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In physics and geometry, there are two closely related vector spaces, usually three-dimensional but in general of any finite dimension. Position space (also real space or coordinate space) is the set of all position vectors r in Euclidean space, and has dimensions of length; a position vector defines a point in space.
In classical mechanics, a trajectory is defined by Hamiltonian mechanics via canonical coordinates; hence, a complete trajectory is defined by position and momentum, simultaneously. The mass might be a projectile or a satellite. [1] For example, it can be an orbit — the path of a planet, asteroid, or comet as it travels around a central mass.
In physics, motion is when an object changes its position with respect to a reference point in a given time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement , distance , velocity , acceleration , speed , and frame of reference to an observer, measuring the change in position of the body relative to that frame with a change in time.
In geometry and kinematics, coordinate systems are used to describe the (linear) position of points and the angular position of axes, planes, and rigid bodies. [16] In the latter case, the orientation of a second (typically referred to as "local") coordinate system, fixed to the node, is defined based on the first (typically referred to as ...
Successful experiments involving superpositions of relatively large (by the standards of quantum physics) objects have been performed. A beryllium ion has been trapped in a superposed state. [4] A double slit experiment has been performed with molecules as large as buckyballs and functionalized oligoporphyrins with up to 2000 atoms. [5] [6]
However, if the particle is constrained to move within a plane, a two-dimensional coordinate system is sufficient. All observations in physics are incomplete without being described with respect to a reference frame. The position vector of a particle is a vector drawn from the origin of the reference frame to the particle. It expresses both the ...
In physics and astronomy, a frame of reference (or reference frame) is an abstract coordinate system, whose origin, orientation, and scale have been specified in physical space. It is based on a set of reference points , defined as geometric points whose position is identified both mathematically (with numerical coordinate values) and ...
In quantum mechanics, the position operator is the operator that corresponds to the position observable of a particle. When the position operator is considered with a wide enough domain (e.g. the space of tempered distributions ), its eigenvalues are the possible position vectors of the particle.