LAST NAME________________ FIRST NAME__________________ DATE__________ BLOCK________
1.7D INTERPRETTING MOTION GRAPHS. (STUDENT EXERCISE)
1.3 Create and interpret graphs of 1-dimensional motion, such as position vs. time, distance vs. time, speed vs. time,
velocity vs. time, and acceleration vs. time where acceleration is constant.
In each case draw the trend described on the graph provided in the left most box. Fill in the blanks and sketch the
graph in the rightmost box.
POSITION GRAPHS ( X vs T)
Graph
Description of Motion
Description of Graph
What is happening to
Velocity
Object is not moving and is at a
position greater than zero.
X is ___________
Velocity is _________ . Its
value is _________.
Object is moving slowly in a
positive direction with a constant
velocity.
X is ____________ at a(n)
__________ rate.
Velocity is _________ .
Object is moving faster than
previous example in a positive
direction with a constant
velocity.
X is ____________ at a(n)
__________ rate.
Velocity is _________ .
Object is moving slowly in a
negative direction (towards zero)
with a constant velocity.
X is ____________ at a(n)
__________ rate.
Velocity is _________ .
Accelerating – Object is moving
slowly to start and speeds up as
time increases.
X is ____________ at a(n)
__________ rate.
Velocity is____________.
Decelerating - Object is moving
quickly to start and down as time
increases.
X is ____________ at a(n)
__________ rate.
Velocity is____________.
How does slope compare to
prior example?
VELOCITY GRAPHS (V vs T)
Object is moving with a
constant positive velocity.
V is __________ and – or +.
Acceleration is ________.
Object is moving with a
constant negative velocity.
V is __________ and - or +.
Acceleration is ________.
Object starts with zero velocity
and the velocity increases at a
constant rate. (Accelerating)
Velocity is ___________ at
a __________ rate.
Acceleration is __________
and + or - .
Object starts with a positive
velocity and decelerates to a
velocity of zero.
Velocity is ___________ at
a __________ rate.
Acceleration is __________
and + or - .
Object is thrown upward (starts
with a positive velocity) and is
slowed and stopped by gravity
then falls with an increasing
negative velocity.
(This one is tricky for most
people)
Velocity is ___________ at
a __________ rate.
Acceleration is __________
and + or - .
ACCELERATION GRAPHS (a vs T)
Draw a dashed line to represent a positive acceleration
Draw a solid line to represent a negative acceleration or a
deceleration.
Draw a thick solid line to represent an object that is not
accelerating.
Draw a dotted line to represent the acceleration due to
gravity.