Graphs Of Motion Flashcards
What are the three main graphs of motion?
Position vs time
Velocity vs time
Acceleration vs time
What does the gradient of a position vs time graph give us?
The velocity of the object in question
What does a position vs time graph of an object travelling at a constant velocity look like?
A straight line
What does a position vs time graph of an object travelling with an increasing velocity look like?
A smiley mouth
What does a position vs time graph of an object travelling with a decreasing velocity look like?
A sad mouth
How is the gradient of a curve found?
By the gradient of a tangent to the graph
What does the position vs time graph of an object that is slowing down look like?
The first half of a sad mouth
What does the position vs time graph of an object that is speeding up in the opposite direction look like?
The second half of a sad mouth
What would the comparison between a position vs time graph of an object that slows down then speeds up and one that slows down then accelerates in the opposite direction be?
The first half (before the direction change) would be the same
The second halves (after the direction change) would be mirror images of one another
What does the gradient of a velocity vs time graph give us?
The acceleration of a moving object
If the gradient of a velocity vs time graph is positive, what does it mean?
The velocity is increasing
The acceleration is positive
If the gradient of a velocity vs time graph is negative, what does it mean?
The velocity is decreasing
The acceleration is negative
What does the area between a velocity vs time graph and the time axis give us?
The displacement of the object
How do you work out the displacement of an object if the velocity vs time graph is both negative and positive?
Positive area - negative area
How do you work out the distance that an object has travelled if the velocity vs time graph is both negative and positive?
Positive area + negative area
