Displacement and velocity as vectors: including movement around a circle
I can represent and calculate the velocity of moving objects.
Displacement and velocity as vectors: including movement around a circle
I can represent and calculate the velocity of moving objects.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Velocity of an object is its speed in a given direction.
- Displacement is distance in a particular direction.
- Displacement and velocity are vectors.
- Velocity is positive in one direction and negative in the opposite direction.
- Movement around a circle at a steady speed involves a changing velocity.
Keywords
Displacement - The displacement of an object is the distance travelled in a particular direction from a starting point.
Vector - A vector is a quantity with magnitude (size) and direction. Displacement and velocity are both vector quantities.
Velocity - The velocity of an object is its speed in a particular direction.
Common misconception
Pupils often have a tendency to believe that a velocity must have a positive value and have difficulty in associating a reverse in direction with a change in sign.
It is important to make sure pupils are secure in their knowledge of the vector–scalar distinction; use plenty of visual examples.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
the distance travelled in a straight line from a starting point
a quantity with a magnitude (size) and a direction
a quantity with a magnitude (size) but not a direction
the speed of an object in a particular direction