Equations of Constant
Acceleration
Position-Time and Velocity-Time
Graphs
Questions for Consideration
What is a position-time graph?
What is a velocity-time graph?
How do features on one graph translate
into features on the other?
Distance-Time Graphs
Show an object’s position as a function of
time.
x-axis: time
y-axis: distance
Distance-Time Graphs
Imagine a ball rolling along a table, illuminated by a strobe light
every second.
0s 1s 2s 3s 4s 5s 6s 7s 8s 9 s 10 s
You can plot the ball’s position as a function of time.
Distance-Time Graphs
10
9
8
7
Distance(cm)
6
5
4
3
2
1
time (s)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Distance-Time Graphs
What are the 10
characteristics of 8
this graph? 6
position (cm)
5
Straight line, upward 4
slope 2
What kind of motion 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
time (s)
created this graph?
Constant speed
Distance-Time Graphs
Each type of motion has a characteristic
shape on a D-T graph.
Constant speed
Zero speed (at rest)
Accelerating (speeding up)
Decelerating (slowing down)
Distance-Time Graphs
Constant speed is represented by a
straight segment on the D-T graph.
pos. (m)
pos. (m)
time (s) time (s)
Constant speed in positive Constant speed in negative
direction. direction.
Distance-Time Graphs
Constant speed is represented by a
straight segment on the D-T graph.
pos. (m)
time (s)
A horizontal segment means
the object is at rest.
Distance-Time Graphs
Curved segments on the D-T graph
mean the object’s speed is changing.
pos. (m)
pos. (m)
time (s) time (s)
Speeding up in positive Speeding up in negative
direction. direction.
Distance-Time Graphs
Curved segments on the D-T graph
mean the object’s speed is changing.
pos. (m)
pos. (m)
time (s) time (s)
Traveling in positive Traveling in negative
direction, but slowing down. direction, but slowing down.
Distance-Time Graphs
The slope of a D-T graph is equal to the
object’s velocity in that segment.
change in y
50
slope =
change in x
position (m)
40
(30 m – 10 m)
30 slope =
(30 s – 0 s)
20
10 (20 m)
slope =
(30 s)
10 20 30 40
time (s) slope = 0.67 m/s
Distance-Time Graphs
The following D-T graph corresponds to an object
moving back and forth along a straight path. Can you
describe its movement based on the graph?
N
position (m)
time (s)
S
Equations of Constant
Acceleration
Example8:
Example9:
Example10:
Your turn!
Velocity-Time Graphs
A velocity-time (V-T) graph shows an
object’s velocity as a function of time.
A horizontal line = constant velocity.
A straight sloped line = constant
acceleration.
Acceleration = change in velocity over time.
Positive slope = positive acceleration.
Not necessarily speeding up!
Negative slope = negative acceleration.
Not necessarily slowing down!
Velocity-Time Graphs
A horizontal line on the V-T graph means
constant velocity.
N
Object is moving at
velocity (m/s)
a constant velocity
time (s) North.
S
Velocity-Time Graphs
A horizontal line on the V-T graph means
constant velocity.
N
Object is moving at
velocity (m/s)
a constant velocity
time (s) South.
S
Velocity-Time Graphs
If an object isn’t moving, its velocity is
zero.
Object is at rest
velocity (m/s)
time (s)
S
Velocity-Time Graphs
If the V-T line has a positive slope, the
object is undergoing acceleration in
positive direction.
If v is positive also, object is speeding up.
If v is negative, object is slowing down.
Velocity-Time Graphs
V-T graph has positive slope.
N N
velocity (m/s)
velocity (m/s)
time (s) time (s)
S Positive velocity and S Negative velocity and
positive acceleration: object positive acceleration: object
is speeding up! is slowing down.
Velocity-Time Graphs
If the V-T line has a negative slope, the
object is undergoing acceleration in the
negative direction.
If v is positive, the object is slowing down.
If v is negative also, the object is speeding
up.
Velocity-Time Graphs
V-T graph has negative slope.
N N
velocity (m/s)
velocity (m/s)
time (s) time (s)
Negative velocity and
S Positive velocity and S negative acceleration:
negative acceleration:
object is speeding up! (in
object is slowing down,
negative direction)
