Motion of a Particle in 1-Dimension

If a particle has negative acceleration then it must be slowing down, right? Nope. Sorry. Try again. This is an extremely common misconception. This applet is intended to address this misconception and help you understand what the sign of the first and second derivative is telling you. The sign of the first derivative indicates the [b]direction of motion[/b], whereas the sign of the second derivative indicates the [b]direction of the acceleration[/b]. A particle is [b]slowing down[/b] if it is [b]accelerating in the opposite direction[/b] from which it is [b]moving[/b]. This means we also have to know its direction of motion to conclude anything about whether it is speeding up or slowing down.

 

Ed

 
Tip material
Foaie de lucru
Etichete
acceleration  calculus  motion  particle  position  velocity 
Grup Ţintă (Vârstă)
19+
Limbă
English (United States)
 
 
Versiune GeoGebra
4.2
Vizualizări
1605
Contact author of resource
 
 
© 2025 International GeoGebra Institute