Displacement Calculator (s = ut + ½at²)
Displacement Calculator (s = ut + ½at²)
This is the second SUVAT equation of motion, giving the displacement of an object under constant acceleration. It also returns the final velocity (v = u + at) and a position-time graph showing how the distance covered builds up over time.
The position-time graph curves rather than forming a straight line whenever acceleration is nonzero — this curvature is the visual signature of accelerated motion, in contrast to the straight-line graph produced by constant-velocity motion with no acceleration at all. Starting from rest and accelerating at 5 m/s² for 4 seconds covers exactly 40 meters, and seeing that result plotted alongside the equation makes it easier to build intuition for how displacement under acceleration grows faster than it would under constant velocity alone.
- s = ut + ½at², so starting from rest (u = 0) and accelerating at 5 m/s² for 4 s covers 0 + 0.5 × 5 × 4² = 40 m.
- The position-time graph curves rather than forming a straight line whenever acceleration is nonzero - this is the visual signature of accelerated motion, as opposed to the straight-line graph of constant velocity.
- The final velocity v = u + at is included as a bonus result, since it comes from the same three inputs.
How do I calculate displacement under constant acceleration?
Use s = ut + ½at², where u is the initial velocity, a is the acceleration, and t is the time elapsed.
How far does an object travel starting from rest with 5 m/s² of acceleration for 4 seconds?
s = 0×4 + 0.5×5×4² = 40 m.
Displacement Calculator (s = ut + ½at²)
This is the second SUVAT equation of motion, giving the displacement of an object under constant acceleration. It also returns the final velocity (v = u + at) and a position-time graph showing how the distance covered builds up over time.
The position-time graph curves rather than forming a straight line whenever acceleration is nonzero — this curvature is the visual signature of accelerated motion, in contrast to the straight-line graph produced by constant-velocity motion with no acceleration at all. Starting from rest and accelerating at 5 m/s² for 4 seconds covers exactly 40 meters, and seeing that result plotted alongside the equation makes it easier to build intuition for how displacement under acceleration grows faster than it would under constant velocity alone.
- s = ut + ½at², so starting from rest (u = 0) and accelerating at 5 m/s² for 4 s covers 0 + 0.5 × 5 × 4² = 40 m.
- The position-time graph curves rather than forming a straight line whenever acceleration is nonzero - this is the visual signature of accelerated motion, as opposed to the straight-line graph of constant velocity.
- The final velocity v = u + at is included as a bonus result, since it comes from the same three inputs.
How do I calculate displacement under constant acceleration?
Use s = ut + ½at², where u is the initial velocity, a is the acceleration, and t is the time elapsed.
How far does an object travel starting from rest with 5 m/s² of acceleration for 4 seconds?
s = 0×4 + 0.5×5×4² = 40 m.