Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes: Unit 3 -
Motion in a Straight Line
Contents
1 Motion in a Straight Line 2
1.1 Position, Distance, and Displacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 Speed and Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.1 Average Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.2 Instantaneous Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.3 Average Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2.4 Instantaneous Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.3 Acceleration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4 Uniform Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.5 Graphical Representation of Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.5.1 Position-Time Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.5.2 Velocity-Time Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Join telegram channel
https://t.me/grade9to12ethiopia
1
Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 2
1 Motion in a Straight Line
This unit explores the fundamentals of motion, focusing on objects moving
in a single direction (straight line).
1.1 Position, Distance, and Displacement
”Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep
moving.”
– Albert Einstein
To describe motion, we use these key concepts:
• Frame of Reference: A coordinate system to specify the location of
objects in space and time.
• Position: The location of an object relative to a reference point (often
the origin).
• Distance: The total length of the path traveled by an object. It’s a
scalar quantity.
• Displacement: The change in position of an object, measured as a
straight line from the starting point to the ending point. It’s a vector
quantity, so it includes direction.
Figure 1: Diagram illustrating Position, Distance, and Displacement
Example: Imagine a person walking 3 meters east, then 4 meters north.
• Distance: 3 m + 4 m = 7 m
• Displacement: 5 m northeast (found using the Pythagorean theorem)
Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 3
1.2 Speed and Velocity
Both speed and velocity describe how fast an object moves, but velocity also
includes direction.
1.2.1 Average Speed
Average Speed: The total distance traveled divided by the total time taken.
Total Distance
Average Speed =
Total Time
1.2.2 Instantaneous Speed
Instantaneous Speed: The speed of an object at a particular moment in
time. Think of the reading on your car’s speedometer.
Figure 2: A car speedometer showing instantaneous speed
1.2.3 Average Velocity
Average Velocity: The total displacement divided by the total time taken.
Total Displacement
Average Velocity =
Total Time
Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 4
1.2.4 Instantaneous Velocity
Instantaneous Velocity: The velocity of an object at a particular moment
in time, including both speed and direction.
1.3 Acceleration
Acceleration: The rate at which velocity changes over time. It can be a
change in speed, direction, or both.
Understanding Acceleration
• Formula:
∆v
a=
∆t
where:
– a = acceleration
– ∆v = change in velocity
– ∆t = change in time
• Units: Meters per second squared (m/s²)
• Positive Acceleration: Speeding up.
• Negative Acceleration (Deceleration): Slowing down.
Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 5
Figure 3: Examples of Positive and Negative Acceleration
1.4 Uniform Motion
Uniform Motion: Motion at a constant velocity. This means moving in a
straight line at a constant speed.
• Examples:
– A train traveling at a steady speed on a straight track.
– An object gliding through space with no forces acting on it.
1.5 Graphical Representation of Motion
Graphs help visualize how position, velocity, and acceleration change over
time.
1.5.1 Position-Time Graphs
• X-axis: Time
• Y-axis: Position
• Slope of the Graph: Represents velocity.
– Steeper slope = higher velocity
– Horizontal line (zero slope) = object at rest
Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 6
Figure 4: Position-Time Graph
1.5.2 Velocity-Time Graphs
• X-axis: Time
• Y-axis: Velocity
• Slope of the Graph: Represents acceleration.
– Positive slope = positive acceleration
– Negative slope = negative acceleration (deceleration)
– Horizontal line (zero slope) = constant velocity
• Area under the Curve: Represents displacement.
Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 7
Figure 5: Velocity-Time Graph
Review Questions
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. A car travels 100 kilometers in 2 hours. What is its average speed?
(a) 25 km/h
(b) 50 km/h
(c) 100 km/h
(d) 200 km/h
2. Which of the following is a vector quantity?
(a) Time
(b) Speed
(c) Displacement
(d) Distance
Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 8
3. An object is moving with a constant velocity. Which of the following
statements is true?
(a) It is accelerating.
(b) It is at rest.
(c) It is changing direction.
(d) It has zero acceleration.
4. A ball is thrown straight up in the air. At the highest point of its
trajectory, its velocity is:
(a) Maximum
(b) Zero
(c) Constant
(d) Negative
5. What does a horizontal line on a velocity-time graph indicate?
(a) Constant acceleration
(b) Constant velocity
(c) The object is at rest
(d) The object is changing direction
Short-Answer Questions
1. Explain the difference between distance and displacement. Give an ex-
ample where distance and displacement have different values.
Answer: Distance is the total length of the path traveled, while dis-
placement is the straight-line distance from start to end (with direc-
tion). Example: A person walks 4 meters east, then 3 meters north.
Distance = 7 meters, Displacement = 5 meters northeast.
2. What is acceleration? How is acceleration represented on a velocity-
time graph?
Answer: Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. On a velocity-
time graph, acceleration is represented by the slope of the line.
3. Describe a real-life situation that involves both positive and negative
acceleration.
Answer: A car accelerating from a stoplight (positive acceleration),
then slowing down to stop at the next red light (negative acceleration).
Grade 9 Advanced Physics Notes 9
4. A cyclist rides 5 kilometers east, then turns around and rides 3 kilo-
meters west.
(a) What is the total distance traveled?
(b) What is the cyclist’s displacement?
Answer: (a) 8 km (b) 2 km east
