Describing and Measuring Motion  d = dfinal – dinitial

How do you recognize motion?

 In order to define displacement, we need directions.
 An object is in motion when its distance from another object is changing.
Movement depends on your point of view.  Examples of directions:

What is a reference point?  + and –

 A place or object used for comparison to determine if something is in motion.  N, S, E, W

An object is in motion if it changes position relative to a reference point.
 Angles
Vectors and Scalars
 Let’s revisit our ant, and
this time we’ll find his displacement.

 Distance: 3 cm

 Displacement: +3 cm. The positive gives the ant a direction!

 d = dfinal – dinitial

 Find the distance and

displacement of
the ant.
 A SCALAR is ANY quantity in physics that has MAGNITUDE, but NOT a direction
associated with it. Magnitude – A numerical value with units.  Distance: 7 cm
 A VECTOR is ANY quantity in physics that has BOTH MAGNITUDE and
DIRECTION.  Displacement: +3 cm
 Vectors are typically illustrated by drawing an ARROW above
Displacement vs. Distance
the symbol. The arrow is used to convey direction and
magnitude.  Example of distance: The ant walked 3 cm.

Distance, Displacement, Speed, and Velocity  Example of displacement: The ant walked 3 cm EAST.

 Distance (d) – how far an object travels. Does not depend on direction.  An object’s distance traveled and its displacement aren’t always the same!

Imagine an ant crawling along a ruler. Speed

What distance did the ant travel? d = 3
cm  Speed (s) – Rate at which an object is moving.

 speed = distance / time

 Displacement (d) – difference between an object’s final position and its
starting position. Does depend on direction.
 Displacement = final position – initial position
 s = d/t
 Like distance, speed does not depend on direction.
 A car drives 100 meters in 5 seconds. What is the car’s average speed?
 s = d/t  “Speeding Up” = Acceleration (Positive #)

s = (100 m) / (5 s) = 20 m/s  “Slowing Down” = Deceleration (Negative #)

 Turning (Change in Direction) = Acceleration

Velocity Activity

► Velocity is the speed of an object in a particular direction Identify the following if it is Scalar or Vector Quantity.

► Velocity appears to be very similar to speed, however, when describing the 1) The football player was running 10 miles an hour towards the end zone.
velocity of an object you need to provide a magnitude and a direction
2) The volume of that box at the west side of the building is 14 cubic feet.
► Magnitude – the speed of the object
3) The temperature of the room was 15 degrees Celsius.
► Direction – the direction the object is moving
4) The car accelerated north at a rate of 4 meters per second squared.
► Velocity (v) – speed with direction.
5. 3.5meters
► velocity = displacement / time
6. 55 feet upward
► v = d / t
7. 5km to the right
► Has magnitude and direction!
8. 100cm
► Magnitude – a measure that has a value
9. 70degree Celsius
Ex) A bus has a velocity of 35miles/hr heading west
10. 70mph East

11. – 12meters
 Back to our ant
explorer! 12. 10km/hr NW

 Distance traveled: 7 cm 13. 5 gigabytes

14. 5:30 AM
 Displacement: +3 cm
15. 35 seconds
 Average speed: (7 cm) / (5 s) = 1.4 cm/s

 Average velocity: (+3 cm) / (5 s) = +0.6 cm/s

Acceleration

 Change in Velocity over time

 Remember: Velocity is Speed AND Direction