Section 3: Position-Time Graphs

You can use position-time graphs to determine an object’s position at a

certain time.
K W L
What I Know What I Want to Find Out What I Learned
Essential Questions
• What information do position-time graphs provide?
• How can you use a position-time graph to interpret an object’s position or
displacement?
• What are the purposes of equivalent representations of an object’s motion?

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Vocabulary
Review New
• intersection • position-time graph
• instantaneous position

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Finding Positions

Go to your ConnectED resources to play Animation: Position-Time

Graphs.

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Finding Positions
• In a position-time graph, the time
data is plotted on a horizontal axis
and the position data is plotted on a
vertical axis.

• Graphs of an object’s position and

time contain useful information
about an object’s position at
various times.

• The symbol x represents the

instantaneous position of the
object—the position at a particular
instant.

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Finding Positions
• Name four ways to represent motion. Use each method to
describe an everyday example of motion.

– Words

– Motion diagrams

– Data tables

– Position-time graphs

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Finding Positions

Use with Example Problem 1.

Problem
Where was Juanita at time t = 0.5 h?
At what time was the magnitude of Heather’s
position equal to 2.0 km?

Response
• At 0.5 h, Juanita is a position with a
magnitude of 2.5 km.
• Heather is at 2.0 km at a time of
t = 0.8 h.

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Multiple Objects on a Position-Time Graph
• The motion of more than one
object can be graphed on a single
position-time graph.

• When two lines intersect, the

objects are in the same place at
the same time.

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Multiple Objects on a Position-Time Graph

Use with Example Problem 2.

Problem
When and where does Tai pass Luis?

Response
The point at which the two graphed
lines intersect is at 20.0 s and 40.0 m.

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education Position-Time Graphs

Review
Essential Questions
• What information do position-time graphs provide?
• How can you use a position-time graph to interpret an object’s position or
displacement?
• What are the purposes of equivalent representations of an object’s motion?

Vocabulary
• position-time graph
• instantaneous position

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education Position-Time Graphs