CAS PY 105 Study Guide - Final Guide: Relative Velocity, Quadratic Equation, Projectile Motion
Document Summary
Basically, because any translational (straight-line, as opposed to rotational) motion problem can be separated into one or more 1-dimensional problems. Problems are often analyzed this way in physics; a complex problem can often be reduced to a series of simpler problems. The first step in solving a problem is to set up a coordinate system. This defines an origin (a starting point) as well as positive and negative directions. We"ll also need to distinguish between scalars and vectors. A scalar is something that has only a magnitude, like area or temperature, while a vector has both a magnitude and a direction, like displacement or velocity. In analyzing the motion of objects, there are four basic parameters to keep track of. Time is a scalar, while the other three are vectors. In 1 dimension, however, it"s difficult to see the difference between a scalar and a vector! The difference will be more obvious in 2 dimensions.
