Kinematics Simulations

Kinematics Simulations Visually

Learn Kinematics with interactive simulations and visualizations. Understand displacement, velocity, acceleration, and motion graphs through hands-on examples.

Displacement Velocity Acceleration Motion Graphs Time
Introduction Displacement Velocity Acceleration Motion Graphs Simulations

Introduction to Kinematics

Kinematics is the branch of classical mechanics that describes the motion of objects without considering the forces that cause the motion. It focuses on concepts such as displacement, velocity, acceleration, and time.

Displacement

Change in position

Velocity

Rate of change of displacement

Acceleration

Rate of change of velocity

Motion Graphs

Visual representations

Displacement and Distance

Distance is the total length of the path traveled by an object, regardless of direction. It is a scalar quantity.

Displacement is the change in position of an object, taking into account both magnitude and direction. It is a vector quantity.

Key Points:
  • Distance is always positive and greater than or equal to displacement
  • Displacement can be positive, negative, or zero
  • Displacement is the shortest straight-line distance between initial and final positions
  • SI unit for both is meters (m)
10 m/s
5 s

Velocity and Speed

Speed is the rate at which an object covers distance. It is a scalar quantity.

Velocity is the rate of change of displacement. It is a vector quantity that includes both magnitude and direction.

Average Velocity = Δx/Δt = (x₂ - x₁)/(t₂ - t₁)

Key Points:
  • Average velocity considers only initial and final positions
  • Instantaneous velocity is the velocity at a specific moment
  • Speed is always positive; velocity can be positive or negative
  • SI unit is meters per second (m/s)

Acceleration

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time. It is a vector quantity that indicates how quickly an object's velocity changes.

Average Acceleration = Δv/Δt = (v₂ - v₁)/(t₂ - t₁)

Key Points:
  • Positive acceleration means increasing velocity in the positive direction
  • Negative acceleration (deceleration) means decreasing velocity
  • Zero acceleration means constant velocity
  • SI unit is meters per second squared (m/s²)
2 m/s²
0 m/s

Motion Graphs

Position-Time Graph

The slope of a position-time graph represents velocity.

  • Straight line = constant velocity
  • Curved line = changing velocity (acceleration)
  • Positive slope = positive velocity
  • Negative slope = negative velocity

Velocity-Time Graph

The slope of a velocity-time graph represents acceleration.

  • Straight horizontal line = constant velocity (zero acceleration)
  • Straight sloped line = constant acceleration
  • Area under curve = displacement

Acceleration-Time Graph

The area under an acceleration-time graph represents change in velocity.

  • Straight horizontal line = constant acceleration
  • Zero line = constant velocity
  • Positive values = increasing velocity
  • Negative values = decreasing velocity

Interactive Simulations

Motion Simulator

Real-time Data Visualization

Position: 0.00 m
Velocity: 0.00 m/s
Acceleration: 0.00 m/s²
Time Elapsed: 0.00 s

Adjust parameters to see how they affect motion according to kinematic equations.