Podcast
Questions and Answers
Which of the following physical quantities has both magnitude and direction?
Which of the following physical quantities has both magnitude and direction?
What is the representation of a vector quantity?
What is the representation of a vector quantity?
What is the SI unit of distance?
What is the SI unit of distance?
What is the main difference between distance and displacement?
What is the main difference between distance and displacement?
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What does a curved line on a distance-time graph indicate?
What does a curved line on a distance-time graph indicate?
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What is the rate of change of displacement with respect to time?
What is the rate of change of displacement with respect to time?
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What is the difference between a scalar quantity and a vector quantity?
What is the difference between a scalar quantity and a vector quantity?
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What is the purpose of a distance-time graph?
What is the purpose of a distance-time graph?
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What is the unit of displacement?
What is the unit of displacement?
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What is the difference between velocity and speed?
What is the difference between velocity and speed?
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Study Notes
Distance and Displacement
Scalar vs Vector
In physics, a scalar quantity is a physical quantity that can be described by magnitude alone, without any direction. Examples include mass, temperature, and energy. On the other hand, a vector quantity is a physical quantity that has both magnitude and direction. Examples include displacement, velocity, and acceleration. Vector quantities are typically represented using arrows, with the length of the arrow corresponding to the magnitude of the quantity and the direction of the arrowhead corresponding to the direction of the quantity.
Magnitude and Direction
Distance: Distance is the distance covered by an object during motion. It is a scalar quantity, meaning it has only magnitude and no direction. The SI unit of distance is the meter (m).
Displacement: Displacement is the shortest distance between an object's initial and final positions. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction. The SI unit of displacement is also the meter (m).
Distance-Time Graphs
A distance-time graph is a graph used to represent the displacement of an object over time. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the displacement of the object. A straight line on the graph indicates constant velocity, while a curved line indicates non-constant velocity.
Average Velocity
Velocity: Velocity is the rate of change of displacement with respect to time. It can be represented as the slope of the velocity-time graph. The velocity of an object is given by:
v = Δd / t
where v is the velocity, Δd is the change in displacement, and t is the time interval.
Average Velocity: In non-uniform motion, the average velocity of an object is the total displacement covered by the object divided by the total time taken. It is represented as:
v_avg = Δd / t
where v_avg is the average velocity, Δd is the total displacement, and t is the total time.
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Description
Test your understanding of distance, displacement, and velocity in physics. Learn about the differences between scalar and vector quantities, and how to calculate average velocity. Perfect for students of physics and engineering.
