Chapter 11 Motion Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key motion concepts, vector quantities, formulas, and graph types from Chapter 11.

Frame of reference

A system of objects that are not moving with respect to one another, used to describe motion accurately and completely.

Relative motion

Movement in relation to a frame of reference.

Distance

The length of the path between two points.

Displacement

The direction from the starting point and the length of a straight line from the starting point to the ending point.

Vector

A quantity that has both magnitude and direction.

Speed

The ratio of the distance an object moves to the amount of time the object moves.

Average speed

The total distance traveled divided by the total time it takes to travel that distance, given by $\text{Average speed} = \frac{\text{Total distance}}{\text{Total time}}$.

Instantaneous speed

The rate at which an object is moving at a given moment in time.

Velocity

A vector quantity that specifies both the speed and direction of motion.

Acceleration

The rate at which velocity changes over time, calculated as $\text{Acceleration} = \frac{v_f - v_i}{t}$.

Free fall

The movement of an object toward Earth solely because of gravity.

Constant acceleration

A steady change in velocity where the velocity changes by the same amount each unit of time.

Linear graph

A graph in which the displayed data points form straight line segments.

Nonlinear graph

A graph in which a curve connects the plotted data points.

Instantaneous acceleration

How fast a velocity is changing at a specific instant in time.

Deceleration

An acceleration that causes an object to speed down, often referred to as negative acceleration.

Distance-time graph

A graph showing motion over time where the slope of the line represents the speed of the object.

Speed-time graph

A graph displaying speed over time where the slope of the line represents the acceleration of the object.