Lecture 3

Distance and Displacement

Speed and Velocity
version 0.1
 Distance
• Distance is a scalar quantity. It tells us how far an object has moved.
• Distance is the length of the path travelled by an object.
• SI units for distance are metre (m).

Example: Zeca walks 6m east, then 3m north, then 6m west, then 3 m

south. What distance did he student walk?
N
6m
Distance = 6m + 6m + 3m + 3m
3m 3m = 18 m

Start & Note: The distance around a

6m
Finish square or rectangle is called a
Perimeter
 Displacement
• Displacement is a vector quantity.

• The displacement vector is a straight arrow, pointing

from the initial position (x0) to the final position (x)

• Displacement = final – initial position

𝑥
𝑠
• Displacement is different
to distance
𝑥𝑜
Distance
 Displacement

y0
+y

x0 -x +x x
-y
y
𝑠𝑦 = ∆𝑦 = 𝑦 − 𝑦𝑜 𝑠𝑥 = ∆𝑥 = 𝑥 − 𝑥𝑜

• y0 = initial position
• y = final position
• ∆ means “change”
 Example: Distance v. Displacement
Mrs Ana walks 6 m East.

What distance does N

she walk?
Distance = 6 m
X0 = 0 m X=6m
(initial) (final)

What is her displacement?

𝑠𝑥 = ∆𝑥 = 𝑥 − 𝑥𝑜 Displacement = final– initial

=6𝑚 −0𝑚 =6m–0m
𝑠𝑥 = 6 𝑚, east = 6 m, east
 Example 1: Distance v. Displacement
Zeca walks 10 m East, then 10 m North.

What Distance does he walk? What is his displacement?

Distance = 10 m + 10 m Displacement = final – initial

= 20 m
𝑠 2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2

Final position s = 102 + 102

= 200
𝑠
N
10 m s = 14.1 𝑚

∴ 𝑠 = 14.1𝑚, northeast

Initial 10 m
Position
 Example 2: Distance v. Displacement
Simao walks 6m east, then 3m north, then 6m west, then 3 m
south.

Distance = 18 m Remember:
Displacement = 0 m Displacement = final - initial

N In this example,
6m
the initial position is the same
as the final position,
3m 3m therefore 𝑠= 0 m.

Initial 6m
/ final
 Average Speed
Distance
Average Speed = Time

• Speed tells us how fast an object

is moving.

• Speed is a scalar quantity. It does

not have information about
direction.

• SI unit: meters per second (m/s)

 Example – Average Speed
In the Dili Marathon, Mrs. Helena runs a distance of 42 km in 3.5 hr.
What is her average speed?
Average Speed = Distance / Time
= 42 km ÷ 3.5 ℎ𝑟
= 12 km / hr
= 3.33 m/s
 Average Velocity
• Velocity describes both an object’s speed AND direction.
Therefore velocity is a vector quantity.

Displacement
Average Velocity = Time
𝑠
𝑣𝑎𝑣𝑔 =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒

• SI unit: metres per second (m/s)

• Remember you can show the direction of

a vector using ‘+’ or ‘-’ in an equation, +y
but you MUST also use a
coordinate system. -x +x
-y
 Example: Average Speed v. Average Velocity
Mrs. Ana walks 6 m east in 30 seconds.

What is her average Speed?

Data: Distance = 6m N
Time = 30 s

Average Speed = Distance / Time

= 6 m / 30 s X0 = 0 m X=6m
= 0.2 m/s (initial) (final)
What is her Average Velocity?

Data: Displacement = 6m, east

Average Velocity = Displacement / Time Remember:

• Speed is a Scalar
= (6 m, east) / 30 s
• Velocity is a Vector
= 0.2 m/s, east
 Example: Average Speed
Joseph walks 15 m east, then 15 m north in a total of 30 seconds.

What is his average Speed?

Distance = 15 m + 15 m = 30 m

N
Average Speed = Distance / Time
= 20 m / 30 s final
= 1 m/s
15 m

initial 15 m
 Example: Average Velocity
Joseph walks 15 m east, then 15 m north in 20 seconds.

What is his Average Velocity? finish

𝑠
First, find his displacement (s): N
2 2 2
15 m
𝑠 =𝑎 +𝑏
s = 152 + 152
= 450 start 15 m
𝑠 = 21.2 𝑚, north east

Average Velocity = Displacement / Time

= 21.2 m north-east / 30 s

= 0.71 m/s, north-east

 Average Speed and Average Velocity
Example: Simao walks 6m east, then 3m north, then 6m west, then 3 m
south. The total time taken is 36 seconds.

i) What is his Average Speed?

ii) What is hisAverage Velocity?

