A typical physics course concerns itself with a variety of broad
topics. One such topic is mechanics
- the study of the motion of objects. 
The first six units of The
Physics Classroom tutorial will involve an investigation into the
physics of motion. As we focus on the language, principles, and
laws which describe and explain the motion of objects, your
efforts should center around internalizing the meaning of the
information. Avoid memorizing the information; and avoid
abstracting the information from the physical world which it
describes and explains. Rather, contemplate the information,
thinking about its meaning and its applications.
Kinematics is the science of describing the motion of objects using words, diagrams, numbers, graphs, and equations. Kinematics is a branch of mechanics. The goal of any study of kinematics is to develop sophisticated mental models which serve to describe (and ultimately, explain) the motion of real-world objects.
In this lesson, we will investigate the words used to describe the motion of objects. That is, we will focus on the language of kinematics. The hope is to gain a comfortable foundation with the the language which is used throughout the study of mechanics. The words listed below are used with regularity to describe the motion of objects. Your goal should be to become very familiar with their meaning. You may click on any word now to investigate its meaning or proceed with the lesson in the order listed at the bottom of this page.
