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What is a scalar?
Scalar quantities are measured with numbers and units.

length

temperature

time

(e.g. 16 cm)

(e.g. 102 C)

(e.g. 7 s)

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What is a vector?
Vector quantities are measured with numbers and units, but
also have a specific direction.

acceleration

displacement

force

(e.g. 30 m/s2
upwards)

(e.g. 200 miles

northwest)

(e.g. 2 N
downwards)

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Comparing scalar and vector quantities

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Speed or velocity?
Distance is a scalar and displacement is a vector.
Similarly, speed is a scalar and velocity is a vector.
Speed is the rate of change of distance in
the direction of travel. Speedometers in cars
measure speed.
Velocity is a rate of change of displacement and has both
magnitude and direction.
Averages of both can be useful:
average
speed

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distance
time

average
displacement
=
velocity
time

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Vector or scalar?

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Adding vectors
Displacement is a quantity that is independent of the
route taken between start and end points.
If a car moves from A to B and then to C, its total
displacement will be the same as if it had just moved in a
straight line from A to C.
C
B
Two or more displacement
vectors can be added
nose to tail to calculate a
A
resultant vector.

resultant vector

Any two vectors of the same type can be added in this way
to find a resultant.
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Simplifying vectors
Because of the way vectors are added, it is always possible to
simplify a vector by splitting it into components.

Its displacement is the

same, but it is now much
easier to describe.
How would you describe
the cars displacement in
component terms?

y
A

x
x component

The car has a final displacement of x miles east and y miles

north. This can be represented by (x,y).
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y component

Imagine that instead of travelling via B, the car travels via D:

Understanding vector calculations

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Motion under constant acceleration

Calculating vector quantities such as velocity or displacement
can be complicated, but when acceleration is constant, four
equations always apply.

v = u + at

s = (u + v)t

v2 = u2 + 2as

s = ut + at2

These are sometimes known as the constant acceleration

equations, or the uvast or suvat equations.
What do the symbols u, v, a, s and t represent?
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Representing motion
The symbol a represents acceleration.
The symbol t represents time.
Displacement, s is always measured relative to a starting
position, so it is always true that when t = 0, s = 0.
Velocity at time t is represented by v, and u represents the
value of v when t = 0. This is the initial velocity.
a = acceleration
t = time
s = displacement
v = velocity
u = initial velocity
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Two velocity equations

Two of the constant acceleration equations are velocity
equations.

= u + at

v2 = u2 + 2as

The first of these can be used to find the velocity at a

particular time t. The second can be used to find the velocity
at a particular displacement s.
When deciding which equation to
use, it is good practice to write
down what you know about the
values of u, v, a, s and t before
you start any calculations.
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u=?
v=?
a=?
s=?
t=?
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Calculating final velocity

A cyclist accelerates towards the end of the race in order to
win. If he is moving at 6 m/s then accelerates by 1.5 m/s2 for
the final five seconds of the race, calculate his speed as he
crosses the line.
First write down what you know about u, v, a, s and t:
u=6
v=?
a = 1.5 m/s2
s=
t = 5s

The question gives a value

for t. What is the relevant
equation?
v = u + at
v = 6 + (1.5 5)
v = 13.5 m/s

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Rearranging a velocity equation

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Rearranging an equation calculations

A coin is dropped from a window. If it hits the
ground at 10 m/s, work out the height of the window.
First write down what you know about u, v, a, s and t:
u = 0 m/s
v = 10 m/s
a = 10 m/s2
s=?
t=

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The question involves the

variables u, v, a and s, so the
relevant equation is v2 = u2 + 2as.
Start by rearranging the
equation to find a formula for s:
v2 u2
s=
2a

s = 100
20

102 02
s=
2 x 10

s = 5m
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Two displacement equations

Two of the constant acceleration equations are displacement
equations.

s = (u + v)t

s =

ut + at2

The first of these gives the displacement as a function of the

initial velocity and velocity at time t. The second gives it as a
function of initial velocity, acceleration and time.
As with the velocity equations, it is
good practice to write down what
you know about the values of u, v,
a, s and t before you attempt any
calculations.
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u=?
v=?
a=?
s=?
t=?
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Calculating displacement
A car travelling at 20 m/s takes five seconds to stop.
What is the stopping distance of the car?
First write down what you know about u, v, a, s and t:
u = 20 m/s
v = 0 m/s
a=
s=?
t = 5s
The question gives u, v and t and asks for a value for s, so the
relevant equation is s = (u + v)t:
s = (20 + 0) 5
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s = 20 5

s = 50 m
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Rearranging a displacement equation

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Rearranging an equation calculations

Calculate the acceleration of an ambulance if it starts at rest
and takes six seconds to travel 50 m.
First write down what you know about u, v, a, s and t:
u = 0 m/s
v=
a=?
s = 50 m
t = 6s

The question involves the

variables u, a, s and t, so the
relevant equation is s = ut + at2.
Start by rearranging the
equation to find a formula for a:
a=
a=

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s ut
t2
50 (0 6)
66

a=

50
18

a = 2.8 m/s2
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Using the equations of motion

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Describing parabolic motion

What are some of the terms that are used to describe
projectile motion?
A trajectory is the path of any moving object.
A projectile is an object that is given an initial force,
then allowed to move freely through space.
A parabola is the name given to the shape of the
curve a projectile follows when gravity is the only
force acting on it.

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Forces on a projectile
What are the two forces that act on a freely moving projectile?
Air resistance and gravity.
Depending on the shape and density of
an object, it is often possible to ignore the
effects of air resistance.
This reduces the forces on the object to one
constant force in a constant direction, giving:
constant horizontal velocity
constant vertical acceleration.
Horizontal motion is therefore very simple, and vertical motion
can be solved with the constant acceleration equations.
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When is a trajectory a parabola?

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Understanding projectile motion

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Forces on a projectile

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Motion under gravity

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Solving projectile motion

How should you go about solving a problem involving
projectile motion? Split the problem into two parts:
Horizontal motion at constant velocity:
Use the equation, speed = distance / time (equation 1).
Vertical motion under constant acceleration:
As always, start by writing down what you already know
about u, v, a, s and t.
Choose a constant acceleration equation (equation 2).
The order you use these two equations in will depend on the
nature of the problem. Start by writing down everything you
know, and the rest should follow!
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Projectile calculations

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Momentum
Momentum is a vector quantity given by the following formula:

momentum = mass velocity

To have momentum, an object needs to have mass and to
be in motion.
Which of these two
vehicles do you
think has a higher
momentum?

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Conservation of momentum
Momentum is always conserved in any event or interaction:

initial
momentum

final
momentum

When a snooker ball collides with another, what happens to

the momentum of each ball?
Momentum is not created or lost, but transferred from one
object to the other.
What happens when a car brakes and comes to a halt, or
when a rock falls to the ground and stops?
Momentum is transferred to the Earth.
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Explosions and recoil

What happens to the momentum in the following situations?

Remember: momentum is always conserved.

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Calculating momentum
Two vehicles, each weighing 1.5 tonnes, are driving towards
each other at 30 mph. If they collide, what will happen?
10 m/s

10 m/s

Both vehicles come to a halt. What has happened to their

momentum?
Momentum is a vector quantity. The van has a momentum of
1500 10 = 15000 kgm/s to the right. The cars momentum is
15000 kgm/s to the left, or 15000 kgm/s to the right:
initial momentum to the right = 15000 + 15000 = 0
final momentum to the right = 0
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Momentum calculations

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Glossary

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Anagrams

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Multiple-choice quiz

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