Understanding Uniform Motion and Velocity After 5 Seconds

Consider a body moving with a constant velocity of 20 meters per second. If the motion is uniform, what will be the velocity after 5 seconds? In uniform motion, the velocity remains constant throughout the journey. This means that if the body is moving with a constant velocity, it will continue to do so without any changes, regardless of the duration of the motion.

What is Uniform Motion?

Uniform motion refers to motion where the velocity of the body remains constant over time, meaning there is no acceleration. It is often described as the same speed being maintained throughout the journey.

In the given scenario, if the body is moving with a constant velocity of 20 meters per second and the motion remains uniform, the velocity after 5 seconds will still be 20 meters per second. This is true irrespective of the time interval, whether it is 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 10 years.

Calculating Velocity with Uniform Motion

Let's consider a more specific example. If a particle is moving linearly with a uniform acceleration and the initial velocity (Vo) is 15 meters per second, and the acceleration (a) is 2 meters per second squared, we can calculate the final velocity (v) after 5 seconds using the formula:

v u at

Where:

v final velocity u initial velocity (15 m/s) a acceleration (2 m/s2) t time (5 s)

Substituting the given values:

v 15 2 × 5 25 m/s

Therefore, the velocity after 5 seconds is 25 meters per second.

Uniform Motion and Scalar Quantities

It is important to distinguish between scalar and vector quantities. In the case of uniform motion, the velocity is a scalar quantity, which means it only has magnitude and no direction. If we were considering velocity as a vector, the position or direction might change, but in uniform motion, these elements remain constant.

For example, if a body is moving at 20 m/s in a straight line, the velocity vector will point in the same direction at every moment, and the magnitude of the velocity vector will remain the same.

Distance Covered in Uniform Acceleration

When a body is moving with uniform acceleration, the distance covered (s) can be calculated using the formula:

s vit 1/2 at2

However, in the case of uniform motion where there is no acceleration, the distance covered is given by:

s vit

Given that the initial velocity (v) is 15 m/s and the time (t) is 5 seconds, the distance covered by the body in 5 seconds is:

s 15 × 5 75 meters

Thus, the distance covered after 5 seconds will be 75 meters when there is no acceleration.

Conclusion

In summary, uniform motion is characterized by a constant velocity and no acceleration. This means that if an object moves with a constant velocity, its speed and direction remain unchanged. Therefore, the velocity after 5 seconds, if the motion is uniform, will be the same as the initial velocity. For any additional calculations involving acceleration, the given formulas can be used to determine the final velocity and distance covered.