Motion Diagrams
A motion diagram represents the motion of an object by displaying its location at various equally spaced times on the same diagram. For simplicity, the object is represented by a simple shape, such as a filled circle. For example, the diagram produced by the applet to the right could represent the motion diagram for a bus moving past you from left to right. The bus moves with constant velocity, and thus zero acceleration. Click "Go" and watch the object move several times. When you have a clear idea of the motion, click "Show Displacements" to see the displacement vectors of the object from each location to the next. The equal spacing of successive images or equivalently, the equal length of the displacement vectors, indicates that the object is moving with constant velocity. You can also observe motion diagrams for objects that are speeding up and slowing down.