Week 1 Study Guide — Vectors and Motion in 1D

Directly supported by notes

These topics are explicitly named on the lecture slides and worked through in the lecturer’s handwritten notes.

Topic	Direct source coverage
Particle model	Lecture1_CTP1, slide 18
Scalars vs vectors	Lecture1_CTP1, slides 23–24
Coordinate systems + sign convention	Lecture1_CTP1, slides 20–21
Displacement, velocity, acceleration (symbols + units)	Lecture1_CTP1, slide 25
Average velocity formula	Lecture1_CTP1, slides 26–27
Speed vs velocity (with $100\mathrm{m}$ sprinter and $400\mathrm{m}$ runner)	Lecture1_CTP1, slides 27–29
Average acceleration formula	Lecture1_CTP1, slide 30
Sign-of-acceleration table on $v$–$t$ graphs	Lecture1_CTP1, slide 30
Kinematics 1D summary diagram (slope/area chain)	Lecture1_CTP1, slide 31
Reading a piecewise $v$–$t$ graph (Example 3)	Lecture1_CTP1, slide 32; handwritten p. 3
Four-step problem-solving approach	Lecture1_CTP1, slide 17; Tutorial 1, slide 6
Tutorial exercises 1–4 (Wolfson Ch 2 style)	Tutorial 1, slides 8–11

The lecture also explicitly states (slide 14) that course-supplied materials should be consulted before Google or generative AI, which influences how you should source your portfolio work.

Strongly inferred from workshop materials

These are almost certainly part of the lecture but are not pinpoint-cited in the slide deck PDFs:

• The “Visualise → memory extension” framing (slide 19) — that drawings help you not run out of working-memory mid-problem.
• The lecturer’s “Science is not math” framing on slide 16, used to set up why we do Model and Visualise before Solve.
• The textbook pointer to Wolfson Ch 2 (slide 35) and the Mastering Physics modules (slide 34).
• The expectation that you produce a Portfolio 1 artefact for the Week 1 workshop, applying the four-step approach to one of the tutorial questions.

Possible lecture content (not in notes)

Likely-but-unconfirmed lecture content for an introductory 1D kinematics chapter:

• A first encounter with instantaneous vs average velocity (limits — "$\Delta t\to 0$") and the link to derivatives, even if the formal definition is deferred to calculus.
• A short demonstration / video of a moving cart or sprinter to motivate $\bar{v}$.
• A quick mention of the SUVAT (constant-acceleration kinematic) equations — almost certainly Week 2’s material but sometimes previewed in Week 1.
• A brief discussion of significant figures / precision in physics calculations.

Gaps requiring official source check

• Tutorial 1 worked answers are not in the materials we have — only the questions. Check the workshop solution key for Exercises 1–4 to confirm sign conventions and accepted significant-figure counts.
• The exact phrasing of “average velocity” vs “average speed” examples may differ slightly between the printed slides and the live lecture — verify in your copy of the recorded lecture.
• Whether the lecturer assigns a sub-section of Mastering Physics specifically beyond the named “Introduction, Physics Primer, Motion in 1D” modules (slide 34).

Worked examples

Two notes cover the topic at different depths:

• Cheatsheet — every formula, table, and recipe on one page, plus the full quiz (mixed difficulty, reshuffles every visit).
• In-depth analysis — why each idea exists, the slope/area duality, and three full worked examples from the lecture (piecewise $x$–$t$ graph, sprinter vs $400\mathrm{m}$ runner, $v$–$t$ graph) plus an exam-style egg-drop sample.

Common mistakes

• Speed $\ne$ velocity. Around a closed loop, speed is non-zero but velocity is zero. Always carry the sign and the direction on $\bar{v}$.
• Dropping the sign of displacement. Negative $\bar{v}$ is real, not an error — it means motion in the negative direction.
• Flat-on-$v$–$t$ confusion. A horizontal section on $v$–$t$ means zero acceleration, not zero velocity. A horizontal section on $x$–$t$ means zero velocity.
• Plugging in numbers before defining symbols. Every symbol in the Solve step has to appear already on the Visualise diagram.
• Forgetting the Assess step. Always units-check, sign-check, sanity-check.
• Defaulting to Google or AI. The lecturer (slide 14) wants you to consult the EGD102 study materials first — different sources use different notation and conventions.

Practice questions

The Tutorial 1 PDF has four exercises. Recommended order for a first pass:

1. Exercise 1 — Egg drop. $\bar{a}$ during a 1.12 s fall ending at 17 m/s, then $\bar{a}$ during a 0.121 s stop. Easiest application of $\bar{a}=\Delta v/\Delta t$.
2. Exercise 2 — Train from rest. Plot $v$–$t$ in 5 s intervals for a train accelerating then cruising, and use the plot to build $x$–$t$. Practises the area-under-$v$–$t$ idea.
3. Exercise 3 — Curved $x$–$t$ plot. Estimate greatest positive and negative velocities, rest times, and average velocity. Practises reading slopes.
4. Exercise 4 — Basketball player. Combine motion diagram, $a$–$t$ graph from a $v$–$t$ graph, and distance-along-the-court. Hardest because it combines all three skills.

After Tutorial 1, work through Wolfson Ch 2 problems for extra practice.

Assessment relevance

• The four-step approach (Model → Visualise → Solve → Assess) is what Portfolio 1 in the Week 1 workshop class will mark you on.
• Reading slope and area off a motion graph is on virtually every later exam question — Week 1 is where you build the reflex.
• The scalar-vs-vector trap (e.g. the $400\mathrm{m}$ closed loop) is a classic exam question.

Confidence report

• Directly supported: every slide-cited concept in the table above, the three lecturer worked examples, and the four tutorial questions.
• Inferred: the lecturer’s framing decisions, the order of topics, and the link from Week 1 vocabulary to the calculus-style derivatives in slide 31.
• Gap: official Tutorial 1 solutions, exact wording of the live lecture, and any Mastering Physics sub-modules beyond the three named ones.

Source files used

• EGD102-Physics/Lecture1_CTP1.pdf
• EGD102-Physics/EGD102 - Lecture1 - Notes.pdf
• EGD102-Physics/Tutorial 1.pdf