Describing Motion

Distance and Displacement

What is Motion?
● A change in position caused by a force
● Motion is relative to a Frame of Reference
● Origin: The beginning. (0,0). Where you start.
Scalar vs. Vector

Scalar: A number and a unit (magnitude).

Ex. 10 cm, 2 sec., or 5 cm/sec
Vector: A number, units, and a direction.
Ex. 10 cm East, or 5 m up
Distance and Displacement
Distance: A scalar quantity that refers to "how
much ground an object has covered" during its
motion.
Displacement: A vector quantity that refers to
"how far out of place an object is"; it is the
object's overall change in position, or the
difference between where it started and where it
finished.
Frame of
Reference
is the area
used to
determine
motion.
 How to Solve Displacement
1. Sketch the scenario and add or subtract 2. Pythagorean Theorem
what happens.