To prevent parallax in a measurement, view the object to be measured
• Instruments must be used
correctly. and the scale with your eyes directly over both.
• Measurements must be
made correctly.
Fill in the blanks about predicting values and GPS.
GPS
• GPS determines an Scientists use relationships in data to make predictions . The
object’s latitude, longitude,
Global Positioning System, or GPS , consists of 24 satellites in
and elevation.
orbit that transmit data to receivers. GPS uses the atomic clock

for time data, because the atomic clock is more precise than standard
household clocks.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

12. Precision and Accuracy You find a micrometer (a tool used to measure objects to the
nearest 0.001 mm) that has been bent. How does it compare to a new, high-quality
meterstick in its precision and accuracy?

It would be more precise but less accurate.

13. Accuracy Some wooden rulers do not start with 0 at the edge, but have it set in a
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

few millimeters. How could this improve the accuracy of the ruler?

As the edge of the ruler gets worn away over time, the first millimeter or two of the scale would

also be worn away if the scale started at the edge.

14. Parallax Does parallax affect the precision of a measurement that you make?
Explain.

No; it doesn’t change the fineness of the divisions on its scale.

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13
3 Measurement (continued)
15. Uncertainty Your friend tells you that his height is 182 cm. In your own words,
explain the range of heights allowed by this statement.

His height would be between 181.5 and 182.5 cm. Precision of a measurement is one-half the

smallest division on the instrument. The height 182 cm would range ±0.5 cm.

16. Precision A box has a length of 18.1 cm and a width of 19.2 cm, and it is 20.3 cm tall.

a. What is its volume? c. How tall is a stack of 12 of these boxes?

7.05 × 103 cm3 243.6 cm

b. How precise is the measurement d. How precise is the measurement of the

of length? Of volume? height of one box? Of 12 boxes?
nearest tenth of a cm; nearest 10 cm3 nearest tenth of a cm; nearest tenth of a cm

17. Critical Thinking Your friend states in a report that the average time required for a
car to circle a 1.5-mi track was 65.414 s. This was measured by timing 7 laps using a
clock with a precision of 0.1 s. How much confidence do you have in the results of
the report? Explain.

You should not have much confidence in the precision of the report. A result can never be more

precise than the least precise measurement. The calculated average lap time exceeds the Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

precision possible with the clock.

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14
4 Graphing Data (continued)
Student Edition, Describe the relationship between the independent
pp. 18–22 variable and a dependent variable in an investigation.

Identifying Variables A dependent variable depends on the independent variable.

• An independent variable
is the factor that is
manipulated during an
investigation.
• A dependet variable is the
factor that depends on Describe why drawing a line of best fit is useful.
the independent variable.
The line of best fit for a graph is a better model for predictions than any
• A line of best fit is
drawn as close to all the one data point.
data points as possible.

Linear Relationships Write the basic equation representing each relationship

• In a linear relationship, and draw a graph of each.
one variable depends
linearly on the other. Linear Quadratic Inverse
• The graph of a linear
relationship is a straight y = mx + b y = ax 2 + bx + c y = a/x
line. See Figure 15. See Figure 17. See Figure 18.
• The slope of a line
equals the rise divided
by the run.

Nonlinear Relationships
• In a quadratic relationship, Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

one variable depends on

the square of the other.
• The graph of a quadratic
relationship is a parabola.
Get It? Explain how two variables are related to each other in a
• In an inverse relationship, quadratic relationship.
one variable depends on
the inverse of the other. One variable depends on the square of the other variable.
• The graph of an inverse
relationship is hyperbolic.

Get It? Explain how two variables are related to each other in an
inverse relationship.

One variable depends on the inverse of the other variable.

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16
 4 Graphing Data (continued)
Student Edition, p. 23 Predict the speed of a car after 10.0 s when the car’s speed follows
the relationship speed = (4.8 m/s2 ) × (time).
Predicting Values
• Graphs can be used to 48 m/s
make predictions.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

19. Make a Graph Graph the following data. Time is the independent variable.

Time (s) 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Speed (m/s) 12 10 8 6 4 2 2 2

See Online Solutions Manual.

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

20. Interpret a Graph What would be the meaning of a nonzero y-intercept in a graph
of total mass versus volume?

There is a nonzero total mass when the volume of the material is zero. This could happen if the mass

value includes the material’s container.

