Lesson 10: Graphical Representation of Motion
Video Lesson
Simulations
https://www.labxchange.org/library/items/lb:LabXchange:aefb97e0:lx_simulation:1
https://www.thephysicsaviary.com/Physics/Programs/Labs/GraphingOfMotionLab/
Lesson Objective
Dear Learners,
At the end of this section, you should be able to:
- Plot s-t and v-t graphs;
- Define the slope of a motion;
- Calculate the velocity from S-t graph and acceleration from v-t graph.
Brainstorming Question
Discuss about the slope of the velocity time graph.
key terms and concepts
- Position-Time Graph:
- Velocity-Time Graph:
Position-Time Graph: Shows the object’s position over time; slope represents velocity.
Velocity-Time Graph: Shows the object’s velocity over time; slope represents acceleration, and the area under this graph represents displacement.
Position-Time Graph
A position-time graph plots the position of an object along the y-axis and time along the x-axis.
Characteristics:
- Slope: Represents the velocity of the object. A steeper slope indicates higher velocity.
Slope= vertical change / horizontal change = ∆X/ ∆t = Vav
- Straight Line: Indicates uniform motion (constant velocity).
This is the s-t graph for uniform motion(constant velocity). For example: slope= v=s/t =50/5=40/4=30/3=20/2=10/1=1m/s Hence, the value of velocity is constant (1m/s).
Velocity-Time Graph
A velocity-time graph plots the velocity of an object along the y-axis and time along the x-axis.
Characteristics:
- Slope: Represents acceleration. A steeper slope indicates greater acceleration.
Slope= vertical change / horizontal change = ∆V/ ∆t = aav
- Straight Horizontal Line: Indicates constant velocity (zero acceleration).
- Straight Inclined Line: Indicates constant acceleration.
- Area Under the graph: Represents the displacement of the object.
For Uniform Motion: area=b×h=vt =s where b is base & h is height.
For non-Uniform Motion: area=1/2(b×h) = 1/2(vt) = S
This is the V-t graph for uniform acceleration.
Non-Uniform Motion:
- Graph: A straight, diagonal line.
- Explanation: The velocity changes at a constant rate, indicating constant acceleration.
This is the V-t graph for uniform velocity.
Uniform Motion:
- Graph: A horizontal line.
- Explanation: The velocity remains constant over time, indicating zero acceleration.