working on physics..........

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Working on my elementary physics class.

One of the things that makes physics hard for me is that words we use in ordinary English (like velocity) mean something different in physics.  In common spoken English, we tend to treat speed and velocity as identical.  In physics, velocity is speed AND direction.  So going 25 miles-per-hour east is a different velocity than going 25 mph west........

I'm working on grokking the vocabulary, which has to help with my understanding of the concepts........

I found a cool tool on Fear of Physics that helps with understanding how velocity and speed are NOT the same, in physics........  You enter start position, speed, and velocity for two different vehicles, and the site moves the vehicles according to the numbers you gave it.  You can see your vehicles stay still, speed up, slow down and then go in reverse..........

I made one truck start and proceed at a constant velocity (I specified a speed, and specified NO acceleration), and I made the other start at the same speed, but have a negative acceleration.......

Very helpful for understanding what happens, I think.

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