Velocity & Acceleration

These pages were conceived as aids to better understand kinematics concepts, particularly the relationship between velocity and acceleration, when presenting in front of a group with a projected screen or interactive whiteboard, or in a remote teaching situation by sharing the screen.

Home Page

The magnitude and direction of the ball's velocity and acceleration can be varied and the resulting motion observed.

Things to note:

  • The direction of the acceleration is independent of the direction of the ball's motion. (It depends on the direction of the force producing the acceleration)
  • Which commbinations of velocity and acceleration result in the ball speeding up? Which combinations result in the ball slowing down?

Possible questions

  • Create intial settings then predict the resulting motion.
  • Sketch d-t, v-t, and a-t graphs for a specific motion.
Q1 to Q4

Possible questions

  • What kinematics quantity does the arrow represent?
  • Sketch d-t, v-t, and a-t graphs for a specific motion.
  • What is the ball's acceleration? Use the step buttons and timer to determine an approximate value.