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Motion Graphs - Distance-Time Notes

Motion graphs visually represent the change in position of an object over time, with distance plotted on the Y-axis and time on the X-axis. A horizontal line indicates the object is at rest, while a steeper line signifies faster motion, and curves represent acceleration or deceleration. Overall, these graphs help in understanding the speed, direction, and changes in motion of objects.

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36 views3 pages

Motion Graphs - Distance-Time Notes

Motion graphs visually represent the change in position of an object over time, with distance plotted on the Y-axis and time on the X-axis. A horizontal line indicates the object is at rest, while a steeper line signifies faster motion, and curves represent acceleration or deceleration. Overall, these graphs help in understanding the speed, direction, and changes in motion of objects.

Uploaded by

hanah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Motion Graphs

Describing the motion of an object is occasionally hard to do with words.


Sometimes
graphs help make motion easier to picture, and therefore understand.

Remember:
• Motion is a change in position measured by distance and time.
• Speed tells us the rate at which an object moves.
• Velocity tells the speed and direction of a moving object.
• Acceleration tells us the rate speed or direction changes.

DISTANCE-TIME GRAPHS
Plotting distance against time can tell you a lot about motion. Let's look at
the axes:

__________ is plotted on the Y-axis (side


of the graph). The higher up the
graph, the further from the start.

__________ is always plotted on the X-


axis
(bottom of the graph). The further to
the right on the axis, the longer the
time from the start.

If an object is not moving, a horizontal line is shown on a distance-time


graph.

Time is increasing to the right, but


its
distance does not change. It is not
moving. We say it is at rest or
__________________.

If an object is moving at a constant speed, it means it has the same increase


in
distance in a given time:

Time is increasing to the right, and


distance
is increasing constantly with time. The
object moves at a constant speed.

_____________ is shown by straight


lines on a graph.
Motion Graphs

Let’s look at two moving objects:

Both of the lines in the graph show that each object moved the same
distance, but the
steeper dashed line got there before the other one:

A steeper line indicates _______________.

Both lines are straight, so both speeds


are
constant.

Graphs that show acceleration look different from those that show constant
speed.

The line on this graph is curving upwards.


This
shows an __________________________, since
the line is getting steeper

The line on this graph is curving downwards.


This
shows an __________________________, since
the line is flattening out.

A downward straight line means the object is returning to the start.


Motion Graphs

The line on this graph is pointing back


towards the x axis. This shows that the
motion is ____________________________to the
starting point where the motion first began.

Summary:
A distance-time graph tells us how far an object has moved with time.
• The steeper the graph, the faster the motion.
• A horizontal line means the object is not changing its position - it is not
moving,
it is at rest.
• A downward sloping line means the object is returning to the start.

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