Kinematics Flashcards
Vector
A physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction, i.e. displacement.
Scalar
A physical quantity that has magnitude only, i.e. distance.
Resultant Vector
The single vector which has the same effect as the original vectors acting together.
Position
A vector quantity that points from the reference point as the origin.
Distance
The length of path travelled. (Scalar quantity)
Displacement
A change in position. (Vector quantity)
What direction does displacement point in?
Initial to final position.
Speed
The rate of change of distance. (Scalar quantity)
Velocity
The rate of change of position.
OR
The rate of displacement.
OR
The rate of change of displacement.
(Vector quantity)
What is the difference between average velocity and instantaneous velocity?
Average velocity is the change in displacement of an object over a certain period of time.
Instantaneous velocity is the velocity of an object at a specific moment in time.
Acceleration
The rate of change of velocity.
How do projectiles fall?
Projectiles fall freely with gravitational acceleration (g = 9,8 m.s^-2) near the surface of the Earth.
How long to projectiles take to fall back to the point of launch?
Projectiles take the same time to fall back to the point of launch as the time to reach their greatest height from the point of upward launch.
What can you determine from the gradient of a position vs time graph?
The velocity of an object.
How do you determine the velocity of an object using a position vs time graph?
Calculate the gradient of the graph.
