The big idea: A car speeds up steadily — how fast, and how far, after 5 s?
Questions like this — anything speeding up or slowing at a steady rate — are your bread-and-butter exam problems, and the suvat formulas solve them. First, the five things they connect:
The five suvat letters
s — displacement
how far it goes (m)
u — start speed
the velocity at the start (m s⁻¹)
v — end speed
the velocity at the end (m s⁻¹)
a — acceleration
how fast the velocity changes (m s⁻²)
t — time
how long it takes (s)
s · u · v · a · t
Animated graph
Watch the graph build step by step in study mode.
Spot it: Suvat only works while the acceleration stays constant (a straight v–t line). If the acceleration changes, split the motion into constant-a stages and do each one separately.
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All four are given in the data booklet — you don't memorise them, you choose one. Tap any to see its booklet badge:
- displacement (m)
- initial velocity (m s⁻¹)
- final velocity (m s⁻¹)
- acceleration (m s⁻²)
- time (s)
How to choose the right one: List your three knowns and the one unknown you want.
Then pick the equation that contains those four letters and leaves out the fifth.
Example: you know u, a, t and want s → the equation missing v is s = ut + ½at².
A sled starts at 4.0 m s⁻¹ and accelerates uniformly at 2.0 m s⁻² for 5.0 s. (a) Find its final speed. (b) Find how far it travels in those 5.0 s.
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How this is tested — suvat is the go-to for motion calculations: pick the right equation and plug in.
Paper 1A
- A quick one-marker.
- Often a stopping distance.
Paper 2
- A longer, multi-step problem.
- e.g. find a time or a final speed.
Read the exam signals: No time given → use v² = u² + 2as.
'Comes to rest' / 'stops' → v = 0.
'Deceleration' → a is negative (e.g. −5 m s⁻²).
Animated graph
Watch the graph build step by step in study mode.
A car travelling at 20 m s⁻¹ brakes with a constant deceleration of 5.0 m s⁻². Find the distance it travels before stopping.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.