Scribd
Upload
166 views2 pages

Introduction To The Language of Kinematics

This document introduces the language of kinematics used to describe motion. It discusses scalars and vectors, which are the two categories used to describe the mathematical quantities of motion. Scalars have only magnitude, while vectors have both magnitude and direction. The document focuses on distance, displacement, speed, velocity, and acceleration as examples and explores their definitions as scalars or vectors.

Uploaded by

Jeje Nut
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
166 views2 pages

Introduction To The Language of Kinematics

This document introduces the language of kinematics used to describe motion. It discusses scalars and vectors, which are the two categories used to describe the mathematical quantities of motion. Scalars have only magnitude, while vectors have both magnitude and direction. The document focuses on distance, displacement, speed, velocity, and acceleration as examples and explores their definitions as scalars or vectors.

Uploaded by

Jeje Nut
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Introduction to the Language of Kinematics

 Introduction
 Scalars and Vectors
 Distance and Displacement
 Speed and Velocity
 Acceleration
A typical physics course concerns itself with a variety of broad topics. One such topic
is mechanics - the study of the motion of objects. The first six units of
The Physics Classroom tutorial will involve an investigation into the
physics of motion. As we focus on the language, principles, and laws
that describe and explain the motion of objects, your efforts should
center on internalizing the meaning of the information. Avoid
memorizing the information; and avoid abstracting the information from
the physical world that it describes and explains. Rather, contemplate the information,
thinking about its meaning and its applications.
Kinematics is the science of describing the motion of objects using words, diagrams,
numbers, graphs, and equations. Kinematics is a branch of mechanics. The goal of any
study of kinematics is to develop sophisticated mental models that serve to describe
(and ultimately, explain) the motion of real-world objects.
In this lesson, we will investigate the words used to describe the motion of objects.
That is, we will focus on the language of kinematics. The hope is to gain a comfortable
foundation with the language that is used throughout the study of mechanics. We will
study such terms as scalars, vectors, distance, displacement, speed, velocity and
acceleration. These words are used with regularity to describe the motion of objects.
Your goal should be to become very familiar with their meaning.
Physics is a mathematical science. The underlying concepts and principles have a
mathematical basis. Throughout the course of our study of physics, we will encounter a
variety of concepts that have a mathematical basis associated with them. While our
emphasis will often be upon the conceptual nature of physics, we will give considerable
and persistent attention to its mathematical aspect.
The motion of objects can be described by words. Even a person without a background
in physics has a collection of words that can be used to describe moving objects. Words
and phrases such as going fast, stopped, slowing down, speeding up,
and turning provide a sufficient vocabulary for describing the motion of objects. In
physics, we use these words and many more. We will be expanding upon this
vocabulary list with words such as distance, displacement, speed, velocity,
and acceleration. As we will soon see, these words are associated with mathematical
quantities that have strict definitions. The mathematical quantities that are used to
describe the motion of objects can be divided into two categories. The quantity is either
a vector or a scalar. These two categories can be distinguished from one another by
their distinct definitions:
 Scalars are quantities that are fully described by a magnitude (or numerical
value) alone.
 Vectors are quantities that are fully described by both a magnitude and a
direction.
The remainder of this lesson will focus on several examples of vector and scalar
quantities (distance, displacement, speed, velocity, and acceleration). As you proceed
through the lesson, give careful attention to the vector and scalar nature of each
quantity. As we proceed through other units at The Physics Classroom Tutorial and
become introduced to new mathematical quantities, the discussion will often begin by
identifying the new quantity as being either a vector or a scalar.
 

You might also like