8.1 Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration as Functions of Time
What is displacement?
Displacement (s) of a particle and a fixed point is the distance between the particle and the nearest fixed point measured in a certain direction.
Here is a simpler and easier to understand way to explain the displacement, velocity and acceleration based on the direction of motion of the particle relative to the fixed point O: Displacement:
- Negative displacement (s<0): The particle is to the left of point O.
- Zero displacement (s=0): The particle is exactly at point O.
- Positive displacement (s>0): The particle is to the right of point O.
Velocity:
- Negative velocity (v<0): The particle moves to the left.
- Zero velocity (v=0): The particle remain still.
- Positive velocity (v>0): The particle moves to the right.
- Negative acceleration (a<0): The particle's velocity is increasing over time (the particle is speeding up).
- Zero acceleration(v=0): The particle's velocity is constant (either at its maximum or minimum).
- Positive acceleration (a>0): The particle's velocity is decreasing over time (the particle is slowing down).