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17
4 Graphing Data (continued)
21. Predict Use the relationship illustrated in Figure 16 to determine the mass required
to stretch the spring 15 cm.
16 g

22. Predict Use the relationship shown in Figure 18 to predict the travel time when
speed is 110 km/h.
About 2.6 h

23. Critical Thinking Look again at the graph in Figure 16. In your own words, explain
how the spring would be different if the line in the graph were shallower or had a
smaller slope.

The spring whose line has a smaller slope is stiffer and, therefore, requires more mass to

strech it 1 cm. Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

Science Notebook • A Physics Toolkit

18
Representing Motion
1 Picturing Motion
REVIEW Recall and write the definition of the Review Vocabulary term.
VOCABULARY
model a representation of an idea, event, structure, or object to help
model
people better understand it

NEW VOCABULARY Use your book to define each term.

motion diagram
motion diagram a series of images showing the positions of a moving
particle model
object at equal time intervals

particle model a simplified version of a motion diagram in which the

object or objects of interest are replaced with single points

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

Science Notebook • Representing Motion

20
 1 Picturing Motion (continued)
Get It? Describe how the picture in Figure 1 would be different if
the train were sitting still.

The train would not be blurred because the train would not be in motion.

Summarize information about the many kinds of motion in three or

four statements.

Sample answers: There are many types of motion, such as straight-line,

curved, and spiral. Some types of motion are more complicated than

others. The description of motion is a description of place and time.

All Kinds of Motion Get It? Identify two factors you must know in order to describe the
motion of an object along a straight line.

You must know where an object is located at different times and when it

is at each position.

Motion Diagrams Describe a scenario that is not in the textbook in which photographs
can be used to describe the motion of an object.

Sample answer: A series of photographs could be used to describe the

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

motion of a horse running along a fence line.

Describe what a motion diagram is in your own words.

Sample answer: It is like a single image of multiple photos superimposed

on top of each other. Stationary objects in the photograph are aligned.

The motion of the object is obvious because the object is moving relative

to the background.

Science Notebook • Representing Motion

21
1 Picturing Motion (continued)
Particle Models Compare and contrast a motion diagram and a particle model.

Sample answer: A motion diagram is a series of images showing the

positions of a moving object at equal time intervals. In a motion diagram

the entire object is shown. In a particle diagram, a series of images

showing the positions of a moving object at equal time intervals is also

shown, but a single point represents the object.

Get It? Describe how you would model the motion of the hiker at
the beginning of this module.

Student answers will vary. Student descriptions should be accurate and

well thought out.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

1. Representing Motion How does a motion diagram represent an object’s motion?

A motion diagram shows the positions of a moving object at equal time intervals.

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

2. Bike Motion Diagram Draw a particle model motion diagram for a bike rider moving
at a constant pace along a straight path.

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22
 1 Picturing Motion (continued)
3. Car Motion Diagram Draw a particle model motion diagram corresponding to the
motion diagram in Figure 4 for a car coming to a stop at a stop sign. What point on
the car did you use to represent the car?

STOP

Figure 4

• • • •
The point should be close to the center of the car. As the car slowed down as it moved to the left,

the distance it traveled during each equal time interval became less and less.

4. Bird Motion Diagram Draw a particle model motion diagram corresponding to the
motion diagram in Figure 5 for a flying bird. What point on the bird did you choose
to represent the bird?

Figure 5

• • • •
The point should be close to the center of the bird. The equal distances between the dots indicate

that the bird was flying at a constant speed.

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

5. Critical Thinking Draw particle model motion diagrams for two runners during a
race in which the first runner crosses the finish line as the other runner is three-
fourths of the way to the finish line.

Runner 2 t0 t1 t2 t3 t4

Runner 1 t0 t1 t2 t3 t4
Start Finish

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Science Notebook • Representing Motion

23
Representing Motion
2 Where and When?
REVIEW Recall and write the definition of the Review Vocabulary term.
VOCABULARY
dimension extension in a given direction; one dimension is along a
dimension
straight line; three dimensions are height, width, and length

NEW VOCABULARY Use your book to fill in the term that matches each definition.
displacement change in position having both magnitude and direction
time interval difference between two times
position distance and direction from the origin to the object
distance entire length of an object’s path
coordinate system a system used to describe motion that gives the location of the zero
point of the variable and the direction in which the values of the
variables increase
origin point at which all variables in a coordinate system have the value zero
vector quantity that has both magnitude and direction
scalar quantity that is just a number without any direction
magnitude the size of a quantity
resultant vector that represents the sum of two other vectors
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

Science Notebook • Representing Motion

24
 2 Where and When? (continued)
Coordinate Systems Summarize how a coordinate system is used to diagram motion.

