Conceptual Physics: Motion

Physical Quantities

100

What is displacement? Give the definition and SI unit.

Change in position (m)

200

What is distance? Give the definition and SI unit.

The total length of a path m

300

What is velocity? Give the definition and SI unit.

The rate of change in displacement m/s

400

What is acceleration? Give the definition and SI unit.

The rate of change of velocity m/s²

500

How are velocity, acceleration, and displacement all related to each other?

Displacement is how far you travel, velocity is at what speed you travel, and acceleration is the rate that speed changes.

Linear Motion

100

d=5 m, t=5 s. Find v.

v=1 m/s

200

v_f=10m/s, v_i=5m/s, t=2.5s. Find a.

a=2m/s²

300

A car travels 8m forward, 8m back, and 2m forward. What is the total distance? What is the displacement?

Distance: 18m

Displacement: 2m

400

A runner finishes a 100m race in 20s. What was their average speed during the race?

5m/s

500

A car accelerates from rest to 10m/s in 2s. What is its acceleration?

5m/s²

Horizontal Launches (y first)

100

d_y=19.62m. Find t.

t=2s

200

A rock is dropped off a 4.905m cliff. How long does it take to hit the ground?

1s

300

dy=19.62m, v_ix=1m/s. Find d_x.

d_x=2m

400

A rock is launched horizontally at 10m/s off a 78.48m cliff. How far away does it land?

40m

500

A rock is launched horizontally off a 78.48m cliff. If it lands 12m away, how fast was it initially going?

3m/s

Horizontal Launches(x first)

100

d_x=12m, v_ix=3m/s. Find t.

t=4s

200

A rock is launched at 5m/s off a cliff. If it lands 10 m away, how long does it take to hit the ground?

2s

300

d_x=10m, v_ix=5m/s. Find d_y.

d_y=19.62m

400

A rock is launched horizontally at 10m/s off a cliff. If it lands 15m away, how high is the cliff?

11m

500

A car flies off a cliff. Assuming its speed at the top of the cliff is 30m/s entirely in the x-direction, and it lands 90m away, How high was the cliff?

44.2 m

Hypothetically....

100

What does it mean for a velocity to be negative?

The object is moving in the "negative direction"

200

What does it mean for acceleration to be negative?

Either slowing down or speeding up, depending on sign of velocity.

300

Can a path's distance be shorter than its displacement?

No.

400

If one ball is one dropped, and one is rolled horizontally from the same height, which lands first?

They land at the same time

500

How can you launch something from the same height with the same initial speed, but change the horizontal distance it travels?

Launch at an angle.