Distance walked = 6 + 3 + 6 + 3
= 18 m N
6m
Displacement = 0 m

i) Average Speed = Distance / Time 3m

= 18 m / 36 s
= 0.5 m/s 3m

ii) Average Velocity = Displacement / Time

Initial / 6m
= 0 m / 36 s final
= 0 m/s
 Example: Average Velocity
A coconut falls from a tree with height 26 m and hits the ground 2.3 seconds later.

i. What distance does the coconut fall?

Distance = 26 m
ii. What is the displacement of the coconut?

Displacement = final − initial

= ∆𝑦
y0 =26 m (t0 = 0 s) = 𝑦 − 𝑦0
+y = 0 m - 26 m
𝑠 = - 26 m
-y y= 0 m (t = 2.3 s)
 Example: Average Speed and Average Velocity
i. What is the average speed of the coconut?
𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
Average Speed =
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒
= 26 m / 2.3 s
= 11.3 m/s

iv) What is the average velocity of the coconut?

Displacement
Average Velocity = Time
𝑠 ∆𝑦 𝑦−𝑦0
𝑣 𝑎𝑣𝑔 = = =
y0 =26 m (t0 = 0 s) 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 ∆𝑡 𝑡−𝑡0
+y
0−26 𝑚
=
2.3 𝑠−0 𝑠
-y y= 0 m (t = 2.3 s) 𝑣 𝑎𝑣𝑔 = -11.3 m/s
Note: The minus sign (-) shows the direction of the velocity vector.
 Instantaneous Speed
• An ‘instant’ is a very small period of time
– e.g. 10-3 seconds
= 0.001 s
= 1 millisecond

• Ways to refer to an ‘instant’ in English:

– At the time
– An instant
– A specific point in time
– At time t = 4 seconds
 Instantaneous Speed
• Instantaneous speed is the speed of the
object at a specific point in time

– E.g. Instantaneous speed is the

speed shown on a speedometer on a motorbike

km/h

10 km/h
 Example: Instantaneous speed
Max rides a motorbike a distance of 500 m from Banana Rd to DIT in 1 minute.
He reaches a maximum recorded speed of 18 km/h, when he is 200 m from
Banana Rd. The table shows his instantaneous speeds at different points.

Distance from Speed

Banana Rd (m) (km/h)
0 0.0
50 9.0
100 10.8 Speed = 18 km/h at 200 m
150 16.2 this point in time
500 m
200 18.0
250 0.0
300 7.6
350 7.2
400 8.3
450 9.0
500 5.4
Average Speed 8.3
 Example: Instantaneous speed
Here is a graph, showing the instantaneous speed of Max’s
journey to DIT in km/hr.

Distance from Speed

Banana Rd (m) (km/h)
0 0.0
50 9.0
100 10.8
150 16.2
200 18.0
250 0.0
300 7.6
350 7.2
400 8.3
450 9.0
500 5.4
Average Speed 8.3
Example: Average versus Instantaneous Speed
You can calculate the Average Speed of Max’s trip to DIT.

 Average Speed = Distance / Time

= 500 m / 60 s
= 8.3 km/h

You cannot calculate the instantaneous speed. You must

read it from the speedometer
(or the table of measurements)
km/h
e.g. Instantaneous Speed = 18 km/h

18 km/h
 Instantaneous Velocity
• The instantaneous velocity of an object is
described by:
– Instantaneous speed, and;
– Direction the object is moving at the time, t

• Instantaneous speed = 18 km/h

-x +x
• Instantaneous velocity = + 18 km/h

18 km/h

Note: ‘+’ shows the DIRECTION

of the velocity vector
 Example: Instantaneous Velocity
Max rides his motorbike a distance of 500 m from Banana Rd to DIT in 1
minute. He reaches a maximum recorded speed of 18 km/h, when he is 200 m
from Banana Rd. The table shows his instantaneous speeds at different points.
Question: What are his instantaneous velocities?
Distance from Speed
Banana Rd (m) (km/h)
0 0.0
50 9.0
100 10.8 At this point:
150 16.2 200 m
200 18.0 Speed = 18 km/hr 500 m
250 0.0
300 7.6 Velocity = 18 km/hr,
350 7.2 south
400 8.3
450 9.0
500 5.4
Average Speed 8.3