Week 1: Kinematics | Classical Mechanics | Physics | MIT OpenCourseWare

This page contains videos from Week 1: Kinematics.

Overview

Added

March 18, 2026

Subject & domain

physics · kinematics

Grade range

Grade 11 (Junior)–Grade 12 (Senior)

Page kind

Article

Keywords

opencoursewareMIT OCWcoursewareMIT opencoursewareFree Coursesclass notesclass syllabusclass materialstutorialsonline coursesMIT courses

Introduction

Week 1: Kinematics Course Outline

  • 1D Kinematics Fundamentals:
    • Coordinate systems and unit vectors.
    • Position, displacement, and average velocity.
    • Instantaneous velocity and the application of derivatives.
  • Acceleration:
    • Introduction to acceleration in 1D.
    • Calculating acceleration from position.
    • Application of integration in kinematic problems.
  • 2D Kinematics:
    • Coordinate systems and position vectors in 2D.
    • Instantaneous velocity and acceleration in 2D.
    • Projectile motion theory and demonstrations.
  • Problem Solving (PS) & Worked Examples:
    • Foundational questions for starting kinematics.
    • Specific scenarios: "Shooting the Apple," braking car dynamics, sketching motion, and intersection kinematics (pedestrian and bike).

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