PHYSICS

Chapter 8: Motion
 PHYSICS MOTION

Motion
 To describe the position of an object we need a reference point or origin. An object may seem to
be moving to one observer and stationary to another.
 Example: A passenger inside a bus sees the other passengers to be at rest, whereas an observer
outside the bus sees the passengers to be in motion.
 In order to make observations easy, a convention or a common reference point or frame is
needed. All objects must be in the same reference frame.
Rest and Motion
 If the position of an object does not change as time passes, then it is said to be at rest. If
the position of an object changes as time passes, then it is said to be in motion.
 An object can be at rest with respect to one thing and in motion with respect to some other
thing at the same time. So, the states of rest and motion are relative only.
 To locate the position of an object, we have to choose some suitable reference point called
the
origin.
Distance and Displacement
 The distance travelled by an object is the length of the actual path traversed by the object
during motion. It is a scalar quantity.
 The displacement of an object in motion is the shortest distance between the initial
position and the final position of the object. It is a vector quantity.

 The distance travelled by an object in motion can never be zero or negative.

 The displacement of an object can be positive, zero or negative. Never can the distance
travelled be less than the displacement.
 Both distance and displacement have the same units.
 PHYSICS MOTION

Magnitude
 Magnitude is the size or extent of a physical quantity. In physics, we have scalar and vector
quantities.
 Scalar quantities are only expressed as magnitude. E.g.: time, distance, mass, temperature, area,
volume
 Vector quantities are expressed in magnitude as well as the direction of the object. E.g: Velocity,
displacement, weight, momentum, force, acceleration, etc.
Time and speed
Time is the duration of an event that is expressed in seconds. Most physical phenomena occur with
respect to time. It is a scalar quantity.
Speed is the rate of change of distance. If a body covers a certain distance in a certain amount of
time, its speed is given by
𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 =
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒
Uniform and Non-uniform Motion

 An object is said to be in uniform motion if it travels equal distances in equal intervals of

time, howsoever small the intervals may be.
 An object is said to have non-uniform motion if it travels unequal distances in equal intervals of
time.
Uniform Motion:
Definition: This type of motion is defined as the motion of an object in which the object travels in a
straight line and its velocity remains constant along that line as it covers equal distances in equal
intervals of time, irrespective of the duration of the time.
 PHYSICS MOTION

If a body is involved in rectilinear motion and the motion is consistent, then the acceleration of the
body must be zero.
Example of Uniform Motion:
If the speed of a car is 10 m/s, it means that the car covers 10 meters in one second. The speed is
constant in every second.
Movement of blades of a ceiling fan.
Non Uniform Motion:
Definition: This type of motion is defined as the motion of an object in which the object travels with
varied speed and it does not cover same distance in equal time intervals, irrespective of the time
interval duration.

Speed
Speed of a body is defined as the distance travelled by the body in unit time. The SI unit of speed is
metre/second (m/s
 PHYSICS MOTION

 If ‘s’ is the distance travelled by a body in time ‘t’, then its speed ‘v’ ’ is given as v = s\t
 Speed of a body is a scalar quantity. It can be zero or positive but can never be negative.
 If a body covers equal distances in equal time intervals, howsoever small the intervals may
be, then it is said to have uniform speed (or constant speed).
 If a body covers unequal distances in equal time intervals, however small the intervals may
be, then it is said to have non-uniform speed (or variable speed).
 For bodies moving with non-uniform speed, we describe the rate of motion in terms of
their average speed.

Velocity
 Velocity of a body is defined as the distance travelled by the body in unit time in a given direction.
 The SI unit of velocity is the same as that of speed, i.e. metre/second (m/s).

where v is velocity and s is displacement of the body in time t.