Sample answer: A coordinate system gives the location of the zero point

of the variable, or where measurement begins for defining the motion of

an object, and it defines the direction in which the values of the variable

increase.

Fill in the blanks.

You can indicate how far an object is from the origin of a coordinate
system by drawing an arrow from the origin to the
point that represents the object. This arrow represents the object’s
position . In general, the distance is the entire length of an
object’s path, even if the object moves in many directions.

Draw a motion diagram for an object. Add the particle model diagram
below the motion diagram. Add a coordinate system for the motion
diagram below the particle model diagram. The starting point of the
object should be the zero point.

The diagram should look similar to the diagram in Figure 6 in

the textbook. The object should start at the origin. The dots in
the particle diagram should be evenly spaced to represent
equal time intervals. The coordinate system should have evenly
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

spaced numbers on a number line.

Explain how an object can have a negative position in a coordinate

system.

Sample answer: The object is located in the direction that is opposite the

direction that is defined as the positive direction. For example, the object

is located to the left of the origin, if right of the origin is defined as the

positive direction.

Science Notebook • Representing Motion

25
2 Where and When? (continued)
Vectors and Scalars Get It? Explain how positive and negative positions are
determined.

Positive and negative positions are determined by the observer.

(The observer defines a reference point, or a zero point, and defines

which direction is positive and which direction is negative. The positive

and negative directions must be opposite of each other.)

Fill in the blanks about vectors and scalars.

A quantity that has both magnitude and direction is called a

vector . You can represent a vector with an arrow. The
length of the arrow represents the magnitude. The direction
of the arrow represents the direction of the vector. A quantity that
is a number without direction is a scalar .

Get It? Describe the difference between a vector and a scalar.

A vector has both magnitude and direction and a scalar has only

magnitude.

Describe what the direction and length of a displacement arrow indicate. Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

The direction of the arrow points from the origin to the object’s position.

The length represents the distance from the origin to the object’s

position.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

6. Coordinate System Identify a coordinate system you could use to describe the
motion of a girl swimming across a rectangular pool.

Sample answer: The position direction could be along the length of the pool. The origin could be at

one of the short sides of the pool.

Science Notebook • Representing Motion

26
 2 Where and When? (continued)
7. Displacement The motion diagram for a car traveling on an interstate highway is
shown below. The starting and ending points are indicated. Make a copy of the
diagram. Draw a vector to represent the car’s displacement from the starting time to
the end of the third time interval.
Start • • • • • • End

Start End

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8. Position Two students added a vector for a moving object’s position at t = 2 s to a

motion diagram. When they compared their diagrams, they found that their vectors
did not point in the same direction. Explain.

A position vector goes from the origin to the object. When the origins are different, the position

vectors are different. On the other hand, a displacement vector has nothing to do with the origin.

9. Displacement The motion diagram for a boy walking to school is shown below.
Make a copy of this motion diagram, and draw vectors to represent the
displacement between each pair of dots.
Home • • • • • • • • • • School

Home School
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

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Science Notebook • Representing Motion

27
Representing Motion
3 Position-Time Graphs
REVIEW Recall and write the definition of the Review Vocabulary term.
VOCABULARY
intersection a point where lines meet and cross
intersection

NEW VOCABULARY Use your book to define each term.

position-time graph position-time graph a graph that can be used to determine an object’s
instantaneous position
velocity and position, as well as where and when two objects meet, made

by plotting the time data on a horizontal axis and the position data on a

vertical axis

instantaneous position the position of an object at any particular

instant

Finding Positions Summarize the information about finding positions.

Sample answer: A position-time graph is a plot of an object’s position at

equal time intervals. It can be used to estimate the time or position of the

object in motion. The graph can also be used to determine an object’s

instantaneous position. Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

Science Notebook • Representing Motion

28
 3 Position-Time Graphs (continued)
List five methods you can use to describe motion.

words, data tables, pictures, position-time graphs, motion

diagrams

Multiple Objects on a Describe in a few short sentences how plotting the motion of multiple
Position-Time Graph objects on a position-time graph can be useful.

