Kinematics Explorer

Kinematics is the study of the motion of objects. This exercise will allow you to examine the relationshp between position , velocity and acceleration in 2 dimensions. The controls for this applet are pretty simple: drag the blue object around to set its initial position. Drag the tip of the green arrow that extends from the object to set its initial velocity. The acceleration is controlled by dragging the red arrow in the smaller panel to the right of the main panel.

Once you start the applet you can control the motion of the object by manipulating its acceleration via that acceleration control in the right panel. The resulting postion velocity and acceleration vectors are all displayed in the main panel.

Use your observations of the object's motion in response to your control of the acceleration to answer the following questions:
  1. What does it take for the object to travel in a straight line? Does it have to travel at a constant speed? Can it travel in a straight line with a velocity that is not constant?
  2. What does the motion of the object look like of the acceleration is constant in magnitude and direction (say straight downwards towards the bottom of your monitor)? What happens if the initial velocity is in the same direction as the constant acceleration? The opposite direction as the constant acceleration? At some angle with respect to the constant acceleration?
  3. What does it make the object travel in some sort of closed path, like a circle? Try to make the object loop about origin (designated by the two small crossed lines at the center of the main panel). What is the relationship between the acceleration vector and the velocity vector when the object makes a turn at constant speed?