 Velocity of a body is a vector quantity. It can be positive, negative or zero.
 A body is said to be moving with uniform velocity (or constant velocity) if it travels along a
straight line, covering equal distances in equal intervals of time, howsoever small these
intervals may be.
 A body is said to be moving with non-uniform velocity (or variable velocity) if it covers
unequal distances in a particular direction in equal intervals of time or if the direction of
motion of the body changes.
 When the velocity of a body is changing at a uniform rate over a period of time, the average
velocity
for that time period is given by the arithmetic mean of the initial and final velocity of the body.
 PHYSICS MOTION

Acceleration
Acceleration of a body is defined as the rate of change of its velocity with time.

where ‘u’ is initial velocity, ‘v’ is final velocity, ‘a’ is acceleration of the body and ‘t’ is time taken
for change in velocity.
 Acceleration is a vector quantity. It can be positive, negative or zero. The SI unit of
acceleration is metre per second square (m/s2).
 If the velocity of a body increases, then the acceleration is positive. If the velocity of a body
decreases, then the acceleration is negative. Negative acceleration is called retardation.
 If acceleration occurs in the direction of velocity, then it is taken as positive and negative
when it is opposite to the direction of velocity.
 A body is said to possess uniform acceleration if it travels in a straight line and its velocity
increases or decreases by equal amounts in equal intervals of time.
 A body is said to possess non-uniform acceleration if its velocity changes by unequal
amounts in equal intervals of time.

Distance–Time Graph
 Distance-Time graphs show the change in position of an object with respect to time.
 Linear variation = uniform motion and non-linear variations imply non- uniform motion
 PHYSICS MOTION

 The slope gives us speed

 The distance–time graph of a body moving with uniform speed is a straight line.
 Speed of a body can be obtained from the slope of the distance–time graph.
 Let s1 and s2 be the distance travelled by the object in time t1 and t2, respectively. Here (s2 –
s1) gives the distance travelled by the body in time interval (t2 – t1).
Speed

 The distance–time graph of a body moving with non-uniform speed is a curved line with a
variable slope indicating variable speed.

Velocity–Time Graph
 The velocity–time graph of a body moving with uniform velocity is a straight line parallel to
the time axis.

 The magnitude of displacement or distance travelled by the body is equal to the area
enclosed by the velocity–time graph and time axis.
Distance travelled = Speed × Time taken
= OA × OC
 PHYSICS MOTION

= Area of rectangle OABC

 The velocity–time graph of a body moving with uniform acceleration is a straight line
inclined to the time axis.

Change in speed ED
Time taken AD

 The slope of the velocity–time graph represents the acceleration of the body.

The area enclosed by the velocity–time graph and time axis gives the distance travelled by the
body.
Distance travelled = Area of ABCDE
= Area of triangle ADE+ Area of rectangle ABCD
1
= × 𝐴𝐷 × 𝐷𝐸 + 𝐴𝐵 × 𝐵𝐶
2
• The velocity–time graph of a body moving with non-uniform acceleration can have any shape,
indicating variable speed.

Application Of Distance - Time Graph

What is a Distance-Time Graph
A distance-time graph shows how far an object has travelled in a given time. It is a simple line graph
that denotes distance versus time findings on the graph.
 PHYSICS MOTION

Distance is plotted on the Y-axis.

Time is plotted on the X-axis.
Note: Curved lines on a distance-time graph indicate that the speed is changing.
Importance of Distance-Time Graph
We deal with the distance-time graph while studying the motion of bodies. If we record distance and
time for the motion of a body and plot the same data on a rectangular graph, we will obtain a
distance-time graph corresponding to the motion of that body.
Example:
For better understanding, let us consider an example of uniform motion. A bus driver drives at a
constant speed which is indicated by the speedometer and the driver measures the time taken by
the bus for every kilometre. The driver notices that the bus travels 1 kilometre in every 2 minutes.

By this table, he had a clear idea about the speed which is: ½ × 60 = 30 km/hr.
The graph is a straight line and the motion of the bus is also uniform. Also, from the graph, we can
find the speed of the bus at any instant of time. The initial and final position of the car can be found
as the following:
Speed = (Final Position-Initial position)/Time
The slope of the line can be found by drawing a rectangle anywhere near the straight line which
determines the speed of the bus. If an object is not moving, the distance-time graph results in a
horizontal line which shows that the object is at rest.
 PHYSICS MOTION

The following things can be concluded now:

If the distance-time graph is a straight line then the motion is uniform.
If the distance-time graph of anybody is given, its speed can be calculated using the slope of the
graph.
The slope of the straight-line graph is the same irrespective of the interval which is chosen. This
implies that the speed of an object under uniform motion remains constant.
Equations of Motion
 The three equations of motion of a body moving along a straight line with uniform acceleration
are

where ‘u’ is initial velocity of the body which moves with uniform acceleration ‘a’ for time t,
‘v’ is final velocity and ‘s’ is distance travelled by the body in time t.
Equation of motion
In this article, we will learn how we can relate quantities like velocity, time, acceleration and
displacement provided the acceleration remains constant. These relations are collectively
known as the equation of motion. There are three equations of motion. There are three
 PHYSICS MOTION

ways to derive the equation of motion and here we are going to derive with the help of
graph.

