Kinematics Vocabulary Flashcards
Kinematics
The study of the motion of objects without reference to mass or force.
Frame of Reference
A system for specifying the precise location of objects in space and time.
Displacement
The change in position of an object.
Vector
A physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction.
Average Velocity
The total displacement divided by the time interval during which the displacement occurred.
Instantaneous Velocity
The velocity of an object at some instant or at a specific point in the object’s path.
Acceleration
The rate at which velocity changes over time; an object changes if its speed, direction, or both change.
Free Fall
The motion of a body when only the force due to gravity is acting on the body.
Slope
The ratio of the “vertical change” to the “horizontal change” between (any) two distinct points on a line.
Scalar
A physical quantity that has magnitude, but no direction.
Resultant
A vector that represents the sum of two or more vectors.
Component Vectors
The horizontal and vertical vectors that can be added together to create any angled vector.
Projectile Motion
The curved path that an object follows when thrown, launched, or otherwise projected near the surface of Earth.
