Lesson 2 : Describing Motion with Diagrams

Introduction to Diagrams

Throughout this tutorial, there will be a persistent appeal to your ability to represent physical concepts in a visual manner. The world which you are studying is the physical world – a world which you can see. And if you can see it, you certainly ought to be able to visualize it. And if you seek to understand it, then that understanding ought to involve visual representations. So as you proceed on your pursuit of physics knowledge, always be mindful of your ability (or lack of ability) to visually represent the physical world. Monitor your study and learning habits. Ask if your knowledge has become abstracted to a series of vocabulary words which have (at least in your own mind) no relation to the physical world which it seeks to describe or if your knowledge is intimately tied to that physical world as demonstrated by your visual images.

Like the study of all of physics, the study of 1-dimensional kinematics will be concerned with the multiple means by which the motion of objects can be represented. Such means include the use of words, the use of graphs, the use of numbers, the use of equations, and the use of diagrams. Lesson 2 focuses on the use of diagrams to describe motion. The two most common types of diagrams used to describe the motion of objects are:

Begin to cultivate your visualization skills early in this tutorial. Spend time on Lesson 2. Seek to connect the visuals and graphics with the words and the physical reality. And as you proceed through the remainder of the Unit 1 lessons, continue to make these same connections.

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