Physics Acceleration & Velocity Flashcards
How do you calculate the distance travelled in a velocity-time graph?
The area underneath the line
What axis does the independent variable go on?
Y-axis
What is the equation for acceleration?
V - U / T
What does the v stand for?
Final velocity
What does the U stand for?
Initial velocity
On a distance-time graph, what does a horizontal line mean?
The object is stationary
On a speed-time graph, what does a diagonal line downwards mean?
A constant speed in the opposite direction (displacement is decreasing)
What is a scalar quantity?
One which only measures magnitude, or size
What is a vector quantity?
One that measures magnitude and direction
Give examples of vector quantities.
Force, displacement, acceleration, weight, momentum
Give examples of scalar quantities.
Distance, time, mass, temperature, energy, speed
What is the equation for velocity?
Displacement/time
What is the difference between velocity and speed?
Velocity is qualified by a direction (it’s a vector quantity) while speed only means the time rate of movement (it’s a scalar quantity)
On a distance-time graph, how do you calculate speed?
The gradient of the line
How do you calculate instantaneous speed on a curve?
Draw a tangent line and find its gradient
