Motion: Distance and Displacement Lecture Flashcards

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers fundamental concepts of motion, including the definitions of scalar and vector quantities, distance, and displacement, based on the lecture notes provided.

Motion

An object's change in position that can be illustrated in one dimension through motion diagrams.

Scalar Quantity

A quantity that has magnitude only.

Vector Quantity

A quantity that has both magnitude and direction.

Distance

Measuring the total length of the path travelled by an object.

Displacement

Measuring the shortest distance between the initial position to final position of an object.

Total distance traveled ($D_t$)

The sum of the lengths of all paths taken by an object, as seen in the example where Vincent drove $3\,km$, $1\,km$, and $3\,km$ to total $7\,km$.

Motion Diagrams

Visual tools used to illustrate an object's motion in one dimension.