First Equation of Motion

First equation of motion relates velocity, time and acceleration. Now in ∆uxy,
𝑥𝑦
tanθ = 𝑢𝑦
𝑣−𝑢
tanθ =
𝑡

We also know that tanθ is nothing but the slope and slope of v – t graph represents
acceleration.
⇒ v = u + at ———– (1)
This is the first equation of motion where,
v = final velocity
u = initial velocity
a = acceleration
t = time taken
Second Equation of Motion
Now coming to the second equation of motion, it relates displacement, velocity, acceleration
and time. The area under v – t graph represents the displacement of the body.
In this case,
Displacement = Area of the trapezium (ouxt)
1
S=
2

x sum of parallel sides x height

1
S=2
 PHYSICS MOTION

x (v + u) x t ———- (2)
We can substitute v in terms of others and get the final equation as:
1
S = ut + 𝑎𝑡 2
2

Where symbols have their usual meaning.

Third Equation of Motion
The third equation of motion relates to velocity, displacement, and acceleration. Using the
same equation (2),
1
S = 2 x (v + u) x t

Using equation (1) if we replace t we get,

1 (𝑣−𝑢) 𝑣 2 −𝑢2
S = 2 × (𝑣 + 𝑢) × S= 𝑢2 = 𝑢2 + 2𝑎𝑠
𝑎 2𝑎

Uniform Circular Motion

 When a body moves along a circular path with a uniform speed, its motion is called uniform
circular motion.
 Examples: Motion of the Moon around the Earth, a cyclist moving in a circular track at constant
speed
 In uniform circular motion, although the speed remains constant, the direction of motion
and velocity change continuously. Thus, uniform circular motion is an accelerated motion.
 The external force needed to make a body travel in a circular path is known as centripetal force.
 The circumference of a circle of radius ‘r’ is given by 2r. If a body takes ‘t’ seconds to go once
2πr
round the circular path of radius ‘r’, then its velocity ‘v’ is given by
t
PHYSICS MOTION
 PHYSICS MOTION

Important Questions
 Multiple Choice Questions:
1. A particle is moving in a circular path of radius r. The displacement after half a circle would
be:
(a) Zero
(b) πr
(c) 2r
(d) 2πr
2. A body is thrown vertically upward with velocity u, the greatest height h to which it will rise
is,
(a) ulg
(b) u2l2g
(c) u2lg
(d) ul2g
3. The numerical ratio of displacement to distance for a moving object is
(a) always less than 1
(b) always equal to 1
(c) always more than 1
(d) equal or less than 1
4. If the displacement of an object is proportional to square of time, then the object moves with
(a) uniform velocity
(b) uniform acceleration
(c) increasing acceleration
(d) decreasing acceleration
5. From the given υ – t graph, it can be inferred that the object is

(a) in uniform motion

 PHYSICS MOTION

(b) at rest
(c) in non-uniform motion
(d) moving with uniform acceleration
6. Suppose a boy is enjoying a ride on a merry-go-round which is moving with a constant speed
of 10 ms-1 It implies that the boy is
(a) at rest
(b) moving with no acceleration
(c) in accelerated motion
(d) moving with uniform velocity
7. Area under a υ -1 graph represents a physical quantity which has the unit
(а) m2
(b) m
(c) m3
(d) ms-1
8. Four cars A, B, C and D are moving on a levelled road. Their distance versus time graphs are
shown in the adjacent figure. Choose the correct statement.

(a) Car A is faster than car D.

