Concepts & Definitions
What is the total displacement of a person who walks 50 m East and then turns around and walks 50 m West?
0 m
What quantity does the slope of a Position vs. Time graph represent?
Velocity
Convert 2.5 km into meters.
2,500 m
What are the correct SI units for acceleration?
m/s2
Describe the line shape on a P-T graph for an object moving at a constant, positive velocity.
A straight line slanted upward
A student walks 10 m North and then turns and walks 2 m South. What is the total distance traveled and the displacement?
distance: 12 m
displacement: 8 m North
What quantity does the slope of a Velocity vs. Time graph represent?
Acceleration
A dog runs 80 m in 16 seconds. Calculate its speed.
5 m/s
A ball goes from rest to 8 m/s in 2 seconds. Calculate its acceleration.
4 m/s2
Describe the line shape on an Acceleration vs. Time graph for an object that is constantly accelerating (e.g., 5 m/s).
A horizontal line above the X-axis
True or False: If an object's speed is constant, its acceleration must be zero.
False (It could be changing direction)
What does a flat, horizontal line on a Position vs. Time graph mean?
Zero velocity / At rest
A student walks 5 m North, then 12 m East. What is the magnitude of their displacement?
13 m (Requires Pythagorean Theorem)
A train slows from 40 m/s to 10 m/s over 10 seconds. Calculate its acceleration.
-3 m/s2
Describe the line shape on a P-T graph that shows an object returning to the starting line.
A straight line slanted downward (negative slope)
A car reports its speed as 60 mph. To make this a velocity, what piece of information must be added?
Direction
What does a flat, horizontal line on a Velocity vs. Time graph mean?
Constant velocity / Zero acceleration
A car travels 100 m in 10 s and 200 m in 20 s. Calculate the average speed for the entire trip.
10 m/s (Total 300 m/Total 30 s)
True or False: If a car is traveling in the negative direction, its acceleration must also be negative.
False (It could be accelerating while moving in the negative direction)
Describe the line shape on a V-T graph for an object that is slowing down but still moving forward.
A line segment above the x-axis with a negative slope.
Define the difference between displacement and distance in terms of direction.
Displacement includes direction (it's a vector), distance does not (it's a scalar).
If a line on a V-T graph curves upward, is the acceleration increasing, decreasing, or constant?
Increasing (The slope is getting steeper)
A robot moves 10 m forward, 5 m backward, and 10 m forward, all in 5 seconds. Calculate its average velocity.
3 m/s forward (Net 15 m displacement/5 s)
A car accelerates at 5 m/s2. If Vi=20 m/s and Vf=45 m/s, calculate the time elapsed.
5 seconds
Describe the line shape on a P-T graph that shows an object speeding up from rest.
A curve that gets steeper (parabolic shape)