Urban Edge Educational Centre

Unit 3 Speed and Acceleration

Speed
• The speed of an object is the distance it travels per unit time
• Speed is a scalar quantity
o This is because it only contains a magnitude (without a direction)
• For objects that are moving with a constant speed, use the equation below to
calculate the speed:

• Where:
o Speed is measured in metres per second (m/s)
o Distance travelled is measured in metres (m)
o Time taken is measured in seconds (s)
Average Speed
• In some cases, the speed of a moving object is not constant
o For example, the object might be moving faster or slower at certain
moments in time (accelerating and decelerating)
• The equation for calculating the average speed of an object is:

• The formula for average speed (and the formula for speed) can be
rearranged with the help of the formula triangle below:
How to Use Formula Triangles
• Formula triangles are really useful for knowing how to rearrange physics
equations
• To use them:
1. Cover up the quantity to be calculated, this is known as the 'subject' of the
equation
2. Look at the position of the other two quantities
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o If they are on the same line, this means they are multiplied
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 o If one quantity is above the other, this means they are divided - make
sure to keep the order of which is on the top and bottom of the fraction!
• In the example below, to calculate speed, cover-up 'speed' and only distance
and time are left
o This means it is equal to distance (on the top) ÷ time (on the bottom)

Worked example
Planes fly at typical speeds of around 250 m/s. Calculate the total distance
travelled by a plane moving at this average speed for 2 hours.
Step 1: List the known quantities
o Average speed = 250 m/s
o Time taken = 2 hours
Step 2: Write the relevant equation

Step 3: Rearrange for the total distance

total distance = average speed × time taken
Step 4: Convert any units
o The time given in the question is not in standard units
o Convert 2 hours into seconds:
2 hours = 2 × 60 × 60 = 7200 s
Step 5: Substitute the values for average speed and time taken
total distance = 250 × 7200 = 1 800 000 m
Velocity
• The velocity of a moving object is similar to its speed, except it also describes
the object’s direction
o The speed of an object only contains a magnitude - it’s a scalar quantity
• Velocity is therefore a vector quantity because it describes both magnitude
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and direction
 o e.g. ‘15 m/s south’ or ‘250 mph on a bearing of 030°’

• This means velocity can also have a negative value

o E.g. a ball thrown upwards at a velocity of 3 m/s comes down at a
velocity –5 m/s, if upwards is considered positive
o However, their speeds are still 3 m/s and 5 m/s respectively
• The equation for velocity is very similar to the equation for speed:

• Where:
o v = velocity in metres per second (m/s)
o s = displacement, measured in metres (m)
o t = time, measured in seconds (s)
• Velocity is a vector quantity, so it uses displacement, s, rather than distance
which is scalar.
Acceleration
Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity
In other words, it describes how much an object's velocity changes every second
The equation below is used to calculate the average acceleration of an object:

• Where:
o a = acceleration in metres per second squared (m/s2)
o Δv = change in velocity in metres per second (m/s)
o Δt = time taken in seconds (s)
• The change in velocity is found by the difference between the initial and final
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velocity, as written below:

change in velocity = final velocity − initial velocity
Δv = v – u
• Where:
o v = final velocity in metres per second (m/s)
o u = initial velocity in metres per second (m/s)
• The equation for acceleration can be rearranged with the help of a formula
triangle as shown:
Speeding Up & Slowing Down
An object that speeds up is accelerating
An object that slows down is decelerating
The acceleration of an object can be positive or negative, depending on whether the
object is speeding up or slowing down
If an object is speeding up, its acceleration is positive
If an object is slowing down, its acceleration is negative (sometimes called
deceleration)
Worked example
A Japanese bullet train decelerates at a constant rate in a
straight line. The velocity of the train decreases from 50
m/s to 42 m/s in 30 seconds.

(a) Calculate the change in velocity of the train.

