Key Concepts in Kinematics

This page introduces fundamental concepts and equations for describing motion, focusing on uniform rectilinear motion and uniformly accelerated motion.

The key physical quantities discussed are:

• Displacement (s) measured in kilometers [km] or meters [m]
• Time (t) measured in hours [h] or seconds [s]
• Velocity (v) measured in meters per second [m/s] or kilometers per hour [km/h]
• Acceleration (a) measured in meters per second squared [m/s²]

Definition: Velocity is defined as the rate of change of displacement with respect to time. It can be calculated as v = s/t.

For moto rettilineo uniforme (uniform rectilinear motion), the following characteristics apply:

• The trajectory is a straight line
• Velocity remains constant

The key equations for uniform motion are:

s = v * t (displacement) t = s / v (time) v = s / t (velocity)

Example: If an object travels 5 km in 1 hour at constant velocity, its speed is v = 5 km / 1 h = 5 km/h.

A grafico spazio-tempo (displacement-time graph) for uniform motion is presented, showing a linear relationship between displacement and time. The slope of this line represents the constant velocity.

Highlight: In uniform motion, the displacement-time graph is a straight line, and the velocity-time graph would be a horizontal line.

For moto uniformemente accelerato (uniformly accelerated motion), acceleration is introduced:

Definition: Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time. It can be calculated as a = (vf - vi) / t, where vf is final velocity and vi is initial velocity.

The page concludes with the introduction of the acceleration concept, setting the stage for more detailed analysis of accelerated motion in subsequent sections.