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Velocity-Time Graphs

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13 views

Velocity-Time Graphs

Uploaded by

arwae1698
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name: ….

………………………………………
Date: ….………………………………………
Velocity-Time Graphs
A velocity-time graph (or speed-time
graph) is a way of visually expressing a
journey.

Reminder:
1) The gradient of the line = Acceleration
2) Negative gradient = Deceleration
3) Flat section means constant velocity
(NOT STOPPED)
4) Area under the graph = Distance
travelled

Describing a graph
One Skill you will need learn is describing a velocity time graph.

Example: The speed-time graph shows a 50-second car journey. Describe the 50 second journey.
Answer:
Step 1: Split the graph up into distinct
sections, these can be seen in the image as
A,B,C and D

Step 2: In detail describe each part of the


journey, ensuring to use numerical values
throughout.

Section A – The car accelerated from


0 to 15 m/s over the first 10 seconds
(because the line is straight, the
acceleration is constant).

Section B – The line is flat, meaning the car’s speed did not change for 10 seconds – meaning it was
moving at a constant speed.
Section C – The car accelerated up to 25 m/s over the next 10 seconds,
Section D – Finally it spent the last 20 seconds decelerating back down to 0 m/s.

Calculating Acceleration
We must find the gradient of the each section.
Section A: Acceleration between 0s and 10s = gradient 15 = 15 - 0 = 1.5 m/s2
10 - 0
Section B: This section is flat, meaning the acceleration will be 0 m/s2

Section C: Acceleration between 20s and 30s = gradient = 25 −15 = 1 m/s2


30 - 20
Section D: Acceleration between 30s and 50s = gradient = 0 - 25 = - 25 = -1.25 m/s2
50 - 30 20
Section A has the largest acceleration, so the maximum acceleration is 1.5 m/s2.
Calculating total distance travelled
Area under the graph = Distance travelled

To work out the area under this graph, we will break it into
4 shapes, A, B C, and D. This gives two triangles (A and D),
a rectangle (B), and a trapezium (C ), which are all shapes
that we can work out the area of.

Total area travelled:


75m + 150m + 200m +
250m = 675m

Question 1: Below is a speed-time graph of a track cyclist during a race. Work out the total distance
travelled by the cyclist over the course of the race.

Question 2: Below is a velocity-time graph of a runner during the first 50 seconds of a race.
i. Describe the runner’s journey in these 50 seconds.
ii. Work out the average acceleration of the runner during this period.
iii. Work out the total distance travelled by the runner over the first 50 seconds of the race.

Question 3: A ball is placed at rest at the top of a hill. It travels with constant acceleration for the first 12
second and reaches a speed of 4 m/s. It then decelerates at a constant rate of 0.1 m/s 2 for 20 seconds. It
then travels at a constant speed for a further 18 seconds.
On graph paper, draw a speed-time graph for the ball over the course of this 50 seconds.

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