1.

4 LESSON:
REPRESENTING MOTION
WITH GRAPHS
Velocity-Time Graph
Learning Goals

• Plot position-time, velocity-time and acceleration-

time graphs
• Interpret motion graphs
• Calculate velocity from a position-time graph
• Calculate displacement and acceleration from a
velocity-time graph
Velocity-time Graph
• The motion of an object can be represented by a velocity-time graph.
• This graph has velocity on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal
axis.

Think: What is the motion

of the object in each
segment identified by the
letters A, B, C…..?
 Velocity-time Graph
Velocity vs time graph
Time (s) Velocity
7.0
(m/s[N]
0 6.0 6.0

5.0
1 6.0

Velocity(m/s[N])
4.0
2 6.0
3.0

3 6.0 2.0

4 6.0 1.0

0.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
time (s)

The object moves 6.0 m [N] each second. The objects

is moving with uniform velocity.
 Velocity-time Graph
Time (s) Velocity
(m/s[N] Velocity vs time graph
14.0
0 0
12.0
1 3 10.0

Velocity(m/s[N])
8.0
2 6
6.0

3 9 4.0

2.0
4 12
0.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
time (s)

The object starts with an initial velocity of 0. The objects

velocity increases uniformly as it moves north, from 0 m/s
to 12.0 m/s [N] in 4.0 s.
 Velocity-time Graph
Time (s) Velocity Velocity vs time graph
(m/s[N] 14.0
0 12 12.0

10.0
1 9

Velocity(m/s[N])
8.0
2 6 6.0

4.0
3 3
2.0

4 0 0.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
time (s)

The object starts with an initial velocity of 12.0 [N].

The objects velocity decreases uniformly as it moves
north, from 12.0 m/s [N] to 0.0 m/s [N] in 4.0 s. The
object stops at 4.0 s.
 Velocity-time Graph
Time (s) Velocity
(m/s[N] Velocity vs Time Graph
15.0
0 12
10.0
1 9.0

Velocity (m/s [N])

5.0
2 6.0
0.0
3 3.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0

-5.0
4 0.0
-10.0
6.0 -6.0 Time (s)

The object starts with an initial velocity of 12.0 [N]. The

objects velocity decreases uniformly as it moves north,
from 12.0 m/s [N] to 0.0 m/s [N] in 4.0 s. The object stops
momentarily at 4.0 s then reverses direction, accelerating
uniformly south.
 Velocity-
time
Graphs

•When the object is stationary the graph is a straight horizontal line

along the time axis.
•C, F, H: object is undergoing uniform motion (constant velocity), graph
is a straight horizontal line, above or below the time axis.
•A, B: straight sloping line with positive gradient, the object is
accelerating in the positive direction.
•D, G: straight sloping line with negative gradient, the object is
decelerating or slowing down or accelerating in the negative direction.
Velocity-Time Graphs

If the graph curves, the acceleration of the object is changing.

 Displacement from a Velocity-time Graph
Time (s) Velocity Velocity vs time graph
(m/s[N] 7.0
0 6.0 6.0

1 6.0 5.0

Velocity(m/s[N])
4.0
2 6.0
3.0
3 6.0
2.0

4 6.0 1.0

0.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
time (s)

Calculate the displacement: Calculate area under the graph:

Since motion is uniform:

 Velocity-Time Graphs
Area under the graph (between graph line and time axis)
= displacement
Reminders:
• Area of Triangle= 1/2bh
• Area of Rectangle = L X W
• For an Area of Multiple shapes then add areas together.
• Areas above the time axis are positive because the
object is moving away from the reference point (in the
positive direction)
• Areas below the time axis are negative because the
object is moving towards the reference point.
Example 4: Calculate the displacement of the skateboard in the first 10 s.
Area under a velocity-time graph = displacement

1
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑛= 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑥 h𝑒𝑖𝑔h𝑡
2

Displacement is 150 m[S]

 Example #1:
Describe the motion of the object in all three
segments of the graph below.  The object’s
velocity increased
[E] uniformly from rest
in a direction south
to a velocity of 10
m/s in 5 s
• Object continued
at 10 m/s south for
the next 10 s
• Object slowed
uniformly from 10
m/s to 5 m/s in the
next 10 s.
 Example #2:
Calculate the displacement
in all three segments of
the graph below.

[E]

𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 = ⃗
𝑑 𝐴+ ⃗
𝑑𝐵+ ⃗
𝑑 𝐶 =25 𝑚 [ 𝑆 ] +10 0 𝑚 [ 𝑆 ] +75 𝑚[𝑆]
Total displacement is 200 m [S]
 Acceleration from V-t graphs:

• The acceleration of an object can be obtained from its

velocity-time graph
• The slope of a velocity-time graph gives the average
acceleration of an object.
• Where the slope is positive, the objects velocity is
increasing in the positive direction
• Where the slope is negative the object is slowing
down (its velocity is increasing in the negative
direction).
• A horizontal slope indicates zero acceleration which
means the object is moving with constant velocity
Calculate the acceleration of the skateboarders.
Area under a velocity-time graph = displacement

[S]

The acceleration is 3.0 m/s2 [S]

 Acceleration:
Practice:
Calculate the acceleration in all three
segments of the graph below.
[E]
 Acceleration-time graph
Acceleration–time
graph a graph
describing motion of
an object, with
acceleration on the
vertical axis and time
on the horizontal axis
Acceleration-time graph Area under an
acceleration-
time graph = the
change in
velocity of an
object.

This means that

the objects
velocity
increased by 20
m/s [W] in 5.0 s