Worksheet 2.

1
Speed–time graphs
Solve some more problems involving speed–time graphs.
Notes
For a speed–time graph:
 the steeper the slope, the greater the acceleration
 distance travelled  area under speed–time graph.

Questions
1 The graph shows how the speed of a car changed as it travelled along a
road.

a What was the car’s speed at the start?

b How fast was the car travelling after 10 s?
c How can you tell from the graph that, after 15 s, the car reached a
steady speed?
d What was the car’s speed after 15 s?
e How far did the car travel during the first 15 s?
f How far did the car travel during the first 30 s?

© Cambridge University Press 2014 IGCSE ® Physics

Worksheet 2.1  1
2 The table shows how a train’s speed changed during part of its journey.

Speed / m/s 30 30 30 25 20  15

Time / s  0 20 40 60 80 100

a Draw a speed–time graph using the data in the table.

b Describe in words the motion of the train.
c From your graph, deduce the distance travelled by the train in 100 s.

3 Read this description of a car’s journey along a road.

At first, the car was stuck behind a slow bus. It travelled at a steady
speed of 8.0 m/s for 50 s. Then the bus turned off the road and the
driver increased the car’s speed so that, after another 10 s, it reached
a speed of 20 m/s. It travelled at this speed for 40 s.
a Draw a speed–time graph using the information in the description.
b The car’s journey was in three sections. From your graph, deduce the
distance travelled by the car in each section of its journey, and the
total distance it travelled.

© Cambridge University Press 2014 IGCSE ® Physics

Worksheet 2.1  2