2-Kinematics Notes

Kinematics

Distance - the length of the path travelled by a body.

Displacement - the distance of an object or a point, in a specified direction, from some reference point.

Speed - the total distance travelled per unit time.

Velocity - the rate of change of displacement.

Average speed – total distance/total time taken Instantaneous speed - the speed at a particular point in time.

Average velocity – total displacement/total time taken

Instantaneous velocity - the velocity at a particular point in time

Acceleration - the rate of change of velocity.

Note

1) If acceleration and velocity are in the SAME direction, magnitude of velocity is increasing. a and v have the same sign convention in the equations of motion.

2) If acceleration and velocity are in the OPPOSITE direction, magnitude of velocity is decreasing. a and v have the opposite sign convention in the equations of motion  deceleration