Chapter 10-Describing Motion�Vocabulary

Displacement

the difference between the initial (first) position and the final position of an object

Motion

the process of changing position

Position

An object's distance in a certain direction from a reference point

Reference point

The starting point you choose to describe the location, or position, of an object

Average speed

The total distance traveled divided by the total time taken to travel that distance

Constant speed

the rate of change of position in which the same distance is traveled each second

Instantaneous speed

The speed at a specific instant in time

Speed

The measure of the distance an object travels per unit of time

Velocity

The speed and the direction of a moving object