How objects move

• Understanding the concept of speed, velocity and acceleration is

essential in explaining the motion of an object. While speed, velocity
and acceleration are commonly used in everyday language, they have
important differences when used in physics
• Distance and Displacement – are two quantities that may seem to mean
the same thing yet have distinctly different definitions and meanings.
• Distance – a scalar quantity that refers to “how much ground an object has
covered” during its motion
- Length of the path taken by an object
- Scalar quantity – a physical quantity that is completely described by its magnitude.
- Volume, density, speed, energy, mass and time
Displacement
• A vector quantity that refers to “how far out of place an object is”
• (from where the object started to where it ended regardless of the
path it took.)
• Initial to final point
• Displacement is defined as the change in position of an object. It is a 
vector quantity and has a direction and magnitude. It is represented
as an arrow that points from the starting position to the final position.
For example- If an object moves from A position to B, then the
object’s position changes.
Example 1
A man moves from point A to point B then to point C and finally stops
at point D. Find the distance and displacement traveled by the man
• Answer:
• Distance = AB + BC + CD Displacement = 5 m to East
• Distance = 3 m + 5 m + 3m
• Distance = 11 meters
Example 2
• A car starts to move from point A to point B to point c and then back
to point B and then point c along the line as shown below in the figure
1. Find the distance covered by the moving car
2. Find the magnitude and direction of the displacement of the car.
Solution:
3. Distance traveled by car = AB+BC+CB+BC
= 11km+4km+4km+4km
= 23km
2. Displacement = d = AC = 7km
Speed and Velocity
• When describing the motion of objects in terms of distance, time, and
direction, physicist use the basic quantities of speed and velocity. Two
terms, two distinct mean