Position, Velocity, Acceleration

This page consists (will consist) of several exercises on learning the relationships between position, velocity and acceleration.

Reference Materials

This document covers fundamental definitions of position, velocity, and acceleration that will be used throughout the course.

 

Video: The Velocity Vector

Here we discover, through the definition of the derivative, that the velocity vector for a particle is always tangent to the particle’s path.

Video: Acceleration Along a Straight Line

When an object is constrained to move along a straight line the acceleration takes on a specific form.

An Interactive Web Simulation (Spewton1D)

Click here to experiment with an interactive web simulation that illustrates the concepts above. [It is recommended that you use a desktop or laptop computer to run this simulation.]

Video: Acceleration Along Curved Paths

When an object moves along a curved path, it experiences a centripetal acceleration perpendicular to the path. The video shows where this acceleration comes from.

Elsewhere, I show you how to quantify this acceleration.

Spewton, A 2D Interactive Web Simulation

Click here to experiment with a 2D Interactive web simulation that illustrates the concepts above. It is recommended that you use a desktop or laptop computer to run this simulation.