10 Questions
Distance is a measure of how far an object has moved from its final position.
False
Displacement refers to the net change in an object's position.
True
Speed is a vector quantity that describes the direction and speed of an object's motion.
False
Acceleration is a scalar quantity that tells you how fast an object is moving.
False
When a person walks around a circular track, their distance and displacement are always equal.
False
Speed is calculated as the total time taken divided by the distance covered.
False
Velocity is calculated as the total time taken divided by the displacement.
False
If a car travels 60 miles from home and then returns home, its velocity will be zero.
True
Acceleration can only occur due to an increase in speed.
False
The formula for acceleration is Final Velocity minus Initial Velocity divided by Time.
True
Study Notes
Motion of an Object
Motion is defined as the change in position of an object over time. Understanding motion involves studying several related concepts such as displacement, speed, velocity, and acceleration. In this section, we will discuss these subtopics in detail.
Distance vs Displacement
Distance is a measure of how far an object has moved from its initial position, while displacement refers to the net change in an object's position. To calculate the distance traveled by an object, you would simply sum up all the distances it covered during movement. On the other hand, displacement measures the straight line distance between the final and initial positions of the object. When moving along a circular path, both distance and displacement are equal to the circumference of the circle, despite the direction of motion being different.
In everyday life examples, consider a person walking around a circular track. From one end of the track to another, they cover a certain distance, but their displacement is the straight line distance between the starting and ending points of their path.
Speed vs Velocity
Speed and velocity are two related but distinct concepts in physics. Speed is a scalar quantity that tells you how fast an object is moving, while velocity is a vector quantity that describes the direction and speed of an object's motion.
Speed is calculated as the total distance covered divided by the time taken, while velocity is calculated as the displacement divided by the time taken. For example, a car traveling 60 miles in 20 minutes has a speed of 30 miles per hour, but if the car traveled 60 miles from home and finished its journey back home, then its velocity is zero because the displacement is zero.
Acceleration
Acceleration is defined as the rate of change in velocity with respect to time. It can occur due to an increase in speed (accelerating an object already moving) or direction (changing the direction of motion of an object). The formula for acceleration is:
Acceleration = Final Velocity - Initial Velocity / Time
For example, if a car starts at rest and after 3 seconds reaches a velocity of 30 meters/second, its acceleration would be 10 meters/second^2.
Explore the fundamental concepts of motion in physics, including distance, displacement, speed, velocity, and acceleration. Learn how to differentiate between distance and displacement, speed and velocity, and understand the basics of acceleration calculations.
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