(b) Car B is the slowest.
(c) Car D is faster than car C.
(d) Car C is the slowest.
9. Which of the following figures correctly represents uniform motion of a moving object?
 PHYSICS MOTION

10. Slope of a velocity-time graph gives

(a) the distance
(b) the displacement
(c) the acceleration
(d) the speed
11. In which of the following cases of motions, the distance moved and the magnitude of
displacement are equal?
(a) If the car is moving on a straight road
(b) If the car is moving in Circular path
(c) The pendulum is moving to and from
(d) The earth is revolving around the sun.
12. A boy goes from A to B with a velocity of 20 m/min and comes back from B to A with a
velocity of 30 m/min. The average velocity of the boy during the whole journey is
(a) 24 m/min
(b) 25 m/s
(c) Zero
(d) 20 m/min
13. Velocity-time graph of an object is given below. The object has
 PHYSICS MOTION

(a) Uniform velocity

(b) Uniform speed
(c) Uniform retardation
(d) Variable acceleration
14. Which one of the following graphs shows the object to be stationary?

15. A body is projected vertically upward from the ground. Taking vertical upward direction as
positive and point of projection as origin, the sign of displacement of the body from the origin
when it is at height h during upward and downward journey will be
(a) Positive, positive
(b) Positive, negative
(c) Negative, negative
(d) Negative, positive
 Very Short Question:
 PHYSICS MOTION

1. An object has moved through a distance. Can it have zero displacement? If yes, support
your answer with an example.
2. What do you mean by a body in rest?
3. Are motion and rest absolute or relative? Explain with an example.
4. What is meant by scalars and vectors?
5. A farmer moves along the boundary of a square field of side 10 m in 40 s. What will be the
magnitude of displacement of the farmer at the end of 2 minutes 20 seconds?
6.Which of the following is true for displacement?
(a) It cannot be zero.
(b) Its magnitude is greater than the distance travelled by the object.
7. What does the odometer of an automobile measure?
8. Distinguish between speed and velocity.
9. Under what condition(s) is the magnitude of average velocity of an object equal to its
average speed?
10. What does the path of an object look like when it is in uniform motion?
 Short Questions:
1. Distinguish between distance and displacement.
2. Write down the SI unit of the following quantities:
(a) Displacement
(b) Speed
(c) Velocity
(d) Acceleration
3. Distinguish between uniform motion and non-uniform motion.
4. Distinguish speed at any instant and average speed.
5. Draw a velocity versus time graph of a stone thrown vertically upwards and then coming
downwards after attaining the maximum height.
6. What is uniform circular motion? How is uniform circular motion regarded as an
acceleration motion? Explain.
7. A person travels a distance of 4.0 m towards the east, then turns left and travels 3.0 m
towards the north.
8. A person travels on a semi-circular track of radius 50 m during a morning walk. If he starts
from one end of the track and reaches the other end, calculates the distance traveled and
displacement of the person.
 PHYSICS MOTION

 Long Questions:
1. Derive an expression for three equations of motion for uniform accelerated motion
graphically.
 Assertion Reason Questions:
1. For two statements are given- one labelled Assertion (A) and the other labelled Reason (R).
Select the correct answer to these questions from the codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) as given
below:
a. Both Assertion and Reason are correct, and reason is the correct explanation for
assertion.
b. Both Assertion and Reason are correct, and Reason is not the correct explanation for
Assertion.
c. Assertion is true but Reason is false.
d. Both Assertion and Reason are false.
Assertion: An object may acquire acceleration even if it is moving at a constant speed.
Reason: With change in the direction of motion, an object can acquire acceleration.
2. For two statements are given- one labelled Assertion (A) and the other labelled Reason (R).
Select the correct answer to these questions from the codes (a), (b), (c) and (d) as given
below:
a. Both Assertion and Reason are correct, and reason is the correct explanation for
assertion.
b. Both Assertion and Reason are correct, and Reason is not the correct explanation for
Assertion.
c. Assertion is true but Reason is false.
d. Both Assertion and Reason are false.
Assertion: Displacement of an object may be zero even if the distance covered by it is not
zero.
Reason: Displacement is the shortest distance between the initial and final position.
 Case Study Based Question:
1. Read the following and answer any four questions from (i) to (v)
One day Rahul decided to go his office by his car. He is enjoying the driving along with
listening the old songs. His car is moving along a straight road at a steady speed. On a
particular moment, he notices that the car travels 150 m in 5 seconds.
PHYSICS MOTION

(i) What is its average speed?

