Glossary
- acceleration
The rate of change of velocity; it measures how quickly an object speeds up or slows down.
- affine
As in "affine transformation," indicates that the essential shape of the object being moved is preserved.
- amplitude
Measures the range of output values for the sine or cosine function.
- angle of incidence
The incoming angle of a moving object when it collides with a fixed object.
- angle of reflection
The outgoing angle of a moving object when it collides with a fixed object.
- angular displacement (q)
A vector quantity that measures rotation. It is equal to the arc length divided by the radius of a rotating object.
- Angular Momentum
(L = Iw) where I=inertia (mr2) and w=angular velocity.
- arc length (s)
A certain distance along a circular path.
- array
A gridlike system for organizing any type of information (such as numbers, variables, text, and even arrays).
- average angular acceleration (a)
The rate of change of angular velocity (change in angular velocity divided by time).
- average angular velocity (
 ) The rate of change of angular displacement (change in angular displacement divided by time).
- axis-aligned bounding box
A box with sides that are perfectly horizontal and vertical, meaning parallel to the x- and y-axes.
- axis of symmetry
A horizontal or vertical line that goes through the vertex of a parabola and splits it right down the middle so that each side is a reflection of the other.
- Cartesian coordinates
x, y, and z values that describe displacement parallel to the three axes.
- Cartesian coordinate system
A gridlike system that uses a horizontal x-axis and a vertical y-axis to pinpoint a 2D location or an x-, y-, and z-axis to pinpoint a 3D location.
- circle
The set of all 2D points at a given distance, called the radius, from a given fixed point, the center.
- class
The basic type used in object oriented design.
- coefficient of restitution (e)
A measure of how much energy is lost during a collision. For an elastic collision, e = 1, and for a perfectly inelastic collision, e = 0.
- complete solution
All the points that satisfy a given equation.
- concatenation
The process of combining transformation matrices into a single combo matrix.
- conservation of momentum theorem
States that the total amount of momentum stays the same when two objects collide. It simply transfers from one object to the other.
- corresponding entries
Entries in any matrix that are in the same row and column location.
- differential scale
A scaling process with two different scale factor values for Sx and Sy.
- displacement
The vector version of distance—distance plus direction.
- elastic collision
A collision in which no kinetic energy is lost when the two objects hit.
- entry
Each individual number in a matrix.
- Euler rotation
Pronounced "oiler." A process that uses three variables, commonly called roll, pitch, and yaw, to rotate objects. Distinguished from Quaternions, an alternative method of rotation.
- formula
An equation.
- free-body diagram
A standard diagram that uses arrows to represent the forces on an object in a very specific way. All the arrows originate at the object's center, and all have relative lengths.
- function
A rule that takes in information (input) and returns new information (output).
- fundamental period
360° or 2pR measures how often the sine and cosine functions repeat.
- gravitational potential energy (GPE)
The energy stored in an object due to its height off the ground.
- impulse-momentum theorem
States that a force delivered quickly results in a change of momentum. This means that if the mass does not change, the object either speeds up or slows down.
- individual solution
A single point that makes an equation true.
- Inertia (I)
measures an object's resistance to motion. It's the angular equivalent to mass and is equal to mr2.
- instantaneous angular acceleration
The average angular acceleration over an extremely small time interval, as close to an instant as you can get.
- instantaneous angular velocity
The average angular velocity over an extremely small time interval, as close to an instant as you can get.
- instantaneous velocity
The average velocity over an extremely small time interval, as close to an instant as you can get.
- interpolation
The process of predetermining intermediate values between two
- key framing
Identifying important points of transition in an animation.
- kinetic energy
The amount of energy an object has because it is moving.
- kinetic friction
The force that slows down an object after it gets moving.
- law of conservation of mechanical energy
States that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only switch forms.
- linear combination
A process that uses the rules of equality to solve for two unknown variables when two equations are given.
- matrix
An array that is limited to storing numbers.
- midpoint
The point that is exactly halfway between two other points.
- momentum (p)
An object's mass times velocity.
- Newton's Second Law Revisited
(t = Ia) where I=inertia (mr2) and a=angular acceleration.
- normal force
The force of the surface an object is sitting on that counteracts gravity and keeps it from falling any farther.
- normalization
A process that scales the magnitude of a vector down to 1.
- orthogonal
A synonym for perpendicular.
- parabola
A fancy name for a symmetric bump, or arc.
- parallel lines
Two lines that never cross because they have equal slopes.
- perfectly inelastic collision
A collision in which two objects stick together and have the same final velocity.
- period
The measurement of how often a trigonometric function repeats.
- perpendicular lines
Two lines that intersect at right angles.
- polar coordinates
A length plus an angle in standard position.
- projectile
Any object that has been thrown, kicked, or shot and is flying through the air.
- Pythagorean theorem
States that, for any right triangle, the length of the hypotenuse squared is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides (a2 + b2 = c2).
- quadrant
One segment of the Cartesian system of coordinates.
- radius
The distance from any point on a circle or sphere to its center.
- Rotational Kinetic Energy
(KER = 1/2Iw2) where I=inertia (mr2) and w=angular velocity.
- scalar
A number, sometimes called a magnitude, without any direction.
- slope
The measure of steepness (rise over run).
- solution set
The set of all the points that satisfy two equations.
- speed
The measure of how fast an object is moving.
- sphere
The set of all 3D points at a given distance, called the radius, from a given fixed point, the center. It's what you get when a circle revolves about its center point.
- static friction
The force that keeps an object from initially moving.
- structure
a user-created programming construct that is used as a new data
- substitution
A method for solving a system of two linear equations.
- surface normal
A vector that is perpendicular to the surface and that has a length of 1.
- system of linear equations
Two equations put together.
- tangential velocity (vt)
The linear velocity of a spinning object if it were to break free from rotation.
- transformation
A way to move objects around in a 2D or 3D coordinate system. It encompasses movement such as forward-and-backward or up-and-down motion, scaling objects larger or smaller, and rotating objects.
- translation
The process of moving objects left, right, up and down, or in and out.
- transpose
A matrix operation that swaps rows with columns.
- uniform scale
A scale with equal scale factors that keeps the proportions of the object being scaled the same.
- unit circle
A circle centered at the origin with a radius of 1.
- vector
A quantity that has both magnitude and direction.
- vector reflection
The motion of a moving object when it bounces off a fixed object.
- velocity
The vector version of speed—speed plus direction.
- vertex
A point. For a parabola, the vertex is the very tip of the bump, the extreme maximum or minimum.
- weight
The force due to gravity.
- work
The scalar measurement of force times displacement.
- work-energy theorem
States that the net or total work done on an object is equal to the change in its kinetic energy.
- y-intercept
The point where a line crosses the y-axis.
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