Motion and Newton's Laws |
This page is just a simple reference for all types of motion, from one-dimensional to circular motion. I'll also try to include as much as I can on force, Newton's laws, kinematics, vectors, etc. The page is still under construction. Please let me know what you think! |
Part 1: Motion along a line |
Description of abreviations used: s or r = position vector v = velocity vector a = acceleration vector t = time |
The position is the location of an object with respect to a chosen coordinate system. A change in position is called the object's displacement. Velocity is the rate of change of the position vector. Acceleration is the rate of change of the velocity vector. |
Points to know: 1. An object is said to be speeding up if v and a are pointing in the same direction. 2. An object is slowing down if v and a are pointing in opposite directions. 3. An object has constant speed if its acceleration is zero. |
Kinematics is basically the mathematical description of motion; described in terms of position, velocity and acceleration. |
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As shown, instantaneous velocity and instantaneous acceleration are found by calculating the derivative of a point tangent to the position graph, or to a point tangent to a velocity graph, respectively. |
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Below, you'll find that the final position and final velocity are found by adding the initial position (or velocity) with the integration (or area) from the initial time to the final time on the graph. |
Below are the three important equations used when calculating problems that involve motion with constant acceleration. You should memorize these equations and keep practicing them on different problems till you feel absolutely comfortable with them. |
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Uniformly acceleration motion describes motion with constant acceleration. Uniform motion is motion with constant velocity and zero acceleration. The following is an equation to calculate the final position if the motion is uniform: |
Points to know on a cartesian coordinate graph: 1) Motion is to the right or up if v > 0. 2) Motion is to the left or down if v < 0. 3) Acceleration points to the right or up if a > 0. 4) Acceleration points to the left or down if a < 0. ** These points may seem obvious, but it's easy to get distracted or confused when working on a complicated problem. Please be sure to remember that acceleration doesn't always point in the direction of motion. |
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Free fall is motion with constant acceleration. The acceleration is equal to the acceleration due to the force of gravity, which is: |
One-dimensional acceleration along an incline plane is the following. Remember that the sign depends on the direction in thich the incline is tilting. |