# Kinematics: Describing Motion
*Physics 20, Unit A*

## Slide 1: Kinematics
![Kinematics](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/api/generate/caaea0f4-fd46-44c2-8847-b2924b38da56/asset/2065)
*Physics 20, Unit A: describing motion with displacement, velocity, acceleration and time*
*Sources: [Topic](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41869)*
> Notes: Introduce the unit theme of Change and Systems. Explain that kinematics is the study of motion without reference to its causes, and that this unit is worth about 15% of course time ([Topic](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41869)). Preview the two focusing questions and connect to prior learning from Science 10 Unit B.

## Slide 2: Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
- I can define displacement, velocity and acceleration qualitatively and quantitatively ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41871)).
- I can compare and contrast scalar and vector quantities using operational definitions ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41872)).
- I can explain uniform and uniformly accelerated motion from written, numerical and graphical data ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41873)).
- I can interpret the motion of one object relative to another using displacement and velocity vectors ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41874)).
- I can explain two-dimensional motion in a horizontal or vertical plane using vector components ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41875)).
- This unit builds on Science 10 Unit B and prepares students for dynamics and Newton's laws ([Topic](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41869)).
*Sources: [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41871), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41872), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41873), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41874), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41875), [Topic](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41869)*
> Notes: Read success criteria aloud and have students self-assess familiarity with each (thumbs 1-5) as a diagnostic checkpoint. Materials: whiteboard, unit outcomes handout. Timing: 8 minutes. Differentiation: provide sentence starters for the 'I can' statements for students who need support; extension students can draft their own example applying each criterion.

## Slide 3: Scalar vs. Vector Quantities
**Scalar Quantities**
A scalar quantity has magnitude only. Examples include distance and speed. Scalars are added using ordinary arithmetic, without regard to direction ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41872)).
**Vector Quantities**
A vector quantity has both magnitude and direction. Examples include displacement, velocity and acceleration. Displacement, velocity, and acceleration can be defined qualitatively and quantitatively([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41871), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41872)).
*Sources: [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41871), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41872)*
> Notes: Materials: ruler, protractor, graph paper for scale diagrams. Timing: 12 minutes. Model one worked example: a student walks 4 m east then 3 m north; compare total distance (7 m, scalar) to resultant displacement (5 m at 37 degrees north of east, vector). Formative checkpoint: exit-ticket question asking students to classify five quantities as scalar or vector. Support: provide a labelled diagram of the walking example before students attempt their own. Extension: ask students to find the resultant of three displacement vectors at different angles.

## Slide 4: From Motion Diagram to Velocity-Time Graph
1. **Collect position-time data**: Use photogates or interval timers to record displacement at set time intervals ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41880)).
2. **Graph displacement vs. time**: Plot data points and identify whether the motion is uniform or uniformly accelerated ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41881)).
3. **Determine slope**: The slope of a position-time graph gives velocity; the slope of a velocity-time graph gives acceleration ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41881)).
4. **Determine area**: The area under a velocity-time graph gives displacement ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41881)).
5. **Interpret the relationship**: State the mathematical relationship among displacement, velocity, acceleration and time shown by the graph ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41881)).
*Sources: [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41880), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41881)*
> Notes: Materials: motion sensors or photogates, computers with graphing software, ruler. Timing: 25 minutes lab activity. This addresses the Performing and Recording and Analyzing and Interpreting outcomes directly. Formative checkpoint: circulate and check that students correctly identify slope as acceleration and area as displacement before they proceed to the analysis questions. Support: give partially completed graphs with slope calculation scaffolded. Extension: have students analyze a velocity-time graph with a changing slope (non-uniform acceleration) and describe the motion in words.

## Slide 5: Applying Kinematics: Projectile Motion
An aircraft launched from a carrier deck must reach a minimum velocity before leaving the ramp, an everyday application of acceleration and displacement calculations ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41876)). In two-dimensional motion, horizontal and vertical components are treated independently: horizontal velocity stays constant while vertical velocity changes under gravitational acceleration ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41875)). Students solve projectile motion problems near Earth's surface, ignoring air resistance, using vector components ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41881)).
Common applications of kinematics include determining the average speed of a run, bike ride or car trip, or the acceleration required to launch an aircraft from a carrier.
An aircraft launched from a carrier deck must reach a minimum velocity before leaving the ramp, an everyday application of acceleration and displacement calculations ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41876)). In two-dimensional motion, horizontal and vertical components are treated independently: horizontal velocity stays constant while vertical velocity changes under gravitational acceleration ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41875)). Students solve projectile motion problems near Earth's surface, ignoring air resistance, using vector components ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41881)).
*Sources: [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41875), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41876), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41881)*
> Notes: Materials: launcher or ball-and-track apparatus, metre stick, stopwatch (optional, if class does a projectile launch demonstration). Timing: 15 minutes. Walk through a worked example: an object launched horizontally off a table, find time of flight and horizontal range using component analysis. Formative checkpoint: pair students to solve a similar problem about average speed or acceleration and check their work. Support: provide a template table separating horizontal and vertical variables. Extension: pose an angled-launch projectile problem requiring initial velocity to be resolved into components.

## Slide 6: Bringing Kinematics Together
**Summary:** This unit develops the vocabulary and mathematical tools to describe motion: displacement, velocity, acceleration and time, treated as scalars or vectors depending on the quantity ([Topic](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41870), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41871), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41872)). Students construct and interpret graphs of uniform and uniformly accelerated motion, relate slope and area to physical quantities, and extend their analysis to relative motion and two-dimensional projectile motion ([Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41873), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41874), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41875), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41881)). These skills prepare students for the study of dynamics and Newton's laws later in the course ([Topic](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41869)).
**Question:** If you doubled an object's launch speed off a horizontal ramp, would its time in the air change? Would its horizontal range change? Justify your answer using vector components.
*Sources: [Topic](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41869), [Topic](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41870), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41871), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41872), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41873), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41874), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41875), [Outcome](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41881)*
> Notes: Use the closing question as an exit ticket or think-pair-share to check for understanding of independence of horizontal and vertical components before moving to the next lesson on relative motion. Revisit the unit's two focusing questions from [Topic](https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41869) as a bridge to upcoming lessons.

---
*AILI presentation · language en · model claude-sonnet-5 · generated 2026-09-17 · id caaea0f4-fd46-44c2-8847-b2924b38da56*

### Sources

- node:n1: Unit A: Kinematics (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41869)
- node:n2: General Outcome 1 (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41870)
- node:n3: Specific Outcomes for Knowledge (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41871)
- node:n4: Specific Outcomes for Knowledge (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41872)
- node:n5: Specific Outcomes for Knowledge (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41873)
- node:n6: Specific Outcomes for Knowledge (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41874)
- node:n7: Specific Outcomes for Knowledge (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41875)
- node:n8: Specific Outcomes for Science, Technology and Society (STS) (Nature of Science Emphasis) (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41876)
- node:n9: Specific Outcomes for Skills (Nature of Science Emphasis) (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41880)
- node:n10: Specific Outcomes for Skills (Nature of Science Emphasis) (https://goa-cc-uat-aili-app-001.azurewebsites.net/explore/node/41881)