| frame of reference = Ground | Ground | Person | River | Boat | |
| Relative Speed | m/s | m/s | 0.0 m/s | m/s |
Click the right mouse button to resume the animation.
Analysis:
How much velocity change (DV) occurred to the ground, man, river and boat when the frame of reference was switched from the ground to the river? DV = ________________
What factor determines the velocity (speed and direction) measured of an object?
When stating the speed of an object on earth, what is the frame of reference commonly used by observers? ___________________________________
How to change the velocity vectors?
Press the right mouse button to suspend the animation. Now click near the tip of the vector arrow, and drag it left or right. This procedure can be used on ground, river, man, or boat to change their velocity.
Observation #3 The Motion of an Object is Relative
With the mouse cursor on the ground (gray area) click your right mouse to stop the animation. Place your mouse arrow on the boat vector and click-and-Drag the boat vector so that it has a velocity of 0.0 m/s (negative values indicates the direction is upstream). Click the right mouse button to resume the animation.
Determine the relative speed of the boat when the mouse cursor is on the river, ground, boat and man. Record these values in the data table.