Flashcards › Motion Study Guide

How do you know if something is in motion? When its distance from another object is changing. What is an object used for comparison to determine if something is in motion? Reference point What is the metric unit for length? Meter How do you calculate speed? Distance/Time How do you calculate average speed? Total Distance/Total Time What do you call it when you know the speed and direction of a moving object? Velocity If you see a horizontal line on a position vs. time graph, what is the object doing? Not moving If you see a line slanted downwards on a position vs. time graph, what is the object doing? Moving backwards What does the slant on the position vs. time graph tell you? The speed of the object What is the upper layer of Earth divided into? Plates What do you call the supercontinent that all continents came from? Pangea What theory states that Earth's plates move ever so slowly? The Theory of Plate Tectonics How many cm are in a 1 m? 100 How many km are in 1 m? 0.001 How many mm are in 1m? 1000 How many dm are in 1 m? 10 What is the rate that velocity changes? Acceleration What are the three ways an object can accelerate? Speed up, slow down, change direction How do you calculate acceleration? (Final velocity - Initial velocity)/Time If the motion of an object is measured in m/s, what will the units for its acceleration be? m/s2 (s2= seconds squared) If you see a horizontal line on a speed vs. time graph, what is the object doing? Moving at a constant speed If you see a line slanted downwards on a speed vs. time graph, what is the object doing? Slowing down What does a postive acceleration tell you? The object is speeding up