Position Vector
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You can click to enlarge the image. Position is usually thought of as a place or a number. However, it can be described by a vector too. The dashed line represents the path that an object takes. As you can see, r(t) represents a vector from the origin to a point on the path at time t. Thus, as time (t) goes on, the vector actually changes. |
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Velocity and Acceleration Vector
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As you know, velocity is the change in position over the change in time. If you take an initial point and a point later in the motion graph, this vector is the velocity vector. The blue vector is the instantaneous velocity vector (look below). The acceleration vector is a vector that shows a change in the velocity. It's as if the acceleration is a 'pull' to change the motion. There will be more on this in Uniform Circular Motion. |
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This is a good diagram for understanding the velocity vector. As you can see, the arrow is showing the direction in which the object is moving. When it curves around, the velocity direction changes.
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