KS4 Physics

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32
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Speed and
Acceleration

© Boardworks Ltd 2005

2004
  Contents

Speed and Acceleration

Stopping distance

Plotting the speed / time graph

Formula triangles

Summary activities

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 
Stopping distances

How long does it take a moving vehicle to stop?

 

Braking distance is the Thinking distance is the

distance travelled whilst the distance travelled before
brakes are being applied. the brakes are applied.

Stopping distance is the sum of the

thinking distance and the braking distance.

Stopping distance = thinking distance + braking distance

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  Definitions

Stopping distance One of forces the road exerts

on the tyres as the car is
stopping.

Friction The distance a car travels whilst

it is braking.

The distance a car travels

Thinking distance
before the brakes are applied.

Braking distance The sum of thinking distance

and the braking distance.

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  What affects braking/thinking distance?

Thinking distance Braking distance

Speed of car Speed of car

Drugs and alcohol Road conditions

Tiredness Condition of tyres

Medication Condition of brakes

Medication Condition of tyres Tiredness

Condition of brakes Drugs and alcohol
Road conditions Speed of car

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  Braking car questions

A car is moving along an open road. Suddenly, a sheep

walks into the road.
a) What do we call the distance the car travels before the
driver applies the brakes? Thinking distance

b) Name one factor that could increase the distance the car
travels in this time.
Medication, drugs/alcohol, speed of car, tiredness
c) The braking distance for the car is 35m. If the stopping
distance is 50m, how far did the car travel before the
driver applied the brakes?
Thinking distance = Stopping distance – braking distance
= 50m – 35m
= 15m
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  Car graphing activity – instructions
This graphing experiment shows an animation of a car
travelling along a straight road.

1. Copy the results table shown on the next slide and

complete it as the movie is played.

2. Record the distance the car has travelled every five

seconds.

3. Plot a graph of your results.

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  Car graphing activity – results table layout
Results table for Time/seconds Distance/metres
distance/time 0
graph
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
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  Car graphing activity – animation

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  Car graphing activity – results
Results table for Time/seconds Distance/metres
distance/time 0 0
graph
5 16
10 76
15 186
20 234
25 484
30 634
35 784
40 904
45 974
50 994
55 994
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  Car graphing activity – results graph

1200
Distance / Time graph for car
1000
Distance / metres

800

600

400

200
Time / seconds
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55

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  Car graphing activity – results graph analysis

1200

Distance / Time graph for car

1000
Distance / metres

800

600

400

200
Time / seconds

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55

The
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is car
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change in speed.
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  Gradient of a distance/time graph
The speed of the car can be calculated by looking at the
gradient of the distance/time graph.

Speed is “Distance Travelled divided by Time Taken”

These values can be read off the distance/time graph at

different points, and this is the same as the gradient of
the graph.

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  Gradient of a distance/time graph
Consider the gradient of this graph at the point shown by
the two arrows in a triangle:
1200

Distance / Time graph for car

1000
Distance / metres

800

600

400

200
Time / seconds

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55
The car has travelled from 200m to 800m = 600m.
It took from 16s to 36s to travel this distance = 20s.
So the speed at this point = 600m/20s = 30m/s.
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  Contents

Speed and Acceleration

Stopping distance

Plotting the speed / time graph

Formula triangles

Summary activities

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  Plotting the speed / time graph

Having looked at the distance-time graph, plot the

speed-time graph:

1. Copy the results table shown on the next slide and

complete it as the movie is played

2. Record the speed of the car at five second intervals.

3. Then graph your results.

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  Car graphing activity – results table layout
Results table for Time/seconds Speed (m/sec)
speed/time 0
graph
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
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  Car activity – animation

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  Car graphing activity – results
Results table for Time/seconds Speed (m/sec)
speed/time 0 0
graph
5 6
10 16
15 26
20 30
25 30
30 30
35 30
40 20
45 10
50 0
55 0
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  Speed / time graph for a car
Speed / Time graph for car
35

30
Car at rest –
zero speed
25
Metres/second

20

15

10

5
Time / seconds
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55

Care accelerating – Car decelerating –

speed is increasing. speed is decreasing.
Car at constant speed –
acceleration is zero.
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  Speed / time graph for a car
Speed / Time graph for car
35

30

25
From both
Metres/second

20 graphs we
15 can see that
Now compare
10
The speed is the speed is
The
The thespeed
speed Speed
is zerois /–
increasing, and30 wem/s. Time
5

0
Time / seconds
thedecreasing
graph
car is not with
0 5 10 15 20 25 can
30 35 see
40 that
45 50 the
55 and theearlier
the curve
moving
Distance / Time(Using graphtheisDistance
downwards
1200
–
value and we can /see
Time
Distance / Time graphcurves
for car upwards. graph
1000
that the distance
calculated
Distance / metres

800 that the car has

previously)
600 travelled is not
400 changing either.
200
Time / seconds

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55
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  Contents

Speed and Acceleration

Stopping distance

Plotting the speed / time graph

Formula triangles

Summary activities

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  Calculating speed

We can express the speed formula using the equation:

speed = distance ÷ time

s = d/t

 Speed measured in metres per second (m/s)

 Distance measured in metres (m)
 Time measured in seconds (s)

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  Speed formula triangle

Formula triangles help you to rearrange formula. The triangle

for the speed formula is shown below.
Cover up whatever quantity you are trying to find, and you will
be left with the calculation required.
3) …and you are left
1) So if you were with the sum…
trying to find
speed (s)… s = d÷t

2) …you
would cover
 d

up s…
s t
x
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  Interactive formula triangle

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  Speed of vehicles

Measure out a known distance, say 100m, alongside a road.

Record the time it takes vehicles to cover the distance.



100 m

Use the speed formula, s=d/t, to calculate the speeds of

various vehicles.
Measure the speed of at least 20 vehicles and then
represent your data graphically.

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  Calculating acceleration

We can express the formula for acceleration using the

equation:

acceleration = change in velocity ÷ time taken

a = c/t

 Acceleration is measured in
metres per second per second (m/s2)
 Change in velocity is measured in
metres per second (m/s)
 Time measured is in seconds (s)

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  Acceleration formula triangle

Formula triangles help you to rearrange formula. The triangle

for the acceleration formula is shown below.
Cover up whatever quantity you are trying to find, and you will
be left with the calculation required.

1) So if you were 3) …and you are left

trying to find with the sum…
acceleration (a)...
a=c÷t
2) …you
would cover  c

up a… a t
x
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  Contents

Speed and Acceleration

Stopping distance

Plotting the speed / time graph

Formula triangles

Summary activities

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  Glossary
 acceleration – The rate of change of velocity per unit time.
It is measured in metres per second squared (m/s2).
 braking distance – The distance a car travels while the
brakes are being applied.
 friction – The force that tries to stop materials moving over
each other. It occurs between a road surface and car tyres.
 speed – How fast an object is moving. It equals the distance
moved divided by the time taken and is usually measured in
metres per second (m/s).
 stopping distance – The total distance needed to stop a
car. It is the thinking distance plus the braking distance.
 thinking distance – The distance a car travels while the
driver is thinking before the brakes are applied.
 velocity – The speed at which an object is travelling in a
particular direction. It is measured in metres per second (m/s).

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  Anagrams

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  Multiple-choice quiz

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