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Motion Graphs
Jamie Z 2024-06-17Learning Goals
- Construct Displacement-time graphs
- Understand that the gradient of a displacement-time graph is velocity
- Construct Velocity-time graphs
- Understand that the gradient of a velocity-time graph is acceleration
Motion Graphs
- Motion graphs demonstrate the motion of a graph over a period of time
- It can describe different types of an object’s motion by the rate of change (gradient)
There are three different types
- Displacement-Time
- Velocity-Time
- Acceleration-Time
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Displacement Time Graph
- A displacement-time graph (S-T) describes the object’s displacement from the initial position at any given time
- The velocity can be calculated from the gradient
\[ gadient=\frac{rise}{run}=\frac{\Delta displacement}{\Delta time}=velocity \]
Velocity in S-T graph
- The gradient shows the velocity of the object in a displacement graph
Velocity Time Graph
- A velocity time graph (V-T) describes the object’s velocity at any given time
- The gradient describes the object’s change in velocity or acceleration
\[ gadient=\frac{rise}{run}=\frac{\Delta velocity}{\Delta time}=acceleration \]
Acceleration in V-T graph
- The gradient determines the acceleration of the object
Acceleration Time Graph
- An acceleration-time (A-T) graph describes the objects acceleration of the object at any given time
- In high school physics, only constant acceleration is investigated
