Circular and Projectile Motion

Front

Vector Noun

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[vek-ter]

Back

Vector

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A physical quantity that possesses both magnitude, indicating its size or length, and a specific direction in space.

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Example: This diagram shows an object in circular motion. The arrows, or vectors, represent its velocity (tangent to the circle) and acceleration (towards the center).

Front

Vector Components Noun

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[vek-ter kom-poh-nents]

Back

Vector Components

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The parts of a vector that are projected along the axes of a coordinate system, such as x and y.

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Example: This diagram shows how a single vector (V), representing something like velocity, can be split into two parts: a horizontal component (Vx) and a vertical component (Vy).

Front

Magnitude Noun

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[mag-ni-tood]

Back

Magnitude

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The size, amount, or length of a vector quantity, which is always a non-negative scalar value.

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Example: A speedometer shows speed, which is the magnitude (amount) of an object's velocity. The number the needle points to represents the magnitude of its motion.

Front

Resultant Vector Noun

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[ri-zuhl-tnt vek-ter]

Back

Resultant Vector

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The single vector that represents the sum of two or more individual vectors acting on an object.

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Example: Adding two vectors (A and B) head-to-tail gives a single combined vector, called the resultant vector (R), which shows the overall effect.

Front

Projectile Noun

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[pro-jek-tahyl]

Back

Projectile

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An object that is thrown or launched into the air and is subject only to the force of gravity.

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Example: An object, like this soccer ball, launched into the air follows a curved path called a trajectory because of gravity's downward pull.

Front

Projectile Motion Noun

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[pro-jek-tahyl moh-shun]

Back

Projectile Motion

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The motion of an object thrown into the air, which follows a curved path due to gravitational acceleration.

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Example: A cannonball fired horizontally follows a curved path because its forward motion combines with the constant downward pull of gravity.

Front

Free-fall Noun

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[free-fawl]

Back

Free-fall

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The motion of an object where gravity is the only significant force acting upon it, causing constant downward acceleration.

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Example: An apple detaches from a branch and falls straight down, showing its motion is only influenced by the downward pull of gravity.

Front

Uniform Motion Noun

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[yoo-nuh-form moh-shun]

Back

Uniform Motion

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Motion with a constant velocity, which means the object maintains both a constant speed and a constant direction.

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Example: This distance-time graph shows a straight line, which means an object travels equal distances in equal time intervals, representing uniform motion.

Front

Trajectory Noun

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[truh-jek-tuh-ree]

Back

Trajectory

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The curved path that an object, such as a projectile, follows as it moves through space.

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Example: This diagram shows a cannonball's trajectory, the curved path it follows. This curve results from combining its forward motion with the constant downward pull of gravity.

Front

Parabola Noun

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[puh-rab-uh-luh]

Back

Parabola

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A symmetrical U-shaped curve that mathematically describes the trajectory of a projectile under the influence of constant gravity.

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Example: This graph shows a parabola, the U-shaped curve that represents the path of a projectile, like a ball thrown through the air.