key term - Derivative of the Position Function

Definition

The derivative of the position function represents the rate at which an object's position is changing with respect to time. It gives us information about the object's velocity at any given moment.

Related terms

Average Velocity: Average velocity can be calculated by finding the change in position divided by the change in time, which is essentially taking an average of the derivatives of the position function.

Instantaneous Velocity:

Instantaneous velocity is obtained by taking the derivative of the position function with respect to time, giving us information about how fast and in what direction an object is moving at a specific instant.

Acceleration:

Acceleration measures how quickly an object's velocity changes over time. It can be found by taking the derivative of velocity with respect to time or by finding the second derivative of the position function.