Physics Fall 2024 Vocabulary

Front

Acceleration

Back

A vector quantity that measures the rate of change in velocity.

Front

Average velocity

Back

The total displacement of an object divided by the total time of motion.

Front

Displacement

Back

A vector quantity which refers to an object’s change in position (final position – initial position).

Front

Distance

Back

A scalar quantity that refers to the total length traveled.

Front

Frame of reference

Back

The perspective from which motion is observed.

Front

Instantaneous velocity

Back

A vector quantity that refers to the velocity at any single point in time.

Front

Kinematics

Back

The study of how things move.

Front

Magnitude

Back

An absolute value describing quantity, not direction.

Front

Scalar

Back

A physical quantity that has a magnitude only.

Front

Speed

Back

A scalar quantity that refers to the distance traveled per unit of time.