| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| acceleration | The rate of change of velocity with respect to time. |
| direction | The orientation or path along which a quantity is measured, which depends on the choice of reference frame. |
| displacement | A vector quantity representing the change in position of an object from its initial to final location. |
| distance | A scalar quantity representing the total length of the path traveled by an object. |
| magnitude | The size or amount of a measured quantity, which can vary depending on the observer's reference frame. |
| one-dimensional coordinate system | A reference system used to describe positions and directions along a single axis, typically represented as a number line. |
| opposite directions | Directions that are 180 degrees apart on a coordinate system, represented by opposite signs in one-dimensional calculations. |
| position | A vector quantity describing the location of an object relative to a reference point. |
| scalar | A physical quantity that has magnitude only, without direction. |
| speed | A scalar quantity representing the rate at which an object covers distance. |
| vector | A quantity that has both magnitude and direction, which can be represented as the sum of perpendicular components. |
| vector component | The projection of a vector along a specific axis or direction, which in one dimension is indicated by the sign of the value. |
| vector sum | The result of adding two or more vectors together, taking into account both magnitude and direction. |
| velocity | A vector quantity that describes both the speed and direction of an object's motion. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| acceleration | The rate of change of velocity with respect to time. |
| average acceleration | The change in velocity of an object divided by the time interval over which that change occurs. |
| average velocity | The displacement of an object divided by the time interval over which that displacement occurs. |
| displacement | A vector quantity representing the change in position of an object from its initial to final location. |
| instantaneous acceleration | The acceleration of an object at a specific instant in time, equal to the slope of the tangent line to a velocity-time graph. |
| instantaneous velocity | The velocity of an object at a specific instant in time, equal to the slope of the tangent line to a position-time graph. |
| object model | A simplification in physics where an object is treated as a single point with properties like mass and charge, ignoring size, shape, and internal structure. |
| position | A vector quantity describing the location of an object relative to a reference point. |
| time interval | The duration of time over which a change in an object's motion is measured. |
| velocity | A vector quantity that describes both the speed and direction of an object's motion. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| acceleration | The rate of change of velocity with respect to time. |
| constant acceleration | Motion in which an object's acceleration remains the same throughout the time interval being analyzed. |
| displacement | A vector quantity representing the change in position of an object from its initial to final location. |
| gravitational acceleration | The constant downward acceleration of objects near Earth's surface due to gravity, approximately 10 m/s². |
| instantaneous acceleration | The acceleration of an object at a specific instant in time, equal to the slope of the tangent line to a velocity-time graph. |
| instantaneous velocity | The velocity of an object at a specific instant in time, equal to the slope of the tangent line to a position-time graph. |
| kinematic equations | Mathematical equations used to describe the motion of an object under constant acceleration in one dimension. |
| motion diagrams | Visual representations of an object's motion showing its position at successive time intervals. |
| position | A vector quantity describing the location of an object relative to a reference point. |
| velocity | A vector quantity that describes both the speed and direction of an object's motion. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| acceleration | The rate of change of velocity with respect to time. |
| coordinate system | A reference framework used to resolve vectors into their perpendicular components, typically using horizontal and vertical axes. |
| direction | The orientation or path along which a quantity is measured, which depends on the choice of reference frame. |
| inertial reference frame | A reference frame in which Newton's laws of motion apply; a frame that is either at rest or moving at constant velocity. |
| magnitude | The size or amount of a measured quantity, which can vary depending on the observer's reference frame. |
| observed velocity | The velocity of an object as measured by an observer in a particular reference frame, determined by combining the object's velocity with the observer's frame velocity. |
| observer | A person or point of view from which physical phenomena are measured and described. |
| vector addition | The mathematical process of combining two or more vectors to find a resultant vector, used when combining velocities from different reference frames. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| acceleration | The rate of change of velocity with respect to time. |
| coordinate system | A reference framework used to resolve vectors into their perpendicular components, typically using horizontal and vertical axes. |
| kinematic relationships | Mathematical equations that describe the motion of objects in terms of displacement, velocity, acceleration, and time. |
| motion components | The separation of two-dimensional motion into independent one-dimensional motions along perpendicular axes. |
| perpendicular components | The parts of a vector that are at right angles to each other, obtained by breaking down a vector into horizontal and vertical parts. |
| projectile motion | A special case of two-dimensional motion in which an object experiences zero acceleration in one dimension and constant, nonzero acceleration in the perpendicular dimension. |
| resultant | The single vector that represents the combined effect of two or more perpendicular component vectors. |
| trigonometric functions | Mathematical functions (sine, cosine, tangent) used to calculate the perpendicular components of a vector based on its magnitude and angle. |
| two-dimensional motion | Motion of an object that occurs in two perpendicular directions simultaneously. |
| vector | A quantity that has both magnitude and direction, which can be represented as the sum of perpendicular components. |