Motion - Speed and Velocity | 12/10/18-12/14/18

Applet position vs time graph by MikeRun
Summary:

       Velocity has both a direction and a magnitude (therefore making it a vector quantity) whereas speed only has a magnitude (therefore making it a scalar quantity). For example, when driving a car on a freeway your speed could be 50 m/hr (or mph). Although, your velocity could be something like 50 m/hr north. In order to find the magnitude for speed you must follow a simple formula, distance covered divided by time taken. In order to find the magnitude when trying to find the velocity of an object, you must follow the formula of distance from origin (or reference point) divided by time taken. One way to find speed and velocity is to look at a position vs time graph. What a position vs time graph really tells us is where an object is. We can look at the slope of the lines on a position vs time graph to help us to find the speed and velocity of an object by telling us both the position of an object and how much time it took for that object to get there. The position of an object is always graphed on the y-axis and the time is always graphed on the x-axis.

S&EP 5: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking:

       I used mathematics and statistics to analyze data when I looked at position vs time graphs and when calculating the speed of objects. When analyzing the position vs time graphs I had to do two things. The first was finding a story to match the position vs time graph and the second was finding a table that would also match the graph. An example of what one of the stories looked like is, "Tom went for a jog. At the end of his road he bumped into a friend and his pace slowed. When Tom left his friend he walked quickly back home." I also used mathematics when finding the average speed of machines per hour. For example, one of the machines was the fastest train on Earth, the TGV from France that during a speed test traveled 800 miles in 2.5 hours. Thus, its average speed over one hour would be 360 m/hr (or mph).

XCC-Systems and System Models:

       The system that I identified this week has to do with position vs time graphs. The parts of this system are the origin (or reference point), position of the object, and time. All three of these parts work together to create lines and different slopes on a position vs time graph. Without one of the parts, the graph would not make sense. For example, if you only knew the origin and position that could help you to find the distance traveled but it would help you to find how fast it was going or the velocity of the object. This is due to how slopes cannot be made on a position vs time graph without knowing the time. The origin works with the position to display just how high (or low) the line will go. The time works with line created by the origin and position to display at what angle or slope the line will be at. This how the parts of the position vs time graph work together to create this system.




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