(b) Calculate the deceleration of the train, and explain how

your answer shows the train is slowing down.

art (a)
Step 1: List the known quantities
o Initial velocity = 50 m/s
o Final velocity = 42 m/s
Step 2: Write the relevant equation
change in velocity = final velocity − initial velocity
Step 3: Substitute values for final and initial velocity
change in velocity = 42 − 50 = −8 m/s
Part (b)
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Step 1: List the known quantities

 o Change in velocity, Δv = − 8 m/s
o Time taken, t = 30 s
Step 2: Write the relevant equation

Step 3: Substitute the values for change in velocity and time

a = −8 ÷ 30 = −0.27 m/s
Step 4: Interpret the value for deceleration
The answer is negative, which indicates the train is slowing down
Distance-Time Graphs
• A distance-time graph shows how the distance of an object moving in a
straight line (from a starting position) varies over time:

This graph shows a moving object moving further away from its origin
Constant Speed on a Distance-Time Graph
• Distance-time graphs also show the following information:
o If the object is moving at a constant speed
o How large or small the speed is
• A straight line represents constant speed
• The slope of the straight line represents the magnitude of the speed:
o A very steep slope means the object is moving at a large speed
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A shallow slope means the object is moving at a small speed

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o
 o A flat, horizontal line means the object is stationary (not moving)

This graph shows how the slope of a line is used to interpret the speed of moving objects. Both of
these objects are moving with a constant speed, because the lines are straight.

Changing Speed on a Distance-Time Graph

• Objects might be moving at a changing speed
o This is represented by a curve
• In this case, the slope of the line will be changing
o If the slope is increasing, the speed is increasing (accelerating)
o If the slope is decreasing, the speed is decreasing (decelerating)
• The image below shows two different objects moving with changing speeds

Changing speeds are represented by changing slopes. The red line represents an
object slowing down and the green line represents an object speeding up.
Using Distance-Time Graphs
• The speed of a moving object can be calculated from the gradient of the line
on a distance-time graph:
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The speed of an object can be found by calculating the gradient of a distance-time
graph
• The rise is the change in y (distance) values
• The run is the change in x (time) values
Worked example
A distance-time graph is drawn below for part of a train journey. The train is
travelling at a constant speed.

Step 2: Convert units for distance and time into standard units
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 o The distance travelled (rise) = 8 km = 8000 m
o The time taken (run) = 6 mins = 360 s
Step 3: State that speed is equal to the gradient of a distance-time graph
•

o The gradient of a distance-time graph is equal to the speed of a moving

object:

Step 4: Substitute values in to calculate the speed

speed = gradient = 8000 ÷ 360
speed = 22.2 m/s
Worked example
Ose decides to take a stroll to the park. He finds a bench in a quiet spot and takes a
seat, picking up where he left off reading his book on Black Holes. After some time
reading, Ose realises he lost track of time and runs home.
A distance-time graph for his trip is drawn below.

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a) How long does Ose spend reading his book?

b) There are three sections labelled on the graph, A, B and C. Which section
represents Ose running home?
c) What is the total distance travelled by Ose?
Speed-Time Graphs
• A speed-time graph shows how the speed of a moving object varies with time
o The red line represents an object with increasing speed
o The green line represents an object with decreasing speed

Increasing and decreasing speed represented on a speed-time graph

Acceleration on a Speed-Time Graph
• Speed-time graphs also show the following information:
o If the object is moving with a constant acceleration or deceleration
o The magnitude of the acceleration or deceleration
• A straight line represents constant acceleration
• The slope of the line represents the magnitude of acceleration
o A steep slope means large acceleration (or deceleration) - i.e. the
object's speed changes very quickly
o A gentle slope means small acceleration (or deceleration) - i.e. the
object's speed changes very gradually
o A flat line means the acceleration is zero - i.e. the object is moving with
a constant speed
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This image shows how to interpret the slope of a speed-time graph
The distance travelled can be found from the area beneath the graph

• If the area beneath the graph forms a triangle (the object is accelerating or
decelerating) then the area can be determined using the formula:

• If the area beneath the graph is a rectangle (constant velocity) then the area
can be determined using the formula:

Worked example
The speed-time graph below shows a car journey which lasts for 160 seconds.

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Calculate the total distance travelled by the car on this journey.

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