PHYC 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: One Direction
Document Summary
Positive (+) and negative (-) indicate direction: one direction is designated as positive (+), the opposite direction, then, is designated as negative (-) by default, ex. If east is positive (+), west is negative (-), and vice versa. Proper usage of scientific terminology may differ from its everyday usage. Constant speed: speed: a change in position, position must be given with respect to a reference point, position: a directed distance from the reference point, movement: occurs when position with respect to the reference point has changed. Displacement: change in the position of an object: takes into account both distance and direction from the starting point to the ending point, regardless of the path taken. Ex: object moves east 10 yards, with respect to reference point. Ex: object moves east 10 yards and then west 10 yards. Scalar & vector quantities: scalar: quantity with magnitude only, vector: quantity with magnitude and direction, examples of scalar and vector quantities:
