Vector Motion Example

AP Calculus · Axiom Academy

Circular motion with changing speed Step 1: Find the Velocity Vector Velocity is the derivative of position: Speed is the magnitude of velocity: Step 3: Find the Acceleration Vector Acceleration is the derivative of velocity: Step 4: Analyze the Components This tells us the object is moving upward and to the right, while being accelerated toward the origin (centripetal acceleration for circular motion).

This is the written version of the interactive lesson above. See the full AP Calculus course.