B: Physics = Changes in Motion 1.3 Average Velocity

Question 1

What is position in relation to a reference point?

Answer 1

Position is the distance and direction of a location relative to a reference point

Example: If Melissa and Usha are at the John Creek crossing, their position is 5.0 km north of base camp.

Question 2

How is position quantified?

Answer 2

Position is a vector quantity

A vector quantity describes the location of a point relative to a reference point.

Question 3

What is a vector?

Answer 3

A vector is a quantity consisting of magnitude and direction

Vectors are used to represent position because they include both distance and direction.

Question 4

Why is position considered a vector?

Answer 4

Because each position measurement includes a direction

The direction is crucial for defining the position relative to a reference point.

Question 5

What symbol is used to denote position to indicate direction?

Answer 5

The symbol for position includes an arrow over the variable

This notation signifies that the quantity includes direction.

Question 6

Fill in the blank: Position is defined as a ______ quantity describing the location of a point relative to a reference point.

Answer 6

vector

Question 7

True or False: Distance and position are the same concepts.

Answer 7

False

Position includes both distance and direction, while distance is a scalar quantity.

Question 8

What is position in relation to a reference point?

Answer 8

Position is the distance and direction of a location relative to a reference point

Example: If Melissa and Usha are at the John Creek crossing, their position is 5.0 km north of base camp.

Question 9

How is position quantified?

Answer 9

Position is a vector quantity

A vector quantity describes the location of a point relative to a reference point.

Question 10

What is a vector?

Answer 10

A vector is a quantity consisting of magnitude and direction

Vectors are used to represent position because they include both distance and direction.

Question 11

Why is position considered a vector?

Answer 11

Because each position measurement includes a direction

The direction is crucial for defining the position relative to a reference point.

Question 12

What symbol is used to denote position to indicate direction?

Answer 12

The symbol for position includes an arrow over the variable

This notation signifies that the quantity includes direction.

Question 13

Fill in the blank: Position is defined as a ______ quantity describing the location of a point relative to a reference point.

Answer 13

vector

Question 14

True or False: Distance and position are the same concepts.

Answer 14

False

Position includes both distance and direction, while distance is a scalar quantity.

Question 15

What is the sign convention?

Answer 15

An agreement about which direction is positive and which is negative

Sign conventions are often used in physics to simplify problems involving direction.

Question 16

Fill in the blank: In situations like this, it is often convenient to use a _______.

Answer 16

sign convention

Question 17

What is the symbol for displacement?

Answer 17

Δd with an arrow on top pointing to the right

The Greek letter delta (Δ) represents ‘change in.’

Question 18

Define displacement.

Answer 18

A vector quantity describing the length and direction in a straight line from the starting position to the final position.

Question 19

What does average velocity describe?

Answer 19

A vector quantity describing the change in position over a specified time.

Question 20

How is average speed different from average velocity?

Answer 20

Average speed does not reveal anything about the direction of motion.

Question 21

Fill in the blank: The term that describes both the magnitude of how fast an object is moving and the direction it is moving is called _______.

Answer 21

average velocity

Question 22

True or False: Speed and velocity are used interchangeably in everyday speech.

Answer 22

True

Question 23

What does the term ‘scalar’ refer to in the context of speed and velocity?

Answer 23

A quantity that has only magnitude and no direction.

Question 24

What is the difference between displacement and distance?

Answer 24

Displacement is a vector quantity, while distance is a scalar quantity.

Question 25

What is displacement in physics?

Answer 25

Displacement is the change in position between the starting point and the ending point.

Question 26

What is the resultant displacement?

Answer 26

The resultant displacement is the vector sum of individual displacements.

Question 27

What is the head-to-tail method?

Answer 27

The head-to-tail method is a method where the tail of a succeeding vector arrow begins at the head of the preceding vector arrow.

Question 28

How is the resultant displacement represented?

Answer 28

The resultant displacement is represented by a third arrow drawn from the tail of the first vector to the head of the second vector.

Question 29

What does the length of the arrow in a scale diagram represent?

Answer 29

The length of the arrow represents the magnitude (the number of kilometres).

Question 30

What does the direction of the arrow in a scale diagram indicate?

Answer 30

The direction of the arrow indicates the direction of motion.

Question 31

What is a scale diagram used for?

Answer 31

A scale diagram is used to visually represent each of the position vectors with an arrow.

Question 32

Fill in the blank: The value 1.2 km[N] is called the _______.

Answer 32

resultant displacement.

Question 33

True or False: The vector approach to finding displacement always yields the same outcome as the scalar solution.

Answer 33

False.

Question 34

What is the significance of the resultant displacement in a journey?

Answer 34

It summarizes the overall change in position from start to finish.

Question 35

What do you need to do to find the displacement for the entire journey?

Answer 35

You need to correctly draw one vector to scale and then start the next scale drawing at the head of the first vector.

Question 36

What is the definition of position in physics?

Answer 36

Position is the distance and direction of a location relative to a reference point.

Question 37

What is used to describe a change in position?

Answer 37

Displacement.

Question 38

What are vectors?

Answer 38

Quantities that have both magnitude and direction.

Question 39

How is average velocity calculated?

Answer 39

Average velocity = displacement / elapsed time.

Question 40

What is the relationship between displacement and elapsed time?

Answer 40

Average velocity is determined by dividing displacement by elapsed time.

Question 41

Fill in the blank: The resultant displacement is the sum of the individual _______.

Answer 41

[displacements].

Question 42

What method can be used to determine vectors such as displacement?

Answer 42

Scale diagram and the head-to-tail method.

Question 43

True or False: Displacement is a scalar quantity.

Answer 43

False.

Question 44

What type of quantity is average velocity?

Answer 44

Vector quantity.