Professional Documents
Culture Documents
displacement
• Position and distance
• Position and displacement
• Time
• Scalar and vector quantities
© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 1
Position and distance
Mechanics
Why?
study motions of bodies
How?
1. position
2. direction
3. time taken
4. other related physical quantities
2
Position and distance
3
Position of shopping centre X
N Shopping centre
1 km east
X from Chris:
X
Tracy direction: north
1 km distance: 1 km
1 km north
position of Tracy
Chris Shopping centre
X from Tracy:
direction: east
1 km
position 1
distance: of km
Chris
Y
1 km 1 km
4
Position of church Y
N The position of
X
church Y from
Tracy
Chris:
1 km
direction = south-east
Chris distance = 2 km
= 1.41 km
1 km
Y
1 km 1 km
5
Position of church Y
N
Tracy The position of
X
church Y from
Tracy:
1 km
direction = south-east
distance = 8 km
Chris = 2.83 km
1 km
Y
1 km 1 km
6
The reference point
Different reference point Position changes
destination
200 m
5m 5m
Distance = 5 m, represents A or B?
8
Position and displacement
Displacement
9
Position and displacement
Magnitude
=5m
direction direction
• Left (−)
5m 5m
• Right(+)
−5 m +5 m
10
Position and displacement
magnitude of displacement
= shortest distance between starting point &
end point
• independent of the travelled path
11
Position and displacement
distance
displacement
Thinking 1
distance displacement
length
length
a stopwatch
an atomic clock
time, distance
displacement
& temperature
14