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Mechanics: Kinematics and Motion

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How are position, velocity and acceleration defined as rates of change, and how do they differ from distance and speed?

Define displacement, velocity and acceleration as vector rates of change, distinguish them from distance and speed, and calculate average velocity and average acceleration from change in position and velocity over time.
A Regents Physics answer on displacement, velocity and acceleration: how each is defined as a rate of change, how displacement and velocity differ from distance and speed, and how to calculate average velocity and average acceleration using the Reference-Table equations, with worked examples.
11 min answer →

How does an object move under gravity alone, and how do the kinematic equations describe free fall?

Describe free fall as motion under the constant acceleration due to gravity, and apply the kinematic equations with $g = 9.81$ m/s squared to objects dropped, thrown down or thrown up near Earth's surface.
A Regents Physics answer on free fall: the meaning of the acceleration due to gravity $g$ , why all objects fall at the same rate when air resistance is ignored, and how to apply the kinematic equations to dropped and thrown objects, with worked examples and Reference-Table notes.
11 min answer →

How do position-time, velocity-time and acceleration-time graphs encode an object's motion, and what do their slopes and areas mean?

Interpret and sketch position-time, velocity-time and acceleration-time graphs, relating the slope of a graph to a rate of change and the area under a velocity-time graph to displacement.
A Regents Physics answer on motion graphs: what the slope and area mean on position-time, velocity-time and acceleration-time graphs, how to read each, and how to draw a best-fit line and use its slope, with worked examples and Reference-Table notes.
11 min answer →

Why can two-dimensional projectile motion be solved as two independent one-dimensional motions?

Analyze projectile motion by treating the horizontal and vertical motions independently: constant horizontal velocity and vertical free fall, linked only by the common time of flight.
A Regents Physics answer on projectile motion: why the horizontal and vertical motions are independent, how to handle a horizontally launched projectile, how the time of flight links the two motions, and how to find range and landing speed, with worked examples.
12 min answer →

How do the constant-acceleration equations link displacement, velocity, acceleration and time, and how do you choose the right one?

Apply the constant-acceleration kinematic equations to solve problems for displacement, initial and final velocity, acceleration and time, selecting the equation that omits the unknown not asked for.
A Regents Physics answer on the constant-acceleration kinematic equations: the four printed on the Reference Tables, what each one omits, how to choose the right equation, and how to solve one-dimensional motion problems, with worked examples.
12 min answer →

How do physicists distinguish quantities that need a direction from those that do not, and how are vectors combined?

Distinguish scalar and vector quantities, represent vectors as scaled arrows, and find the resultant of vectors by graphical and component methods, including resolving a vector into perpendicular components.
A Regents Physics answer on scalars versus vectors: what each is, how to draw vectors as scaled arrows, how to add vectors graphically (head-to-tail) and by components, and how to resolve a vector into perpendicular components, with worked examples and Reference-Table notes.
11 min answer →