Matter in Motion
Glossary
Kinematics: language and science that explains motion of objects
Vector: quantities that describe magnitude
Scalar: quantities that describe magnitude and
direction
Distance: always greater or equal to
displacement, scalar quantity (how much and
object has moved m,km)
Displacement: vector quantity (how much and
direction), when you come back to the starting
point displacement will always be 0.
Speed: scalar, how fast an object is moving (m/s)
Instantaneous speed: speed at any given
time
Average speed: average instantaneous speed (distance/ time ratio)
Velocity: vector, rate at which an object is changing position (m/s2)
Acceleration: vector, describes rate at which an object’s velocity changes (m/s2)
Constant acceleration: the velocity is changing by a constant amount each second
! Free falling objects are constantly accelerating
Position - Time graphs
Glossary
Kinematics: language and science that explains motion of objects
Vector: quantities that describe magnitude
Scalar: quantities that describe magnitude and
direction
Distance: always greater or equal to
displacement, scalar quantity (how much and
object has moved m,km)
Displacement: vector quantity (how much and
direction), when you come back to the starting
point displacement will always be 0.
Speed: scalar, how fast an object is moving (m/s)
Instantaneous speed: speed at any given
time
Average speed: average instantaneous speed (distance/ time ratio)
Velocity: vector, rate at which an object is changing position (m/s2)
Acceleration: vector, describes rate at which an object’s velocity changes (m/s2)
Constant acceleration: the velocity is changing by a constant amount each second
! Free falling objects are constantly accelerating
Position - Time graphs
