Describing Motion

Picturing Motion Motion Diagrams A series of images of a moving object

Particle Model Particle Model Replacing an object by a single point. Example  Ticker Timer Lab

Vectors and Scalars A quantity that has only magnitude is referred to as a scalar quantity A quantity that has magnitude and direction is referred to as a vector quantity The arrow head indicates direction, while the length of the arrow indicates magnitude

Vector Diagrams Interpret the motion of the following diagram. What would a gradually increasing velocity vector look like? Draw it.

Time Intervals and Displacement Displacement is the change in position of an object (defines the distance and direction between two positions) Therefore d =df - di Time interval is the difference between ti and tf Therefore t =tf – ti

Velocity and Acceleration Average Velocity Simply the slope of a Position vs. Time Graph V = d / t = (df – di) / (tf – ti) Average Acceleration Simply the slope of a Velocity vs. Time Graph a= v / t = (vf – vi) / (tf – ti)