Twenty minutes or less.

5-minute version

Three things, one sentence each.

• Scalars vs vectors — magnitude only (speed, distance, time) vs magnitude + direction (displacement, velocity, acceleration); around a closed loop, speed $\ne 0$ but velocity $=0$.
• Kinematic formulas — $\bar{v}=\Delta s/\Delta t$ and $\bar{a}=\Delta v/\Delta t$, in SI units, with sign.
• Motion graphs — slope of $v$–$t$ is acceleration; area under $v$–$t$ is displacement; same idea read both directions.

Open the cheatsheet quiz, do 3 easy questions, close it. You’re prepped.

20-minute prep plan

Time	Action
0–5 min	Skim the cheatsheet tables — scalar/vector table and the slope/area mapping.
5–10 min	Do Tutorial 1 Exercise 1 (egg drop) with the full Model → Visualise → Solve → Assess steps, longhand.
10–15 min	Take the cheatsheet quiz. Don’t worry about the score — note which ones felt slow.
15–20 min	Read the matching “common mistakes” section + the egg-drop worked sample in the in-depth note.

What to revise first

Most students slip on two specific things in this week:

1. Mixing up speed and velocity. If your $\bar{v}$ for the $400\mathrm{m}$ runner is non-zero, you computed speed, not velocity. Re-read the definition and re-draw the coordinate axes before doing any algebra.
2. Skipping the Visualise step. Slide 17 is explicit — spend your time there. If you’re plugging numbers into a formula without a labelled diagram showing knowns, unknowns, and positive direction, you will drop a sign on a $v$–$t$ slope question.

Key formulas

$\bar{v}=\frac{\Delta s}{\Delta t}=\frac{s_f-s_i}{\Delta t}\bar{a}=\frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t}=\frac{v_f-v_i}{\Delta t}$

$v=\frac{dx}{dt}a=\frac{dv}{dt}$

$x(t)=\int v(t)dtv(t)=\int a(t)dt$

$\text{Average speed}=\frac{d}{t}$

Likely workshop tasks

Task type	What the setup usually looks like
Compute $\bar{v}$ or $\bar{a}$	Two times, two positions/velocities — plug into $\Delta /\Delta t$ with sign
Speed vs velocity contrast	A closed-loop or partly-reversed path; compute both, comment on why they differ
Read slope off $x$–$t$ or $v$–$t$	Piecewise linear graph; compute slope on each segment
Read area under $v$–$t$	Decompose into rectangles + triangles; sum the areas with sign
Build $a$–$t$ from $v$–$t$	Take slope on each segment; draw step graph
Apply the four-step approach (Portfolio 1)	Take any kinematics situation and write out Model, Visualise, Solve, Assess in full

Mistakes to avoid

• Treating a flat $v$–$t$ section as zero velocity. It’s zero acceleration.
• Computing speed when the question asks for velocity (or vice versa).
• Dropping the minus sign on a negative-direction motion or a deceleration.
• Mixing up $\Delta x$ (vector, signed) and $d$ (scalar, total path).
• Forgetting SI units on the final answer.
• Plugging numbers in before defining symbols on a diagram.

Mini self-test

Try these without notes. Five minutes total.

1. A car travels $300\mathrm{m}$ east in $20\mathrm{s}$, then $100\mathrm{m}$ west in $10\mathrm{s}$. Find the average speed and the average velocity over the whole $30\mathrm{s}$.
2. A velocity-vs-time graph is flat at $v=3m/s$ from $t=0$ to $t=4\mathrm{s}$. What is the displacement and what is the acceleration on that interval?
3. A cyclist accelerates from $5m/s$ to $12m/s$ in $3.5\mathrm{s}$. Find the average acceleration.

Answers:

Question	Answer
1	Speed $=400/30\approx 13.3m/s$; $\bar{v}=(+200)/30\approx +6.7m/s$ east
2	Displacement = area = $3\times 4=12\mathrm{m}$; $a=0m/{\mathrm{s}}^2$ (flat $\Rightarrow$ no slope)
3	$\bar{a}=(12-5)/3.5=2m/{\mathrm{s}}^2$

Done checklist

• Read the cheatsheet tables.
• Worked Tutorial 1 Exercise 1 longhand with the four-step approach.
• Cheatsheet quiz attempted.
• Mini self-test attempted.
• Coordinate-system / sign-convention habit feels natural.

That’s it. Close the laptop.

Source files used

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