Are you moving (Q&A) Q: Have you ever been in a stopped car and thought yours was rolling because the car beside you moved? A: Yes Q: Why does it feel that way? A: You were using the car as reference point to determine whether you were moving or not Q: So how can you be SURE you are moving? A: If your position changes from a stationary reference point!! Note the stationary part.

Distance vs. Displacement And other motion-related topics

Motion Every object has a position, a place in reference to other objects Ex. You are seated to the right of billy and to the left of bob and in front of Jane and behind timmy These objects that we use for reference are called reference points and they describe a relative position If your relative position changes then we must say that motion has occurred!

Changes in Position When position changes we know that motion has occurred and therefore a distance has been traveled Note that DISTANCE is how far something actually traveled to get from one place to another, regardless of the path DISPLACEMENT is how far two points are from one another in a straight-line Let’s examine these differences in terms of how to get from Salisbury to Charlotte (see overhead)