Position, Velocity, Acceleration
List of Links
This page is all about learning the relationships between position, velocity and acceleration.
- Written Materials
- Video: The Velocity Vector
- Video: Acceleration Along a Straight Line
- 1D Interactive Web Simulation
- Video: Acceleration Along Curved Paths
- 2D Interactive Web Simulation
Written 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.