Motion and Representation
Magnitude of Difference
- The magnitude of the difference is 25.
- In one dimension, motion is simple (left or right).
- In three dimensions, motion involves up, down, left, right, toward, or away.
Representing Motion
- Representing motion by drawing lines can become complex and messy.
- Physics aims for convenience while remaining rigorous.
- Motion is often represented by a graph on an x-y plane.
Limitations of Simple Graphs
- A simple graph only indicates the start and end points without detailing the path taken.
- It doesn't capture changes in velocity or variations in the path.
- Example: Moving from one door to another, the average velocity doesn't account for going up and down stairs or across a back row.
- Simple calculations may not provide complete information about the actual motion.
- The math doesn't tell you anything about going up the stairs, going across the back row and down the stairs into the door. It just tells you that I started at one door and ended at the other.
- Because there's a loss of information.