Distance vs.

Time
Curving upwards and
downwards
Constant speed
▪ A steeper slope
indicates a larger
distance moved in a
given time. In other
words, higher
speed.
▪ This is shown in
yellow.
▪ Yellow: speed =
distance / time =
30 m / 10 s = 3 m/s
▪ Blue: speed =
distance / time =
20 m / 20 s = 1 m/s
▪ Describing a journey made by
an object is very boring if you
just use words. As with much
of science, graphs are more
revealing.
▪ Plotting distance against time
can tell you a lot about a
journey.
▪ Let's look
at the axes:
▪ Time always runs
horizontally (the
x-axis). The arrow
shows the direction
of time. The further
to the right, the
longer time from
the start.
▪ Distance runs
vertically (the
y-axis). The
higher up the
graph we go, the
further we are
from the start.
▪ If something is moving at
a steady speed, it means
we expect the same
increase in distance in a
given time.
▪ Time is increasing to the
right, and distance is
increasing steadily with
time.
▪ If something is not moving, a
horizontal line is drawn on a
distance-time graph.
▪ Time is increasing to the
right, but its distance does
not change.
▪ This graph shows an object
that is stationary.
▪ This graph
shows an
object that
moves at a
steady,
constant speed.
▪ For the first part
of the journey
shown by the
graph below,
the object
moved at a
steady (slow)
speed.
▪ Then the object suddenly
increased its speed,
covering a much larger
distance in the same time.
▪ The speed increased in
the second part of the
journey.
▪ The line below is
curving upwards.
This shows an
increase in speed,
since the slope is
getting steeper
over time.
▪ In other words, in
a given time, the
distance the
object moves is
larger.
▪ It is accelerating.
Draw Your own graph
Example of scaling the graph
Drawing graph
▪ There are three parts to
the journey shown
here… Where is the
graph showing motion C
that is:
▪ Stopped?
▪ Moving at a quick B
constant speed? A
▪ Traveling at a slow
constant speed?
▪ The graph below shows several stages of motion:

Stage 1: 100 m in 10 s.
Stage 2: 50 m in 10 s.
Stage 3: 150 m in 20 s.

Calculate the speeds of

each stage, indicated by the
colors.
▪ The graph below shows several stages of motion:
Stage 1: speed = distance /
time = 100 m / 10 s = 10 m/s

Stage 2: speed = distance /

time = 50 m / 10 s = 5 m/s
Stage 3: speed = distance /
time = 150 m / 20 s = 7.5 m/s.
▪ The graph below shows several stages of motion:

Stage 1: constant speed at a

relatively high rate

Stage 2: constant speed at a

relatively slow rate
Stage 3: constant speed at a
“medium” rate (between the
others)
▪ The graph below shows several stages of motion:

The slope of the line (its

steepness) indicates
rate of change of
position.

Speed can be estimated

by the slope of the
line… faster, slower,
etc.
▪ Distance vs. time graphs also indicate the
position of the object.
Stage 1 & Stage 2: object is
moving away from the starting
point

Stage 3: object is moving back

toward the starting point (it
comes back to zero)
▪ The steeper the line on a distance vs.
time graph, the faster the object’s
speed.
▪ A curved line indicates a change in
speed (accelerating or decelerating).
Measuring Motion
Interpreting the Graph
How far has the runner
travelled after 10s?
How long does the runner take
to travel 100m?
Interpret the Graph
▪ To learn about speed vs. time
graphs, visit this link:

http://www.gcse.com/fm/stg.htm