intro to kinmatics

Acceleration in Motion Equations

• Acceleration appears in equations of motion as:

  • Acceleration due to gravity (g).

  • Other forms of acceleration depending on context (e.g. linear acceleration).

Key Variables in Motion

• Key variables include:

  • Displacement (DI, DF, or Delta X, Delta Y).

  • Initial and final velocities (V1, V2).

• Variables allow for solving equations of motion.

Distance vs. Displacement

• Distance:

  • Defined as how far an object travels.

  • Example: 20 meters left and 30 meters right equals 50 meters total distance.

  • Scalar quantity: does not include direction.

• Displacement:

  • Defined by the change from the initial position to the final position.

  • Equation: Displacement = Final position - Initial position.

  • Vector quantity: includes direction.

Understanding Motion through Graphs

• Displacement-Time (D-T) Graphs

  • Also known as Position-Time (P-T) graphs.

  • Used to visualize motion and identify characteristics such as uniform and non-uniform motion.

Speed vs. Velocity

• Speed:

  • Scalar quantity that measures how fast an object is moving.

• Velocity:

  • Vector quantity that includes both speed and direction.

  • Instantaneous velocity: found by drawing a tangent line on a non-linear graph.

Uniform vs. Non-Uniform Motion

• Uniform motion:

  • Occurs when the velocity remains constant (no acceleration).

• Non-uniform motion:

  • Occurs when velocity changes (includes acceleration).

  • Two types of acceleration: speeding up and slowing down (deceleration).

• Example of non-uniform motion includes:

  • Falling objects and skydiving.

Acceleration and Its Types

• Acceleration occurs when the velocity of an object changes.

• Types of acceleration include:

  • Positive acceleration: speed increases.

  • Negative acceleration (deceleration): speed decreases.

Movement Examples

• Dropped object: does not fall at constant speed due to acceleration from gravity.

• Skydiving: accelerates until terminal velocity is reached, where forces balance.

Graphical Representations of Motion

• Different graph types aid in understanding motion:

  • Velocity-Time (V-T) Graphs:

    • The slope indicates acceleration.

    • Area under the graph indicates displacement.

• Determining motion using graphs:

  • Graphs can indicate stationary, uniform, accelerating, and decelerating motions.

Velocity and Time Considerations

• When referring to velocity, it can be either positive or negative based on the orientation of motion.

• Identifying type of motion through graph characteristics such as slope and area under the curve gives insight into acceleration and distance traveled.