Refers to a quantity/number with a magnitude only e.g. 10kg or 52s
Vector quantities
Refers to a quantity/number with magnitude AND direction e.g. 100m to the left
Magnitude
How big something is
Direction
Towards a certain position, includes compass points (N,S,E,W), left, right, up, down, and measured angles
Distance (d)
A scalar quantity that describes the total length of an object's path e.g. 5km run around the school
Displacement (s)
A vector quantity that includes direction and describes the change in position (x) of an object eg the displacement is the distance 50-0=50m in the direction PQ
Formula for displacement
s = x2 - x1
x2
Final position
x1
Initial position
Speed (v)
A scalar quantity that measures the change in distance per unit time. The unit is m/s
Instantaneous speed
The speed at a single point in time but is hard to calculate
Average speed formula
Vav = distance / time taken
Km/h to m/s = divide by 3.6
M/s to km/h = multiply by 3.6
t = d/Vav
d = Vav * t
Formula for velocity: V = x2-x1/time
Km/h to m/s = divide by 3.6
Acceleration
A vector quantity that measures how the velocity changes per unit time, changing if direction or magnitude of velocity changes. Unit: m/s^2
Average Acceleration Formula
Aav = (v - u) / t
Gravity – a force between any two objects that have mass. Bigger objects have more gravitational forces.
Force – a push, pull, or twist that causes an object to increase or decrease its speed (acceleration), change direction, or change shape. Measured in newtons (N)