Velocity

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Vector Noun

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[vek-ter]

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Vector

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A physical quantity, such as velocity or force, that is defined by having both a magnitude and a direction.

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Example: This image shows a person pushing an object. The arrow represents the vector, indicating the specific direction of the push (force).

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Scalar Noun

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[skay-ler]

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Scalar

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A physical quantity, such as speed or mass, that is fully described by its magnitude or numerical value alone.

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Example: A speedometer shows a car's speed, which is a scalar quantity because it only measures magnitude (how fast) and not the direction of travel.

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Magnitude Noun

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[mag-ni-tood]

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Magnitude

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The size, extent, or numerical value of a physical quantity, considered independently of its direction of motion.

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Example: This diagram shows a vector, like velocity. The length of the arrow represents its magnitude (how much), while the arrowhead shows its direction (which way).

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Displacement Noun

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[dis-pleys-muhnt]

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Displacement

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The vector quantity representing the change in an object's position from its starting point to its ending point.

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Example: This diagram shows that displacement is the straight-line path from the start to the end point, while distance is the total length of the actual path traveled.

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Speed Noun

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[speed]

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Speed

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The scalar quantity representing the rate at which an object covers distance over a specific period of time.

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Example: This image 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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The vector quantity representing the rate of change of an object's position, indicating both its speed and direction.

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Example: This diagram shows the formula for velocity (v), which is calculated by dividing an object's displacement (d) by the time (t) it takes.

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Average Velocity Noun

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[av-er-ij vuh-los-i-tee]

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Average Velocity

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The total displacement of an object divided by the total elapsed time during which that displacement occurred.

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Example: This image shows the mathematical formula for calculating average velocity when acceleration is constant, by adding the initial and final velocities and dividing by two.

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Instantaneous Velocity Noun

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[in-stuhn-tey-nee-uhs vuh-los-i-tee]

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Instantaneous Velocity

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The velocity of an object at a single, specific point in time, representing the instantaneous rate of change of position.

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Example: A car's speedometer shows its speed at a specific moment, which is its instantaneous speed. If we consider its direction, this is its instantaneous velocity.

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Acceleration Noun

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[ak-sel-uh-rey-shuhn]

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Acceleration

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The vector quantity representing the rate at which an object's velocity changes with respect to time.

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Example: This diagram shows that acceleration is any change in velocity, including speeding up, slowing down (negative acceleration), or changing direction.

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Deceleration Noun

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[dee-sel-uh-rey-shuhn]

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Deceleration

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A decrease in the magnitude of velocity over time, often described as negative acceleration in the direction of motion.

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Example: This diagram shows a car decelerating (slowing down) because its acceleration (arrow '-a') acts in the opposite direction to its velocity (arrow 'v').