Physics Motion Basics

Distance and Displacement

• Distance: The total length of the path traveled by an object
• Displacement: The shortest distance between the initial and final positions of an object
• Distance is a scalar quantity, while displacement is a vector quantity
• Distance can be greater than or equal to displacement, but displacement can never be greater than distance

Speed and Velocity

• Speed: The rate of change of distance with respect to time
• Velocity: The rate of change of displacement with respect to time
• Speed is a scalar quantity, while velocity is a vector quantity
• Speed can be constant, but velocity can be changing if the direction of motion changes

Acceleration

• Acceleration: The rate of change of velocity with respect to time
• Acceleration is a vector quantity
• Acceleration can be positive (increasing velocity), negative (decreasing velocity), or zero (constant velocity)
• Units of acceleration: m/s²

Graphical Representation

• Distance-time graph: A graph showing the distance traveled by an object against time
• Velocity-time graph: A graph showing the velocity of an object against time
• Acceleration-time graph: A graph showing the acceleration of an object against time
• The slope of a distance-time graph represents velocity, and the slope of a velocity-time graph represents acceleration

Uniform and Non-Uniform Motion

• Uniform motion: Motion with a constant velocity (i.e., constant speed and direction)
• Non-uniform motion: Motion with a changing velocity (i.e., changing speed or direction)
• Examples of uniform motion: a car moving at a constant speed on a straight road, a ball rolling on a flat surface
• Examples of non-uniform motion: a car accelerating from rest, a ball thrown upwards under gravity