Vocab Weeks 1-2 Flashcards
Displacement
The change in an object’s position
Vector Quantity
A physical measurement that contains directional information
Scalar Quantity
A physical measurement that does not contain directional information
One Dimension
Moving from one point to another in a straight line
Velocity
The time rate of change of an object’s position. The slope of a position-versus-time curve is the velocity. A vector quantity.
Speed
The time rate of change of the distance traveled by an object. A scalar quantity.
Instantaneous Velocity
The velocity of an object at one moment in time
Average Velocity
The velocity of an object over an extended period of time
Order in which to calculate velocity
Take the velocity of what is being observed minus the velocity of the observer
Acceleration
The time rate of change in an object’s velocity. The slope of velocity-versus-time curve.
Does velocity have to be zero when acceleration is zero?
No.
Does acceleration have to be zero when velocity is zero?
No.
The meaning of a variable in boldfaced type
It a vector quantity
Equation for Velocity
v = Δx/Δt (x= position and t= time)
Equation for Speed
Speed = Δd/Δt (d=distance and t=time)
Free Fall
Whenever any object is falling towards the earth without anything inhibiting its fall
Acceleration due to gravity
9.8 m/sec^2
The acceleration due to gravity is independent of the nature of the object experiencing free fall, as long as the object has mass.
Terminal Velocity
The velocity of a falling object has when, due to air resistance, its acceleration is reduced to zero. This is the maximum velocity a falling object subject to air resistance can achieve.
