3.

5 Graphs of motion
Objectives

- Produce distance-time, displacement-time, speed-time,

velocity-time graphs
- Describe how stationery, constant velocity, and
acceleration appears on a different graphs
- Determine and interpret the area under a force-time
graph (will teach in 3.6)
Plot distance(m)- time, displacement(m)-time, speed(m/s)-
time, velocity(m/s)-time graph based on the description

Use google spreadsheet to plot the graphs

You have to submit it through managebac
You can look at the diagrams below for better
understanding
 At 0 s, from a car 0m/s → 5 m/s
park and accelerate
to 5m/s

+
After travelling at a speed of 5m/s for 10s, it stopped for 2 s.

+ 50 m

After that, it started to go backward in a speed of 5m/s.

-5 m/s

+
At 20s of the journey, it increased the speed to 10 m/s
-10 m/s

- +

At 24s of the journey, it increased the speed to 15 m/s, at 26s increased to 25 m/s
-15 m/s

- +
Distance-time, speed time,
displacement-time,
velocity-time graph
 -100 m 0m + 50 m
Title: Distance(m), Displacement(m), Instantaneous speed(m/s),
instantaneous velocity(m/s) and time(s) for the motion
instantaneous instantaneous
Time(s) Distance(m) Displacement(m) Speed(m/s) Velocity(m/s)
0 0 0 0 0
2 10 10 5 5
4 20 20 5 5
6 30 30 5 5
8 40 40 5 5
10 50 50 5 5
12 50 50 0 0
14 60 40 5 -5
16 70 30 5 -5
18 80 20 5 -5
20 100 0 10 -10
22 120 -20 10 -10
24 150 -50 15 -15
26 200 -100 25 -25
 Distance-time graph
won’t go down
Steeper slope
increasing speed
Horizontal line:
Not moving
Slope:
Constant speed
 Horizontal line: Not moving

Positive slope:
Constant velocity
The car returns
Negative slope: the original
Constant velocity position
in opposite direction

Acceleration Steeper Negative slope:

Constant velocity
in opposite direction
Higher speed than last part
 Steeper slope
higher acceleration
Horizontal line:
Constant speed
Horizontal line: Horizontal line:
Constant speed Constant speed
Negative slope:
Deceleration
Positive slope:
acceleration Positive
slope:
Positive slope: acceleration
acceleration
0: stop moving
 Negative slope: Horizontal line, negative
Deceleration value: constant velocity in
opposite direction
Horizontal line, negative
value: constant velocity
in opposite direction
Positive slope: stop
acceleration
Horizontal line: Negative slope:
Acceleration in
constant velocity opposite direction

Steeper Negative slope: Negative slope:

Higher Acceleration in Acceleration in
opposite direction opposite direction
Revision
Part A: Distance-Time Graph
1. How far did she run in the first 5 seconds?
2. How long did she take to finish the 200 m race?
3. What was her average
speed in the first 20 seconds
for the race?
4. What was her average speed between
20 seconds and 40 seconds?
5. Did she run fastest during the first or the second
half of the race?
15m

40s

120/20=6m/s

(200-120)/20=4m/s

First half of the race

Peter makes a journey on his bike.
Sketch a graph that shows his
journey:
He sets off from home, riding slowly
for 1 minute.
Then he stops at the traffic lights for
1 minute.
He sets off again, riding at exactly
the same speed as before, for 2
minutes.
Then he stops for a rest for 1 minute.
Finally he rides very quickly down a
hill for 1 minute.
Peter makes a journey on his bike.
Sketch a graph that shows his
journey:
He sets off from home, riding slowly
for 1 minute.
Then he stops at the traffic lights for
1 minute.
He sets off again, riding at exactly
the same speed as before, for 2
minutes.
Then he stops for a rest for 1 minute.
Finally he rides very quickly down a
hill for 1 minute.
Peter makes a journey on his bike.
Sketch a graph that shows his
journey:
He sets off from home, riding slowly
for 1 minute.
Then he stops at the traffic lights for
1 minute.
He sets off again, riding at exactly
the same speed as before, for 2
minutes.
Then he stops for a rest for 1 minute.
Finally he rides very quickly down a
hill for 1 minute.
Peter makes a journey on his bike.
Sketch a graph that shows his
journey:
He sets off from home, riding slowly
for 1 minute.
Then he stops at the traffic lights for
1 minute.
He sets off again, riding at exactly
the same speed as before, for 2
minutes.
Then he stops for a rest for 1 minute.
Finally he rides very quickly down a
hill for 1 minute.
Peter makes a journey on his bike.
Sketch a graph that shows his
journey:
He sets off from home, riding slowly
for 1 minute.
Then he stops at the traffic lights for
1 minute.
He sets off again, riding at exactly
the same speed as before, for 2
minutes.
Then he stops for a rest for 1 minute.
Finally he rides very quickly down a
hill for 1 minute.
Peter makes a journey on his bike.
Sketch a graph that shows his
journey:
He sets off from home, riding slowly
for 1 minute.
Then he stops at the traffic lights for steeper
1 minute.
He sets off again, riding at exactly
the same speed as before, for 2
minutes.
Then he stops for a rest for 1 minute.
Finally he rides very quickly down a
hill for 1 minute.
The graphs below show different journeys taken by a
cyclist.
For each one, describe the journey in words.
Give as much details as you can. (use the letters A, B,
…, and the numbers on the axes).
Here is a description of Jordan on his roller-blades:
He sets off at a steady speed and travels 80m in 40s.
He stands still for 10s, then sets off again at a steady speed
and travels 60m in 20s. He falls down and sits still for 30s,
then sets off at a steady speed and travels 100m in 20s.
a. What is the total distance travelled?
b. What is the total time taken?