(a) 20 m/s
(b) 30 m/s
(c) 10 m/s
(d) 40 m/s
(ii) How far does it travel in 1 second?
(a) 20 m
(b) 30 m
(c) 10 m
(d) 40 m
(iii) How far does it travel in 6 seconds?
(a) 120 m
(b) 130 m
(c) 180 m
(d) 140 m
(iv) How long does it take to travel 240 m?
(a) 2s
(b) 4s
(c) 6s
(d) 8s
(v) Which of the following statement is correct regarding velocity and speed of a moving
body?
(a) velocity of a moving body is always higher than its speed
(b) speed of a moving body is always higher than its velocity
(c) speed of a moving body is its velocity in a given direction
 PHYSICS MOTION

(d) velocity of a moving body is its speed in a given direction

2. Read the following and answer any four questions from (i) to (v)
Suppose the boy first runs a distance of 100 metres in 50 seconds in going from his home to
the shop in the East direction, and then runs a distance of 100 metres again in 50 seconds in
the reverse direction from the shop to reach back home from where he started (see Figure
21).

(i) Find the speed of the boy.

(a) 1 m/s
(b) 2 m/s
(c) 3 m/s
(d) none of these
(ii) Find the Velocity of the boy.
(a) 1 m/s
(b) 2 m/s
(c) 3 m/s
(d) 0 m/s
(iii) A boy is sitting on a merry-go-round which is moving with a constant speed of 10m/s.
This means that the boy is:
(a) at rest
(b) moving with no acceleration
(c) in accelerated motion
(d) moving with uniform velocity
(iv) In which of the following cases of motion, the distance moved and the magnitude of
displacement are equal?
(a) if the car is moving on straight road
(b) if the car is moving on circular road
 PHYSICS MOTION

(c) if the pendulum is moving to and from

(d) if a planet is moving around the sun
(v) A particle is moving in a circular path of radius r. The displacement after half a circle
would be:
(a) 0
(b) πr
(c) 2r
(d) 2πr
 Answer Key-
 Multiple Choice Answers:
1. (c) 2r
2. (b) u2l2g
3. (d) equal or less than 1
4. (b) uniform acceleration
5. (a) in uniform motion
6. (c) in accelerated motion
7. (b) m
8. (b) Car B is the slowest.
9. (a)
10. (c) the acceleration
11. (a) If the car is moving on a straight road
12. (a) 24 m/min
13. (c) Uniform retardation
14. (b)
15. (a) Positive, positive
 Very Short Answers:
1. Answer: Yes an object can have zero displacement even though it has moved through a
distance. It happens when the object moves back to its original position i.e. final position
coincides with the starting position.
 PHYSICS MOTION

Example: Suppose an object travels from O to C and then comes back to original position O.
Total distance traveled = actual path covered = OC + CO = 25 + 25 = 50m
Total displacement = shortest distance between final position and initial position = 0m
2. Answer: A body is said to be at rest, if it does not change its position with respect to a fixed
point in its surroundings.
3. Answer: No these terms rest and motion are relative. For example, a person inside a car,
carrying a ball in his hand will see the ball is at rest. While for another person, outside the
car will see the ball is also moving.
4. Answer:
Scalar Quantities: Quantities that require magnitudes only to specify them are called scalar
quantities or scalars. Mass, length, time, temperature, angle, area, speed, distance, volume
and density are examples of scalar quantities.
Vector Quantities: Quantities that require both magnitudes and direction to specify them
are called vector quantities or vectors. Displacement, velocity, force, momentum, weight
etc. are the examples of vectors.
5. Answer: As shown in figure, let us assume, the farmer starts from A.
Given, length of each side = 10m
Distance covered in 1 lap = Perimeter of ABCD = 4 x 10 = 40m

Time taken by farmer to cover 1 lap = 40s

Speed of farmer = Distance ÷ Time Taken for one lap = 40/40s = 1m/s
Distance covered by farmer in 2min 20 secs = Speed x Time = 1 x 140s = 140m
Number of laps covered = 140 ÷ 40 = 3.5 laps.
⇒ After 140s, the farmer will be at position C (i.e. 3 and ½ laps).
 PHYSICS MOTION

