Motion Along a Straight Line

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to motion along a straight line.

Position

The location of an object at a given time.

Velocity

The rate at which an object changes its position; speed with a direction.

Acceleration

The rate at which an object changes its velocity; can be positive (speeding up) or negative (slowing down).

Displacement

The change in position of an object; the shortest path from initial to final position.

Instantaneous Velocity

Velocity of an object at a specific moment in time.

Average Velocity

Total displacement divided by total time taken.

Constant Acceleration

Acceleration that does not change over time.

Kinematic Equations

Equations that relate motion variables (displacement, velocity, acceleration, time) in a linear motion.

Graphical Representation of Motion

A visual representation of position, velocity, or acceleration changes over time.

Free Fall

The motion of an object falling solely under the influence of gravity.

Non-constant Acceleration

Acceleration that varies with time or position.

Average Acceleration

The change in velocity divided by the time interval over which the change occurs.

Vector Quantity

A quantity that has both magnitude and direction, e.g., velocity and acceleration.

Scalar Quantity

A quantity that has only magnitude, e.g., speed and distance.

Instantaneous Acceleration

Acceleration of an object at a specific moment in time.

Motion Diagram

A diagram showing the positions of a moving object at successive time intervals.

x-t graph

A graph that plots position (x) against time (t), showing how position changes.