Lesson 5 Displacement vs. Distance
Completion requirements
Introduction
How can we measure the motion of an object?
C2.1 Light trails in busy roadway
An object's motion can be measured and described in many ways. Is it speeding up? Is it slowing down? How far has it travelled? Where is it in relation to where it started? These are all questions that we can answer through measurements and calculations, as well as through creating and looking at graphs.
In Section 2, we will explore the ideas of speed and acceleration of an object. We will look at how to create graphs of data, and how to use a graph to describe the motion of an object. This is a continuation from Section 1, where we first looked at the kinetic energy of an object and work done by, or on, an object.
In Section 2, we will explore the ideas of speed and acceleration of an object. We will look at how to create graphs of data, and how to use a graph to describe the motion of an object. This is a continuation from Section 1, where we first looked at the kinetic energy of an object and work done by, or on, an object.
Targets
By the end of this section, you will be able to
C2.2 Aerial view of a roadway
- identify what scalar and vector quantities are, and work with position-time graphs.
C2.3 Speed limit sign on mountain road
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use the terms velocity and speed to describe motion, calculate velocity, and work with speed-time and position-time graphs.
C2.4 Toy rocket taking off
- describe the motion of an object when velocity is changing over time, calculate acceleration, and work with acceleration-time and speed-time graphs.