Displacement = AC = (AB2 + BC2)½

(applying Pythagoras theorem)
= (100+100)½ = 10√2 = 10 x 1.414 = 14.14m
Note: Displacement is a vector quantity that measures the shortest distance (straight line)
between the starting point and ending point, not taking the actual path traveled into
account.
6. Answer:
(a) False. Displacement can be zero. (See Q1).
(b) False. Displacement is less than or equal to the distance travelled by the object.
7. Answer: Odometer is used to measure the distance covered by the automobile. It also tells
the instant speed of the vehicle. It can be mechanical or electronic or electro-mechanical.
8. Answer:
Speed Velocity
It is distance traveled by an object It is the displacement covered by an object
per unit time. per unit of time.
Speed = distance ÷ time Velocity = displacement ÷ time
It is scalar quantity i.e. it has It is vector quantity i.e. has both magnitude
magnitude only. and direction.
9. Answer: When a body is in rectilinear motion i.e. moves in straight line, the magnitude of
average velocity of an object is equal to its average speed.
10. Answer: When an object is in uniform motion, it means its speed is constant. Or it travels
equal distance in equal intervals of time. The path may be a straight line or curved or zig-
zag. Its direction may also vary but the magnitude is fixed.
 Short Answers:
1. Answer:
Distance:
 It is the actual length of the path covered by a moving body.
 It is always positive or zero.
 It is a scalar quantity.
Displacement:
 It is the shortest distance measured between the initial and final positions.
 It may be positive, negative, or zero.
 it is a vector quantity.
 PHYSICS MOTION

2. Answer:
(a) m
(b) m/s
(c) m/s
(d) m/s2
3. Answer:
Uniform motion: A body moving in a straight line has a uniform motion if it travels the equal
distance in equal intervals of time
Non-uniform motion: A body has a non-uniform motion if it travels the unequal distance in
equal intervals of time
4. Answer:
1. Instantaneous speed:
The speed at any particular instant is known as instantaneous speed.
2. Average speed:
Average speed is the ratio of total distance traveled by a body and time taken to travel that
distance.
5. Answer:
velocity-time graph

6. Answer: When an object is moving in a circular path with a constant speed, the motion of an
object is said to be uniform circular motion. When a body has a uniform circular motion, its
velocity changes due to the continuous change in the direction of its motion. Hence, the
motion of the body is accelerated motion.
7. Answer:
1. Total distance = OA + AB
= 4m + 3m
Total distance = 7m
 PHYSICS MOTION

8. Answer:
Let the person start moving from A and reach B via O.
The distance travelled by the person
= Length of track = πr
= 227 x 50 m = 157.14m
Distance = 157.14 m
The displacement is equal to the diameter of the semi-circular track joining A to B via O.
= 2r = 2 x 50 m = 100m
∴ Displacement = 100 m

 Long Answers:
1. Answer:
Equation of motion by graphical method
Let us consider a body is moving with acceleration where u is initial velocity and u is final
velocity, s is the displacement of object and t is a time interval.
 PHYSICS MOTION

 Assertion Reason Answer:

1. (a) Both Assertion and Reason are correct, and reason is the correct explanation for
assertion.
2. (a) Both Assertion and Reason are correct, and reason is the correct explanation for
 PHYSICS MOTION

assertion.
 Case Study Answer:
1. Answer:
(i) (b) 30 m/s
Solution:
Average speed = total distance travelled/total time taken
= 150/5
= 30 m/s
(ii) (b) 30 m
Solution:
Time = 1 s
Distance = (average speed)(time)
= 30 m/s x 1s
= 30 m
(iii) (c) 180 m
Solution:
Time = 6 s
Distance = (average speed)(time)
= 30 m/s x 6s
= 180m
(iv) (d) 8s
Solution:
Distance = 240m
Time = Distance/average speed
= 240/30
= 8s
(v) (d) velocity of a moving body is its speed in a given direction.
2. Answer:
(i) (b) 2 m/s
Solution:
Total distance travelled is 100 m + 100 m = 200 m and
PHYSICS MOTION

the total time taken is 50 s + 50 s = 100 s.

(ii) (d) 0 m/s

Solution:
The boy runs 100 m towards East and then 100 m towards West and reaches at
the starting point, his home. So, the displacement will be 100 m – 100 m = 0 m.
The total time taken is 50 s + 50 s = 100 s.

(iii) (c) in accelerated motion

(iv) (a) if the car is moving on straight road
(v) (c) 2r