Displacement
What is the definition of displacement?
Displacement is the shortest straight-line distance from the initial position to the final position.
What is the definition of distance?
Distance is the total path length traveled by an object, regardless of direction.
What is a scalar quantity?
A scalar quantity has only magnitude, no direction (e.g., mass, time).
Define time interval in the context of motion.
A time interval is the duration between two events in motion. (the change in time)
If a person walks 3 meters east and then 4 meters west, what is their displacement?
The displacement is 1 meter west (since 3 meters east - 4 meters west = -1 meter).
If a car travels 60 kilometers in one direction and then returns back to its starting point, what is the distance traveled?
The total distance traveled is 120 kilometers (60 km in one direction and 60 km back).
Provide an example of a vector quantity.
An example of a vector quantity is velocity or displacement (which includes both magnitude and direction).
If a car travels for 2 hours at a speed of 60 km/h, what is the total distance covered?
The total distance covered is 120 kilometers (60 km/h × 2 hours).
How is displacement different from distance?
Displacement considers direction and straight-line distance, while distance only measures the total path traveled, regardless of direction.
Explain why distance is a scalar quantity.
Distance is a scalar quantity because it only has magnitude, not direction.
Is speed a scalar or vector quantity? Explain your answer.
Speed is a scalar because it only measures how fast something is moving, without direction.
How do you calculate the time interval between two events?
The time interval is the difference between the start and end times of the events.
What is the formula for calculating displacement?
Displacement = final position - initial position.
How do you calculate the total distance traveled if a runner completes laps of 400 meters, 500 meters, and 300 meters?
Total distance = 400 m + 500 m + 300 m = 1200 meters.
How would you represent velocity as a vector?
Velocity is represented as a vector with both magnitude (speed) and direction (e.g., 50 km/h east).
Explain how time intervals are important in understanding motion.
Time intervals are important to determine speed, velocity, and the overall motion of an object.
Give an example of a scenario where displacement is zero but distance is not.
Example: A person walks in a circle and returns to the starting point, resulting in zero displacement but a non-zero distance traveled.
Must be back to original position for zero displacement
If a person travels 10 km north, then 10 km south, what is their total distance traveled?
The total distance is 20 km (10 km north + 10 km south).
Compare and contrast scalar and vector quantities with examples.
Scalar quantities (like distance and speed) have magnitude only, while vector quantities (like displacement and velocity) have both magnitude and direction.
What effect does increasing the time interval have on the calculation of speed?
Increasing the time interval leads to a lower calculated speed if the distance remains constant (since speed = distance/time).