c. What is his average speed?

d. On the space below, choose suitable scales for the
axes, and draw a distance-time graph of Jordan’s
journey.
 Distance-time graph of Jordan’s
journey

Distance(m)

Time(s)
Part B: Speed-time graph
f Jack starts his car, accelerates to 10m/s, keeps at this speed for a while
and then brakes quickly to a stop. Sketch the speed-time graph for his
journey.
Velocit
Velocity-time
y Steady speed
Graph
Accelerates quickly Slows down-rapid
deceleration
Accelerates Slowly Stopped
0
Time
Speeds up in opposite
direction
Steady speed in the
opposite direction
Here is a speed-time graph for a sky-diver jumping
from an aeroplane:
Describe what happens, give as much detail as you
can.
Part C: Displacement-time graph and velocity-time
graph
Part C: Displacement-time graph and velocity-time
graph
a) Motion along a single direction
The motion of an object along a straight line can be represented by a
displacement-time graph (s-t graph) or a velocity-time graph (v-t
graph)
For example, the following graphs show a girl who takes 2s to
walk 3m in steady speed in the forward motion.

2s
3m
A girl who takes 2s to walk
2s
3m in steady speed in the
forward motion. 3m
Displacement (m) –Time(s) Velocity(m/s)-Time(s)
graph graph
s (m) v (m/s)

3 1.5
2 1.0
1 0.5
t (s) t (s)
0 0.5 1 1.5 2.0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2.0
These two graphs are not independent of one
another. If the displacement-time graph is given,
the slope of the curve, which is

, can be calculated to give the velocity of the

girl.
Conversely, if the velocity-time graph is given,
the area under the curve, which is s=vt, will give
the displacement at various times.
 Displacement (m) –Time(s) Velocity(m/s)-Time(s) graph
graph
s (m) v (m/s)

3 1.5
2 1.0
1 0.5
t (s) t (s)
0 0.5 1 1.5 2.0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2.0
Velocity is equal to slope of Displacement is equal to area
displacement-time graph under velocity-time graph
For objects moving only in one direction, the displacement-time
graph is the same as the distance-time graph and the velocity-time
graph is the same as the speed-time graph.
b) Motion with reverses direction
Recall:
Scalars quantities Distance, speed

Vectors quantities Displacement, velocity

Scalars and vectors
The s-t graph and v-t graph describing the whole trip
of the girl who takes 2s to walk 3m in steady speed in
the forward motion and another 2s for her to walk
2m back are shown respectively in the following
figures.
2s
3m
2s
2m
displacement (m)-time(s) velocity (m/s)-time(s) graph
graph
displacement (m) velocity (m/s)
forward trip
Forward trip
1.5
3 return trip 1.0
2 0.5
1 t (s)
0 1 2 3 4 t (s) 0 1 2 3 4
-0.5
-1.0
return trip
The distance-time graph and the speed-time graph of
the same situation are shown below. These graphs are
obtained by changing the velocity of -1ms-1 in the
backward trip to the speed of 1ms-1.
distance (m) speed (m/s)
forward trip
5 Forward trip
1.5
4
3 return trip 1.0
2 return trip
1 0.5
t (s)
0 1 2 3 4 t (s) 0 1 2 3 4
distance(m)-time(s) graph speed(m/s)-time(s) graph
c) Velocity time graph (Acceleration and deceleration)

The steeper the gradient of the line, the greater the

acceleration (a bigger change in speed in the same time).
Velocit
Velocity-time
y Steady speed
Graph
Accelerates quickly Slows down-rapid
deceleration
Accelerates Slowly Stopped
0
Time
Speeds up in opposite
direction
Steady speed in the
opposite direction
Kahoot: Year 9 Time Graphs (30 questions)
Part D: Ticker-tape timer

50Hz 1/50s=0.02s
Part D: Ticker-tape timer

50Hz 1/50s=0.02s
 1 tick

2 dots
0.02s
50Hz 1/50s=0.02s
The simplest ticker-tape timer has a steel strip which
is made to vibrate by an electromagnet. The stipe
vibrates at the frequency of the alternating current,
which is 50Hz (50 oscillations per second). The strip
has a small tip at its end. As the tape is pulled through
the timer, the vibrating steel tip strikes the tape
below. The motion is recorded by a series of dots on
the tape made successively in intervals of
1/50s=0.02s, or one ‘tick’.
The distance(in cm) between successive dots represents the
average speed, in cm per tick, of whatever is pulling the tape.
The 5-tick is a convenient interval of time. The following figure
shows a strip of ticker-tape with 6 dots, end-to-end. Its length
represents the average speed over this 5-tick interval.
Tape charts are made by sticking successive
tape strips cut along the dots, which have the
same number of dots, side by side, in order. The
following figure shows a tape chart constructed
from several 5-tick strips.
The graph can be expressed in more convenient
units by making the following unit conversions:

The distance travelled can

be measured by a ruler.
In this way, the speed of the moving object can be
read off from the graph in more common units.
For instance, the speed at 0.25s is 60cms-1.
Stick your ticker tapes (at least 6 tapes) of a car on a
ramp to make a Tape chart and calculate the initial
speed and final speed of your car and find out the
acceleration.
Calculate the initial speed and final speed of your car
and find out the acceleration.
Initial speed (cm/s)
Final speed (cm/s)
Acceleration (cm/s2)