Workshop 1B -- the basic kinematic quantities

Now, let's begin work on the basic kinematic quantities, which we will use to describe motion.

When we measure motion, the most important quantities are

• position and displacement
• velocity
• acceleration
• time

First, let's discuss position and displacement.

Now, move on to velocity.

Next, let's introduce acceleration.

To check our understanding of these terms, let's analyze the motion of a fastball.

Finally, let's analyze some measurements of simple, 1-D motion:

• motion of a cart rolling down a track

For more information

• Seven cars which accelerate faster than g from an article by Ben Wojdyla in the digital edition of Popular Mechanics. You can also find a local copy somewhere ...

Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.