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Position( )
is the separation and direction from a reference point and a reference point is
a start position or origin. Let's say a biker, rode from his start point 130 metres
east ( =m [E]) . You can see how
the distance and direction is stated; this is called a Vector quantity. A quantity
that only involves size and no direction is called a Scalar quantity.
Displacement
is the change in position. The symbol from displacement is  .
To calculate the total change in displacement you subtract 1
from 2 to get the change
in displacement( ).
Displacement is a vector quantity as well, it is represented as 33m [w] (it has
both a measurement and direction). Sometimes
we travel backwards and forwards, but in order to find the change in displacement,
we must give the measure(value) a negative or positive value according to the
direction. Let's say you moved forward 20m, if you were to write this out in number
form only, then it would be +20m. If you travelled backwards, then you would usually
make the measured value a negative integer. Imagine you walked backwards 3 meters
that would make its value -3. What would be the total displacement assuming you
started +20m and ended -3m's. (+20)
- (-3) = 23 Sample You're
running from a pact of killer bees, you run (45meters east from camp (0m). What
is your total change in displacement? Let east be positive and west be negative.

= d2 - d1

= 45 - 0

= 45
Therefore the total change in displacement is 45[east]
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Drawing
Vectors A
vector is a line segment that represents the size and direction of a vector. The
following rules must be taken into affect when drawing vectors
- state
the direction - usually using N,E,S, or W as reference - Draw the line to the
state scale or write the size of the vector next to the line. - The direction
of the line represents the direction of the vector , and the length of the line
represents the size of the vector.
Continue
to the next lesson: Adding Vectors 1 |