Kinematics
16 Introduction to Two-Dimensional Kinematics

The arc of a basketball, the orbit of a satellite, a bicycle rounding a curve, a swimmer diving into a pool, blood gushing out of a wound, and a puppy chasing its tail are just a few examples of motion along curved paths. In fact, most motions in nature follow curved paths rather than straight lines.
Motion along a curved path on a flat surface or plane (such as that of a ball on a pool table or a skater on an ice rink) is two-dimensional motion, and thus described by two-dimensional kinematics. Motion not confined to a plane, such as a car following a winding mountain road, is described by three-dimensional kinematics.
Both two- and three-dimensional kinematics are straightforward extensions of the one-dimensional kinematics developed for straight-line motion in the previous chapter. This simple extension allows us to apply physics to many more situations, and also reveals unexpected insights about nature.