Kinematics in Two Dimensions

• Motion in two dimensions involves vector quantities:

            displacement           (x, y)
            velocity               (vx, vy)
            acceleration           (ax, ay)
  

• Under ordinary circumstances, we can separate the components of a 2-D problem, creating two independent 1-D problems. We can use the equations of motion in 1-D to solve each of those simpler problems.
• Occasionally, you may not have enough information (three different kinematic quantities) to determine the motion of an object in one of the dimensions; try to solve the motion in the other dimension, because often that will provide one extra piece of information.

Viewgraphs

     Q:   What is the ship's displacement from
          time t=0 seconds to t=20 seconds?

     Q:   What is the ship's final velocity?
          Express in component form,
          and as a magnitude and angle.

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