PHY 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: One Direction
Document Summary
2. 1 displacement: defined as the change in position, f stands for final and i stands for initial. May be represented as y if vertical. Units are meters (m) in si, centimeters (cm) in cgs or feet (ft) in us customary. Displacement examples: the displacement of an object is not the same as the distance it travels. Example: throw a ball straight up and then catch it at the same point you released it: the distance is twice the height, the displacement is zero, from a to b. Xf = 52 m x = 22 m. The displacement is positive, indicating the motion was in the positive x direction: from c to f. The displacement is negative, indicating the motion was in the negative x direction. Vector and scalar quantities: vector quantities need both magnitude (size) and direction to completely describe them (number and sign) Generally denoted by boldfaced type and an arrow over the letter.
