Motion in One Dimension - Review Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from Page 1 notes on Motion in One Dimension.

Scalar quantity

A quantity described by magnitude only; has no direction.

Vector quantity

A quantity described by both magnitude and direction.

Magnitude

The size or amount of a quantity; for vectors, the numerical value of the vector ignoring direction.

Direction

The orientation of a vector; the way in which the quantity points.

Velocity

The rate of change of position; a vector quantity with both magnitude (speed) and direction.

Distance

The total length of the path traveled; a scalar quantity.

Displacement

The straight-line vector from the starting position to the final position; has magnitude and direction.

Speed

The rate of motion; a scalar quantity equal to the magnitude of velocity.

Acceleration

The rate of change of velocity; a vector quantity with units of m/s².

Instantaneous velocity

The velocity of an object at a specific moment in time.

Instantaneous speed

The speed of an object at a specific moment in time (magnitude of instantaneous velocity).

Average speed

Total distance traveled divided by total time.

Final velocity

The velocity at the end of a time interval; for constant acceleration from rest, v = a t.

Uniformly accelerated motion

Motion with constant acceleration over time.

Gravity (gravitational acceleration, g)

Acceleration due to gravity, approximately 9.8 m/s² near Earth's surface.

SI unit

The International System of Units; standard units used in science.

Meter per second (m/s)

Unit of velocity; the speed with which distance is covered per unit time.

Meter per second squared (m/s²)

Unit of acceleration; the change in velocity per unit time.

Time

A measure of the duration over which motion occurs; used in calculating velocity and acceleration.

Start position vs final position

Beginning and ending points of a motion; displacement is the vector from start to finish.