Algebra In Motion Webercise

Head to the Physics Classroom to get started on the journey: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/1DKin/. Under Lesson 1, click on Introduction to the Language of Kinematics to learn some basic vocabulary that will be useful in this unit. 1. What is meant by the term kinematics? 2. List three tools that are listed on this page that we can use to describe the motion of objects: Click on the Distance and Displacement link from the top menu to answer the following: 3. What is the difference between distance and displacement?

4. How can somebody walk 12 meters and have a displacement of 0 meters?

Click on the Speed and Velocity link from the top menu to answer the following: 5. What is the difference between speed and velocity?

6. Write down the formulas for average speed and average velocity that are found on this page:

7. What are some possible units for average speed/velocity?

Click on the Acceleration link from the top menu for the last key definition. 8. What is acceleration?

9. What does it mean for an object to have constant acceleration? 10. What are some possible units for acceleration? Follow this link to investigate how to appropriately construct a position vs. time graph: http://www.kwantlen.ca/science/physics/faculty/mcoombes/webtests/notes/UnderstandingxtGraphs.html 11. What quantity is labeled along the x-axis? How about the y-axis? 12. Which of the graphs in figure 4 are appropriately labeled? Explain why the others were incorrect.

13. Practice constructing your own position vs. time graph by graphing the data for the sliding block listed in the table in figure 2. Be sure to correctly scale and label your axes.

14. Can you write an equation that describes the graph of the data in number 13? Lets take a look at how the position, velocity, and acceleration of an object look when plotted on a graph versus time. Click the following link to view the applet: http://www.walter-fendt.de/ph14e/acceleration.htm 15. In the green box on the right side of the main diagram click on start without changing any of the inputs below (Default: initial position = 0, initial velocity = 0, acceleration = 1). Describe the shape of each of the three graphs that are created as the car moves from left to right.

16. What does each of the three graphs represent? Does the shape of each graph make sense to you? Why or why not?

17. Press pause and reset to restart the animation. What happens to the shape of the graphs when you change the initial velocity to 20 m/s and the acceleration to 0 m/s? Why do you suppose there was a change? (Dont just say that the starting values changed)

18. What does the horizontal line on the acceleration vs. time graph represent?

Have fun with this final destination: http://www.physics-chemistry-interactive-flashanimation.com/mechanics_forces_gravitation_energy_interactive/diagram_graph_distance_time.htm 19. Click on the handle of the motorcycle and drag down to accelerate and push up to decelerate. Watch how the graph of distance (position) vs. time changes as you change the position of the handle. How can you adjust it so as to create a straight line (not necessarily horizontal) on the graph? What does this say about the slope of the curve?