Question

Determine the signs (positive, negative, or zero) of the position,

velocity, and acceleration for the particle in FIGURE Q1.7.

Short answer

Position defines where the particle is located, velocity defines which direction the particle is moving, and acceleration defines whether the particle is speeding up or slowing down.

Step-by-step solution

Given information:

The particle is along the negative Y-axis below the origin.

Finding the position of the particle:

• Velocity is defined as the rate of change of displacement of the particle with respect to time.
• Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity of the particle with respect to time.

• In the given figure, the position of the particle is below the origin.
• Therefore, the sign of position is negative.

Finding the velocity and acceleration of the particle:

The particle is moving down, therefore the velocity is negative.

The speed of particle increases as it moves along the negative direction.

The direction of the acceleration is the same as the direction of the velocity. Therefore, the sign of the acceleration is negative.