Distance-Time Graphs
A distance-time graph shows the relationship between the distance traveled by an object and
the time taken. It is useful for tracking the movement of objects like cars, cyclists, or runners. It
allows us to determine whether the motion is uniform (constant speed) or non-uniform (changing
speed).
Key Characteristics:
§ Time is always plotted on the x-axis (horizontal).
§ Distance is plotted on the y-axis (vertical).
§ Slope (gradient) = Speed:
𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 =
𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒
§ A straight upward line: The object moves at a constant speed.
§ A horizontal line: The object is stationary (no change in distance).
§ A curve that becomes steeper: The object is accelerating (speed increasing).
§ A downward slope: The object is returning to its starting point.
Example 1
You leave Math class to walk to the nearest bathroom. Draw a distance vs time graph illustrating
the distance you travel to the nearest bathroom at your actual school and back to your math class.
Example 2
Jen left her house and drove to school in the morning, as shown in the accompanying graph. On
her drive to school she realized that she forgot her bag and had to return home before driving back
to school for a 3 hour class. Explain what is happening during each part of the graph below
(i) AB (ii) BC (iii) CD (iv) DF
Example 3
The graph below shows three runners in a 100m race.
(a) Which runner won the race?
(b) Which runner stopped for rest?
(c) How long did he stop for?
(d) How long did Bob take to complete the race?
Example 4
The motion of a car is shown on the following graph.
(m/s)
Campion College 5th Form Mathematics
Example 5
The graph below shows two training runs by Pat and Vicki
(i) For how many minutes did Pat rest?
(ii) After how many minutes does Pat overtake Vicki?
(iii) How far ahead is Vicki when Pat starts again after her rest?
(iv) How many Kilometres did each girl run?
(v) What is the average speed of Pat?
(vi) What is the average speed of Vicki?
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Campion College 5th Form Mathematics
Speed-Time Graphs
A speed-time graph shows how the speed of an object changes over time. It helps to visualize if
the object is moving at constant speed, accelerating, or decelerating. Additionally, the area
under the graph corresponds to the total distance traveled.
Key Characteristics:
§ Time is plotted on the x-axis.
§ Speed is plotted on the y-axis.
§ Horizontal line: The object is moving at a constant speed.
§ Upward-sloping line: The object is accelerating (speed increasing).
§ Downward-sloping line: The object is decelerating (speed decreasing).
§ Area under the graph = Total Distance Traveled.
𝑅𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 = 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ × 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑡ℎ
1
𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 = 𝑏ℎ
2
1
𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑒𝑧𝑖𝑢𝑚 = (𝑎 + 𝑏)ℎ
2
Example 1
The graph shows how the speed of a bus changes during part of a journey.
(a) Choose the correct words from the following list to describe the motion during each part of
the journey: accelerating, decelerating, steady speed, stationary
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Campion College 5th Form Mathematics
(b) During which part of the journey was the bus moving fastest?
(c) During which part of the journey did the bus have greatest acceleration?
(d) Calculate the acceleration between D and E.
Example 2
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Campion College 5th Form Mathematics
Comparison
Feature Distance-Time Graph Speed-Time Graph
𝑥 − 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠 Time Time
𝑦 − 𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑠 Distance Speed
Slope Speed Acceleration/Deceleration
Horizontal Line Object is stationary Constant Speed
Upward-Sloping Line Object is moving away from Object is accelerating
the starting point
Downward-Sloping Line Object is returning to starting Object is decelerating
point
Area under the Graph Not applicable Total distance traveled
