Ticker Tape Diagrams
A common way of analyzing the motion of objects in physics labs is to perform a ticker tape analysis. A longtape is attached to a moving object and threaded through a device that places a…
Motion with Diagrams
Introduction to Diagrams Throughout The Physics Classroom Tutorial, there is a persistent appeal to your ability to represent physical concepts in a visual manner. You will quickly notice that this…
The Direction of the Acceleration Vector
Since acceleration is a vector quantity, it has a direction associated with it. The direction of the acceleration vector depends on two things: · whether the object is speeding up or slowing…
Calculating the Average Acceleration
The average acceleration (a) of any object over a given interval of time (t) can be calculated using the equation This equation can be used to calculate the acceleration of…
The Meaning of Constant Acceleration
Sometimes an accelerating object will change its velocity by the same amount each second. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the data table above show an object changing its velocity…
Acceleration
The final mathematical quantity discussed in Lesson 1 is acceleration. An often confused quantity, acceleration has a meaning much different than the meaning associated with it by sports announcers and…
Average Speed versus Instantaneous Speed
Since a moving object often changes its speed during its motion, it is common to distinguish between the average speed and the instantaneous speed. The distinction is as follows. · Instantaneous…
Calculating Average Speed and Average Velocity
As an object moves, it often undergoes changes in speed. For example, during an average trip to school, there are many changes in speed. Rather than the speed-o-meter maintaining a…
Velocity as a Vector Quantity
Velocity is a vector quantity that refers to "the rate at which an object changes its position." Imagine a person moving rapidly - one step forward and one step back - always returning…
Speed and Velocity
Just as distance and displacement have distinctly different meanings (despite their similarities), so do speed and velocity. Speed is a scalar quantity that refers to "how fast an object is moving." Speed can be…
