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Kinematics in Two and Three Dimensions
Summary
- Kinematics problems in two and three dimensions are essentially synthetic geometry problems. To solve them you should be able to …
- represent a kinematic event with a geometric diagram,
- use geometry to determine unknown magnitudes (lengths) and directions (angles), and
- use these results to determine kinematic quantities.
- Review the kinematic definitions presented earlier in this chapter.
- First the scalar quantities …
- Distance is a scalar measure of the interval between two locations measured along the actual path connecting them.
- Speed is the rate of change of distance with time.
- And then the vector quantities …
- Displacement is a vector measure of the interval between two locations measured along the shortest path connecting them.
- Velocity is the rate of change of displacement with time.
- Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with time.