Sample answer: Plotting the motion of multiple objects on a position-time

graph allows you to easily compare the positions of the objects at various

times. You can easily see if the two objects will be at the same position at

the same time.

Get It? Explain what the intersection of two lines on a position-time

graph means.

The intersection of two lines on a position-time graph tells you when

objects have the same position.

Use with Example TRY IT!

Problem 2.
Problem Position v. Time
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

The lines on the graph

Use this column for represent the motions of two 200
scratch work and
runners along a straight path.
sketches. 150
When and where does runner
B pass runner A?
100
Position (m)

A
1. ANALYZE THE PROBLEM 50 B

Restate the questions. 0

15 25 35 45 55
Question 1: At what time are the
-50
runners at the same position?
Question 2: What is the position -100
of the runners at this time? Time (s)

Science Notebook • Representing Motion

29
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Representing Motion
4 How Fast?
REVIEW Recall and write the definition of the Review Vocabulary term.
VOCABULARY
absolute value magnitude of a number, regardless of sign
absolute value

NEW VOCABULARY Use your book to answer the questions below.

average velocity
1. What is the difference between average velocity and
average speed instantaneous velocity?

instantaneous velocity Average velocity is the quotient of an object’s change in position

divided by the time interval during which the change occurred.

Instantaneous velocity is the speed and direction of an object at a

particular instant.

2. Define the term average speed.

the distance traveled divided by the time taken to travel that distance

Velocity and Speed Summarize the information about velocity and speed using a few
sentences.

When you compare the slopes of multiple objects on a position-time

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

graph, you can determine which of the objects is moving faster or slower

than the other object. The absolute value of the slope on a position-time

graph describes the object’s average speed.

Get It? Explain In the graph in Figure 19, the graph for both
joggers starts at the coordinates (0,0). Explain what this means in
terms of position.

Both joggers started at the same coordinates (0,0) or at the same

position.

Science Notebook • Representing Motion

32
4 How Fast? (continued)
Use with Example TRY IT!
Problem 4.
Problem
Position The figure shows a motorcyclist traveling east along a
Use this column for straight road. After passing point B, the cyclist continues to travel at
scratch work and an average velocity of 18 m/s east and arrives at point C 2.8 s later.
sketches. What is the position of point C?

A B C
xi = 46 m east
x=?

1. ANALYZE AND SKETCH THE PROBLEM

Choose a coordinate system with the origin at A.
KNOWNS UNKNOWN

v− = 18 m/s east t= 2.8 s x =?

xi = 46 m east

2. SOLVE FOR THE UNKNOWN

Use the equation for position.

x = v− t + xi

= (18 m/s)(2.8 s) + 46 m Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

= +96.4 m

x = 96 m east

3. EVALUATE THE ANSWER

• Are the units correct?

Position is measured in meters.

• Does the direction make sense?

The motorcyclist is traveling east the entire time.

Science Notebook • Representing Motion

34
 4 How Fast? (continued)
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
36. Velocity and Position How is an object’s velocity related to its position?

An object’s velocity is the rate of change in its position.

For problems 37–39, refer to Figure 25. Position v. Time

Figure 25
37. Ranking Task Rank the position-time graphs B D
according to the average speed, from greatest
average speed to least average speed.
Specifically indicate any ties. A

Position (m)
A, B, C = D

38. Contrast Average Velocities Describe differences

in the average velocities shown on the graph for
objects A and B. Describe differences in the
C
average velocities shown on the graph for
objects C and D. Time (s)

The magnitude of the average velocity of A is greater than that of B, but the average velocity of A is

negative, and the average velocity of B is positive. The magnitudes of the average velocities of
C02_036A-674235
C and D are equal, but the average velocity of D is positive, and the average velocity of C is negative.

39. Ranking Task Rank the graphs in Figure 25 according to each object’s initial
position, from most positive position to most negative position. Specifically
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

indicate any ties. Would your ranking be different if you ranked according to initial
distance from the origin?

A, C, B, D. Yes; the ranking from greatest to least distance would be A, C, D, B.

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