The Physics of a Road Trip - Vocabulary
by Gabriel Godoy
1. Scalar Quantity: A quantity that has only magnitude.
2. Particle Model: A simplified version of a motion diagram in which the object in motion is replaced by a series of single points.
3. Speed: Scalar quantity that represents the magnitude of velocity.
4. Time: A measurable period.
5. Time interval: Distance between initial position and time.
6. Acceleration: Rate of change of velocity with respect to time.
6.1. change in velocity/change in time
7. Constant acceleration: velocity is changing by a constant amount of time.
8. Force: A push or a pull exerted on an object having magnitude and direction.
9. Mass: The quantity of matter in a body.
9.1. m=wg
10. Weight: The force exerted from gravity to an object.
11. Distance: Length of a displcement vector.
11.1. d=t*s
12. Vector Quantity: A quantity that includes both direction and magnitude.
13. Velocity: Measurement of the rate and direction of motion.
14. Displacement: Defines the distance and direction of 2 positions.
15. Average velocity: Constant acceleration.
15.1. change in d/change in time
16. Instantaneous velocity: Velocity of an object in motion at a specific point in time.
17. Instantaneous acceleration: Acceleration of an object at a particular
18. Macroscopic object: An object that is measurable and can be seen by the eye.
19. Net force: The sum of all the forces applied on an object.
20. Free body diagram: Models that are used to show the relative magnitude and direction.