Calculating Speed

Front

Motion Noun

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[moh-shuhn]

Back

Motion

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The action or process of an object changing its position or location over a period of time.

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Example: This diagram shows a car moving over a specific distance, visually representing the components of the speed formula: Speed = Distance / Time.

Front

Position Noun

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[puh-zish-uhn]

Back

Position

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The specific location of an object in space, often used as a reference point to measure motion and distance.

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Example: The diagram shows a person's position as a specific point on a number line (x-axis), with an initial position (x₀) and a final position (x_f).

Front

Distance Noun

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[dis-tuhns]

Back

Distance

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The total length of the path traveled between two points, measuring how far an object has moved.

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Example: This diagram shows that distance is the total length of the path traveled (the 8 km winding road), not the straight-line path from start to end.

Front

Time Noun

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[tahym]

Back

Time

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The measured period during which an action, process, or condition exists or continues; an interval between two events.

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Example: This hourglass is a tool used to measure a specific duration of time, in this case, five minutes, as the sand flows from the top bulb to the bottom.

Front

Speed Noun

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[speed]

Back

Speed

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The rate at which an object covers distance in a given amount of time; a measure of how fast something moves.

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Example: This diagram shows how to calculate speed by dividing the distance an object travels (20 km) by the time it takes (1 hour).

Front

Rate Noun

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[reyt]

Back

Rate

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A measure or frequency, typically one measured against another quantity, such as a change in distance over time.

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Example: This speedometer shows a car's speed, which is a rate measuring the distance traveled (kilometers) over a specific amount of time (per hour).

Front

Average Speed Noun

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[av-er-ij speed]

Back

Average Speed

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The total distance traveled by an object divided by the total elapsed time taken to cover that specific distance.

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Example: This diagram shows how to calculate average speed by dividing the total distance a dolphin traveled (89.7 km) by the total time it took (3 hours).

Front

Acceleration Noun

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[ak-sel-uh-rey-shuhn]

Back

Acceleration

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The rate of change of velocity per unit of time, which can involve speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction.

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Example: This image shows that acceleration is any change in velocity, which includes speeding up (runner), slowing down (skateboarder), or changing direction (bees).

Front

Deceleration Noun

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[dee-sel-uh-rey-shuhn]

Back

Deceleration

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A decrease in the speed or velocity of an object over time; it is also known as negative acceleration.

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Example: This image shows the formula for calculating deceleration, which is the change in velocity (final velocity minus initial velocity) divided by time.

Front

Stationary Adjective

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[stey-shuh-ner-ee]

Back

Stationary

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The state of not moving or changing position over a period of time; characterized by having a constant location.

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Example: This distance-time graph shows that as time passes (moving right on the x-axis), the object's distance (y-axis) does not change, meaning it is stationary.