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Position and frames of reference
A reference point is a point from where you take your measurements.
A frame of reference is a reference point with a set of directions.
Your position is where you are located with respect to your reference point.
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Displacement and distance
The displacement (Δx) of an object is how far it is from the reference point. It is the shortest
distance between the object and the reference point. It has magnitude and direction because
it is a vector.
The distance (D) of an object is the length of the path travelled from the starting point to the
end point. It has magnitude only because it is a scalar.
Displacement is the black line and distance is the blue line.
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Speed and velocity
Speed (v) is the distance covered (D) divided by the time taken (∆t):
Average velocity ( ) is the displacement (∆x) divided by the time taken (∆t):
Instantaneous speed is the speed at a specific instant in time.
Instantaneous velocity is the velocity at a specific instant in time.
⃗vav
v=
D
Δt
⃗vav=
Δ x
Δt
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Graphs of motion
● The gradient of a
position - time graph (x
vs. t) gives the velocity.
● The gradient of a
velocity - time graph (v
vs. t) gives the
acceleration.
● The area under a
velocity - time graph (v
vs. t) gives the
displacement.
● The area under an
acceleration - time graph
(a vs. t) gives the velocity.