Motion - Vocabulary Terms

Front

Distance

Back

the length of the path between two points

Front

Slope

Back

the steepness of a graph; the ratio of the vertical change to the horizontal change; rise divided by run

Front

Instantaneous Speed

Back

speed of an object at a given instant in time

Front

Average Speed

Back

the overall rate of speed at which an object moves; calculated by dividing the total distance by the total time

Front

Speed

Back

the distance an object travels per unit of time

Front

Velocity

Back

speed in a given direction

Front

Motion

Back

the state in which one object's distance from another is changing

Front

Reference Point

Back

a place or object used for comparison to determine if an object is in motion; good reference points include buildings, trees, and signs

Front

Acceleration

Back

the rate at which velocity changes

Front

International System of Units

Back

a system of units used by scientists to measure the properties of matter; a base 10 system