Displacement, Velocity & Acceleration (OCR A Level Physics): Revision Note

Displacement, Speed, Velocity & Acceleration

Scalar quantities

• Scalar quantities only have a magnitude (size)

  • Distance: the total length between two points

  • Speed: the total distance travelled per unit of time

Vector quantities

• Vector quantities have both magnitude and direction

  • Displacement: the distance of an object from a fixed point in a specified direction

  • Velocity: the rate of change of displacement of an object

  • Acceleration: the rate of change of velocity of an object

Equations for Velocity & Acceleration

Equations linking displacement, velocity and acceleration

Instantaneous Speed / Velocity

• The instantaneous speed (or velocity) is the speed (or velocity) of an object at any given point in time

• This could be for an object moving at a constant velocity or accelerating

  • An object accelerating is shown by a curved line on a displacement – time graph

  • An accelerating object will have a changing velocity

• To find the instantaneous velocity on a displacement-time graph:

  • Draw a tangent at the required time

  • Calculate the gradient of that tangent

The instantaneous velocity is found by drawing a tangent on the displacement time graph

Average Speed / Velocity

• The average speed (or velocity) is the total distance (or displacement) divided by the total time

• To find the average velocity on a displacement-time graph, divide the total displacement (on the y-axis) by the total time (on the x-axis)

  • This method can be used for both a curved or a straight line on a displacement-time graph