IB Physics Topic 1 Notes

In Topic A.1, you need to focus on kinematics - the movement of objects, or motion. This is a fundamental concept in physics, and can be described with several terms:

1. distance (d) – the amount of space travelled, measured in m.
2. displacement (s) – the net distance an object has travelled from its starting point in a direction, measured in m.

1. speed (v or u) – the distance travelled per unit time, measured in m s^-1. v refers to the final speed and u to the initial speed.
2. velocity (v or u) – the displacement per unit time, measured in m s^-1. v refers to the final velocity and u to the initial velocity.
3. acceleration (a) – the velocity travelled per unit time or displacement travelled per square unit time, measured in m s^-2.

The matching equations are:

1. $\textrm{velocity (v)} = \frac{\textrm{displacement(s)}}{\textrm{time(t)}}$
2. $\textrm{speed (v)} = \frac{\textrm{distance(s)}}{\textrm{time(t)}}$
3. $\textrm{acceleration (a)} = \frac{\text{velocity (t)}}{\text{time (t)}} = \frac{\text{displacement (s)}}{\text{time (t)}^{2}}$

Remember that displacement, velocity, and acceleration are vectors, whereas speed is a scalar and is directionless.