Learning topic
Particle Kinematics
Methods of describing particle motion, velocity, acceleration, and special cases of motion.
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Particle kinematics studies how the motion of a point is described without considering the forces that cause it. The main objective is to determine position, trajectory, velocity, and acceleration from a given law of motion.
Describing motion
Motion may be specified by Cartesian coordinates, a position vector, or natural coordinates along a trajectory. The most convenient representation depends on the geometry of the problem and the quantities to be determined.
Velocity and acceleration
Velocity describes the rate of change of position and is tangent to the trajectory. Acceleration describes the rate of change of the velocity vector and can be resolved into components associated with changes in speed and direction.
Typical laws of motion
Rectilinear, uniform, uniformly accelerated, and curvilinear motions provide basic models for understanding the relationships among position, velocity, and acceleration.