Motion in a Straight LineNEET Physics · Class 11 · NCERT Chapter 2

You can expect 2 to 4 questions from Motion in a Straight Line in NEET 2027, often combined with Motion in a Plane and Laws of Motion. The chapter has high PYQ frequency, with kinematic equations, free fall and graph-based questions being the most commonly tested.

Yes. It is the gateway to all of NEET mechanics. Every problem you solve in Motion in a Plane, Laws of Motion, Work-Energy and even Rotational Motion uses the kinematic equations and graph reasoning you learn here. Master this chapter first.

For motion with uniform acceleration: v = u + at, s = ut + (1/2)at squared, and v squared = u squared + 2as. Here u is initial velocity, v is final velocity, a is acceleration, s is displacement and t is time. These three equations solve almost every NEET problem in this chapter.

Distance is the total path length you travel and is always positive. Displacement is the straight-line vector from your starting position to your ending position and can be positive, negative or zero. If you walk 5 m east and then 3 m west, your distance is 8 m but your displacement is 2 m east.

On a velocity-time graph, the slope at any point equals the instantaneous acceleration, and the area under the curve between two times equals the displacement during that interval. A horizontal line means constant velocity; a straight slanted line means uniform acceleration.

Pick a sign convention first. Take downward as positive (or negative) and stick with it. For an object dropped from rest, u = 0 and a = +g (downward positive). For an object thrown up, u is positive and a is negative g. Then plug into the kinematic equations like any other constant-acceleration problem.

The velocity of object A as seen by an observer on object B is v_AB = v_A minus v_B. Both velocities must be measured in the same reference frame. If two cars move in the same direction at 60 and 40 km per hour, their relative velocity is 20 km per hour. If they move opposite, it is 100 km per hour.