Kinematics

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Kinematics Noun

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[kin-uh-mat-iks]

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Kinematics

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The branch of mechanics concerned with the motion of objects without reference to the forces which cause the motion.

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Example: This image shows a car starting from rest and accelerating, illustrating how kinematics describes motion using initial velocity, acceleration, and time.

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Scalar Noun

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[skay-ler]

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Scalar

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A physical quantity that is fully described by its magnitude, which is a numerical value, and has no direction.

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Example: A car's speedometer shows its speed, such as 295 km/h. This is a scalar quantity because it only has a magnitude (a number).

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Vector Noun

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[vek-ter]

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Vector

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A physical quantity that is fully described by possessing both a magnitude, which is a numerical value, and a direction.

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Example: This image shows forces as vectors. The arrows indicate the direction of the pull, and their length represents the strength (magnitude) of the pull.

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Distance Noun

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[dis-tuhns]

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Distance

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A scalar quantity that represents the total path length an object has covered during its motion, regardless of its direction.

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Example: A car travels 8 km along a winding road from point A to point B, showing the total path covered, which is the distance.

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Displacement Noun

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[dis-pleys-muhnt]

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Displacement

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A vector quantity representing the overall change in an object's position, measured from its starting point to its final point.

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Example: A teacher moves from an initial position (x₀) to a final position (x_f), showing displacement (Δx) as the straight-line change in position.

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Speed Noun

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[speed]

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Speed

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A scalar quantity that measures how fast an object is moving, defined as the rate of change of its distance.

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Example: This diagram shows that speed is calculated by dividing the distance an object travels by the time it takes to travel that distance.

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Velocity Noun

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[vuh-los-i-tee]

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Velocity

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A vector quantity that measures the rate at which an object changes its position, including both speed and direction.

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Example: This diagram shows the formula for velocity (v) as displacement (d) divided by time (t), using a triangle to help remember the relationship.

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Uniform Velocity Noun

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[yoo-nuh-fawrm vuh-los-i-tee]

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Uniform Velocity

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A state of motion where an object travels at a constant speed in a single, unchanging, fixed direction.

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Example: This image incorrectly shows a car accelerating, where its velocity increases every second. Uniform velocity means the car's speed and direction would stay constant.

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Acceleration Noun

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[ak-sel-uh-rey-shuhn]

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Acceleration

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A vector quantity that measures the rate at which an object's velocity changes over a specific period of time.

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Example: This image shows that acceleration ('a') is what happens when a force ('F') is applied to an object with mass ('m').

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Retardation Noun

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[ree-tahr-dey-shuhn]

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Retardation

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A term often used to describe negative acceleration, which indicates that an object is decreasing its velocity or slowing down.

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Example: This diagram shows a car's automatic braking system applying increasing force to slow the car down, which is an example of retardation or negative acceleration.