Kinematics Terms, Summaries of Kinematics

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Kinematics Terms

• Mechanics - the study of the motion of objects.
• Kinematics - the science of describing the motion of objects using words, diagrams, numbers, graphs, and equations.

There are two types of quantities in

Science

• Scalar- a quantity that has only magnitude (size) - Example: time, temperature, speed
• Vector- a quantity that has magnitude AND direction - Knowing what direction it goes is as important as how much there is. - Examples- displacement, velocity, force, momentum

Distance

• Definition – the length between the initial position of an object and its final position, as it goes along a specific path (not always a straight line!) - HOW FAR! Or How much ground was covered!
• Units = Meters (m)
• Symbol = d

Displacement

• Definition – A vector that points from an object’s initial position to its final position and has a magnitude that equals the shortest distance between the two points. - How far out of position!
• Symbol: Δx [Δx = x f - x i

]

• Units = Meters (m) Displacement

Time

• Definition- WHEN something happens
• Tells you the instant something happens
• Units- seconds (usually measured from a reference point in time.)
• Symbol: t

Duration

• Definition – HOW LONG something takes to do an action.
• Units = Seconds (s)
• Symbol: Δt
• 60 seconds = 1 minute
• 60 minutes = 1 hour
• 24 hours = 1 day

Velocity

• Definition – A vector that describes HOW FAST an object is moving
• Units = Meters per second (m/s)
• Symbol: v

Speed vs. Velocity Examples  1. The diagram below shows the position of a cross-country skier at various times. At each of the indicated times, the skier turns around and reverses the direction of travel. In other words, the skier moves from A to B to C to D. Use the diagram to determine the average speed and the average velocity of the skier during these three minutes.

Ticker Tape Examples  Imagine a car with a leaky engine that drips oil at a regular rate. Analyze the traces of the cars ventures as shown below. Assume it is traveling from left to right. Describe it’s motion characteristics during each section of the diagram.