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Objects in Motion
UCSD Physics 10
Position is a “Vector”
• Compare
“A ball is 12 meters North of the Sun God” to
“A ball is 10 meters from here”
• A vector has both a direction and a value, or “magnitude”
• Which of these descriptive properties are vectors?
– Position
– Mass
– Color
– Speed
Used interchangeably in casual language, but not in physics
– Velocity
– Temperature
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UCSD Physics 10
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UCSD Physics 10
Discussion Questions
See if you can come to a consensus on answers to
these questions:
1. A yellow car is heading East at 100 km/h and a
red car is going North at 100 km/h. Do they
have the same speed? Do they have the same
velocity?
2. A 16-lb bowling ball in a bowling alley in Del
Mar heads due north at 10 m/s. At the same time,
a purple 8-lb ball heads due north at 10 m/s in an
alley in La Jolla. Do they have the same
velocity?
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UCSD Physics 10
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UCSD Physics 10
Newton Says
• A ball sitting still will stay that way, unless acted
upon by a force.
Inertia Mass
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UCSD Physics 10
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UCSD Physics 10
x =1 m 2m 3m 4m 5m 6m 7m
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UCSD Physics 10
A Data Table
constant velocity
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UCSD Physics 10
Acceleration
• If an object’s velocity changes, it’s accelerating.
• The change can be in the speed of motion, in the
direction of motion, or both.
• Acceleration is a generic term velocity change
– includes “deceleration”
• Can you feel if you’re moving with a constant
velocity?
• Can you feel being accelerated? Why?
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UCSD Physics 10
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UCSD Physics 10
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UCSD Physics 10
5. If you are driving East and apply the brakes to stop your
car, in what direction are you accelerating?
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UCSD Physics 10
Shorthand:
Force = mass acceleration, or
F = ma
Newton’s 2nd Law
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UCSD Physics 10
0.4 sec
-1.0 m
0.5 sec A Ball in Free Fall
0.6 sec
-2.0 m
0.7 sec • Is the ball’s direction of velocity constant?
-3.0 m 0.8 sec • Does it travel equal distances in equal times?
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UCSD Physics 10
Is it accelerating?
Yes!
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UCSD Physics 10
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UCSD Physics 10
Summary
• Mass is a property of objects, producing a
reluctance to accelerate, called inertia
• Velocity refers to both speed and direction
• Acceleration means a change in velocity (either
magnitude, or direction or both)
• If an object is accelerating, it is being acted upon
by a force, and F = ma. No exceptions.
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UCSD Physics 10
Assignments
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