Section 1: Displacement and Velocity

Displacement: The change in position of an object.

Displacement is a change in position and it has both magnitude and direction, which means it can be positive or negative
Displacement has dimensions of length
SI unit is meters (m)

Average velocity: the total displacement divided by the time interval

Average velocity has both magnitude and direction.
Velocity is NOT the same as speed.
On a Position-Time graph a.k.a. Displacement-Time graph velocity can be found by calculating the slope of a line
Average velocity is sometimes the same value as instantaneous velocity, but they dont mean the same thing.
Velocity has dimensions of length divided by time

SI units are meters per second .

Section 2: Acceleration

Acceleration: The rate of change of velocity in a given time interval

Average acceleration has both magnitude and direction
When velocity is constant ( ), acceleration is zero.

When velocity is negative ( ), acceleration is negative (decelerating)

Acceleration has dimensions of length divided by time squared

SI units are meters per second per second, or meters per second squared .

You need to know how to derive and use Displacement with Constant Acceleration formula:

You need to know how to derive and use Velocity with Constant Acceleration formula:

You need to know how to derive and use Displacement with Constant Acceleration formula:

You need to know how to derive and use Final Velocity after any Displacement formula:
Section 3: Falling Objects
Free fall is the motion of a body when only the force due to gravity is acting on the body

Objects on Earth accelerate at the same magnitude:

Gravitational accel. is always pointed towards the center of Earth, making gravitational acceleration negative:
When an object is thrown upward vertically, the final velocity at its apex is zero.
When an object is thrown upward vertically, the path upward is equivalent to the path downward.


Note: This is a study guide. This is not meant to convey all of the ideas we went over in class. Be sure to open your book and read it thoroughly.

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