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University Physics Volume 1

Key Terms

University Physics Volume 1Key Terms

Key Terms

acceleration due to gravity
acceleration of an object as a result of gravity
average acceleration
the rate of change in velocity; the change in velocity over time
average speed
the total distance traveled divided by elapsed time
average velocity
the displacement divided by the time over which displacement occurs under constant acceleration
displacement
the change in position of an object
distance traveled
the total length of the path traveled between two positions
elapsed time
the difference between the ending time and the beginning time
free fall
the state of movement that results from gravitational force only
instantaneous acceleration
acceleration at a specific point in time
instantaneous speed
the absolute value of the instantaneous velocity
instantaneous velocity
the velocity at a specific instant or time point
kinematics
the description of motion through properties such as position, time, velocity, and acceleration
position
the location of an object at a particular time
total displacement
the sum of individual displacements over a given time period
two-body pursuit problem
a kinematics problem in which the unknowns are calculated by solving the kinematic equations simultaneously for two moving objects
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