General Physics Week 2 Kinematics Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the fundamental concepts of kinematics, including displacement, velocity, acceleration, and graphical interpretation as discussed in Week 2.

Kinematics

Describes motion in terms of displacement, velocity and acceleration.

Translation

The term used in physics for motion along a straight line.

Position

Refers to the location of an object with respect to a reference point or origin.

Distance

Refers to the total length of path taken by an object in motion from its initial to final position.

Displacement

Refers to the straight line distance between an object's initial and final positions.

Speed

The distance traveled by a body in a given time.

Velocity

The time rate of change of position.

Average speed

Total distance traveled divided by the total time elapsed.

Instantaneous speed

The speed of an object at a particular moment in time.

Average velocity

Displacement traveled divided by the total time elapsed.

Instantaneous velocity

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

Acceleration

Refers to the rate of change in velocity.

Slope of a position-time graph

Provides the average velocity of an object.

Velocity-time graph

A graph providing information on displacement, velocity, and acceleration; its slope represents acceleration.

Area under an acceleration-time graph

Determines the change in velocity for a particular time interval by getting the area bounded by the curve and the time axis.