Physics Midterm Review Sheet: Motion, Forces, and
Graphs
1. Motion: Speed, Velocity, and Acceleration
Speed - How fast an object moves - Does not include direction
Velocity - Speed with direction - Can be positive or negative depending on your
chosen direction
Acceleration - Rate at which velocity changes - Can change speed, direction, or both -
Zero acceleration means velocity is constant (not necessarily zero)
Key Ideas to Know - An object can have: - Zero velocity but nonzero acceleration -
Nonzero velocity with zero acceleration - Direction matters in all motion problems
Practice Check Describe a situation where an object has a constant velocity and a
situation where an object has zero velocity but nonzero acceleration.
2. Constant Velocity Motion
Constant velocity motion occurs when: - Acceleration is zero - Net force is zero -
Velocity does not change with time
Characteristics - Position changes linearly with time - Velocity–time graph is a
horizontal line
You Should Be Able To - Calculate displacement using velocity and time - Interpret
constant velocity from words or graphs
Practice Check Sketch a velocity–time graph for an object moving at constant velocity.
Explain how displacement could be found from this graph.
3. Constant Acceleration Motion
Constant acceleration means: - Velocity changes by equal amounts in equal time
intervals - Acceleration stays the same throughout the motion
Gravity - Near Earth’s surface, acceleration due to gravity is constant - Acceleration
due to gravity acts downward - Velocity changes continuously even when acceleration is
constant
