Final answer:
The component of velocity of a particle as a function of time refers to the x, y, or z components of the velocity vector, not to acceleration, displacement, or speed.
Step-by-step explanation:
The component of velocity of a particle as a function of time is neither acceleration, displacement, nor speed. Instead, the component of velocity refers to either the x-component, y-component, or z-component of the velocity vector as a function of time. The velocity function can be written as a vector sum of the one-dimensional velocities ux(t), Uy(t), Uz(t) along the x, y, and z directions, respectively.
For example, if an object has a constant acceleration in the x direction, its velocity in that direction as a function of time would be linear with time, characterized by an equation of the form v(t) = v0 + at, where v0 is the initial velocity and a is the acceleration. Displacement and speed are separate aspects of a particle's motion; displacement refers to the change in position, while speed refers to the magnitude of velocity without a directional component.