Motion Flashcards
Distance
How far an object moves
But not what direction it moves in
What quantity is distance?
Scalar
It has a measurement of how far it moved but not what direction
Displacement
The distance an object moves from start to finish
Only shown as a straight line, not the turns it could take
Include direction if that line eg north east or west
What quantity is displacement?
Vector
Because it is a measure of how far it travelled and the direction
Speed
Tells us the distance something travelled in a given time
What quantity is speed?
Scalar because it doesn’t have a direction
How to find speed (m/s)
Distance (m)
—————
Time (s)
What’s different about the speed/distance/time equation?
Distance represented by symbol S
Speed represented by symbol V
Normal walking speed
1.5m/s
Running speed
3m/s
Cycling speed
6m/s
What do non mechanical speeds (walking, running etc) depend on?
Who the person is, a fitter/younger person may move quicker than older/unfit
Terrain, people move quicker on flat ground
Than uphill
Distance travelled, people move quicker at the beginning of a long distance route when more energy
Car on main road speed
13m/s
Fast train in Uk speed
50m/s
Cruising aeroplane speed
250m/s
Speed or sound in air
330m/s
Is speed of a losing object always constant?
No
It changes on its journey ie a car slowing down and speeding up
Even though speed is usually not constant, how do we find a value for calculations?
We use the average speed over the cause of the journey
Equation for distance
Speed (m/s) x time (s)
Velocity
An objects speed in a certain direction
For example it says north, east, south, west
Speed vs velocity
For example:
Speed = 20m/s
Velocity = 20 m/s east
What quantity is velocity?
Vector
Because it gives us a measure of speed and the direction it is in
How do we calculate velocity?
The same way we find speed
(Distance/time)
But you MUST write the direction NEXT to it
When is the velocity value different?
When objects move in a circle
How does velocity change in objects moving in a circle?
If it moves at a constant speed in a circle/ part of a circle
The velocity constantly changes
Because it’s direction changes although the speed is the same
This is because to calculate the velocity, distance is a value you need to know as well
Distance time graphs
How we can show a distance an object travelled in a journey
Over the course of a given time
Also can calculate speed using it
When can we draw a distance time graph?
If the object moves in a straight line
How do distance time graphs look?
DISTANCE (m) on y axis
TIME (s) on x axis