Introduction

There are multiple ways to represent an object’s motion. If the motion is two-dimensional and lies in a plane, some representations include:

  1. Recording x and y coordinates of the object at different times in a data table.
  2. Displaying the object’s x and y locations at regular time intervals on a diagram.
  3. Drawing vectors showing displacement, velocity, and acceleration and their x and y components at different times.
  4. Using vector equations to represent velocity and acceleration vectors quantitatively.

Objectives

In this activity, you will

  • Practice representing motion using vectors and vector equations that represent displacements as well as average velocities and accelerations in the 1/15th of a second time intervals between position measurements.