All Flashcards
What is position, ?
Location of an object in space at time .
What is velocity, ?
Rate of change of position with respect to time; .
What is acceleration, ?
Rate of change of velocity with respect to time; .
Define 'displacement'.
Change in position: .
Define 'distance traveled'.
Total length of the path an object takes.
What is speed?
Magnitude of the velocity; absolute value of velocity.
What is initial position?
The position of an object at time , denoted as .
What is initial velocity?
The velocity of an object at time , denoted as .
What is the relationship between velocity and position?
Velocity is the derivative of position with respect to time.
What is the relationship between acceleration and velocity?
Acceleration is the derivative of velocity with respect to time.
On a position vs. time graph, what does a steeper slope indicate?
A higher velocity.
On a velocity vs. time graph, what does the area above the x-axis represent?
Positive displacement.
On a velocity vs. time graph, what does the area below the x-axis represent?
Negative displacement.
On a velocity vs. time graph, what does a point on the x-axis represent?
The object is momentarily at rest or changing direction.
On an acceleration vs. time graph, what does the area under the curve represent?
The change in velocity.
How do you find the instantaneous velocity at a specific time from a position vs. time graph?
Find the slope of the tangent line at that time.
How do you find the instantaneous acceleration at a specific time from a velocity vs. time graph?
Find the slope of the tangent line at that time.
What does a concave up position vs. time graph signify?
Positive acceleration; the object is speeding up.
What does a concave down position vs. time graph signify?
Negative acceleration; the object is slowing down.
How can you tell from a position vs. time graph if an object is moving towards or away from the origin?
If the absolute value of the position is increasing, it's moving away; if decreasing, it's moving towards.
What are the differences between displacement and distance traveled?
Displacement: Change in position, can be negative | Distance Traveled: Total path length, always non-negative.
What are the differences between velocity and speed?
Velocity: Rate of change of position with direction (can be negative) | Speed: Magnitude of velocity (always non-negative).
Compare finding displacement using definite integrals vs. indefinite integrals.
Definite Integral: Directly calculates displacement over an interval | Indefinite Integral: Gives a general position function, requires initial position to find displacement.
Compare finding velocity using derivatives vs. integrals.
Derivatives: Find velocity from position function | Integrals: Find velocity from acceleration function.
Compare average velocity and instantaneous velocity.
Average Velocity: Displacement over a time interval | Instantaneous Velocity: Velocity at a specific moment in time.
Compare positive and negative acceleration.
Positive Acceleration: Velocity is increasing | Negative Acceleration: Velocity is decreasing (deceleration).
Compare constant velocity and constant acceleration.
Constant Velocity: Acceleration is zero, object moves at a steady rate | Constant Acceleration: Velocity changes at a steady rate.
Compare the effect of integrating velocity when vs .
v(t) > 0: Displacement is positive, object moves in positive direction | v(t) < 0: Displacement is negative, object moves in negative direction.
Compare the meaning of a zero velocity and a zero acceleration.
Zero Velocity: Object is momentarily at rest | Zero Acceleration: Velocity is constant.
Compare the use of initial position and initial velocity in solving motion problems.
Initial Position: Used to find the constant of integration when integrating velocity | Initial Velocity: Used to find the constant of integration when integrating acceleration.