Matching a story with a graph

Have you heard that a picture is worth 1000 words? Well, a graph is like a MATH PICTURE. It tells us at a glance what is going on.

no motion constant velocity , negative acceleration constant velocity positive acceleration

constant velocity positive acceleration , negative acceleration no motion Between which two letters is the rate of speed the fastest? BC Why? Steepest line The least amount of distance covered occurs between which two letters? DE - stopped

constant velocity positive acceleration , negative acceleration no motion Identify the type of motion occurring between letters C and D? Slowing down (negative acceleration) – the line becomes less steep and then becomes horizontal (stopped) During the total journey, how many total seconds pass when the object not in motion? 5 seconds

constant velocity positive acceleration , negative acceleration no motion Calculate the average speed between letters B and C. 30/5 = 6 m/s   How much distance did the object cover over the entire journey? 55 m Calculate the average speed for the entire journey from point A to point F. 55 m/ 24 sec = 2.3 m/s

Graphs can tell a story about motion Tell this story with a position/time graph: I walked from my house to my friend’s house last night. (Copy this scenario into your notes then draw a simple line graph to represent the story)

Graphs can tell a story about motion Tell this story with a position/time graph: I walked from my house to my friend’s house last night, then turned around and walked back home. (Copy this scenario into your notes then draw a simple line graph to represent the story)

Graphs can tell a story about motion Tell this story with a position/time graph: I ran as fast as I could from my house to my friend’s house last night. (Copy this scenario into your notes then draw a simple line graph to represent the story)

Graphs can tell a story about motion Tell this story with a position/time graph: I walked quickly to the end of my street, stopped and looked both ways, then ran around the corner to my friend’s house. (Copy this scenario into your notes then draw a simple line graph to represent the story)

Which one of these three stories matches the graph to the right? Discuss with your table and come to a consensus. Make sure to have data to support your opinion.

Journey Draw or glue the graph on your paper. Write a story to match the graph. (Write what was happening for each line segment A, B, C, D) Give the graph a title to match the story.

Now, Play matchmaker… 1- Work alone or with a partner: get 2 pages of graphs, 1 page of stories, and 1 page of time/distance data tables 2- Cut apart the graphs, stories, and tables 3- As a group, match a story to a graph to a table, then group the 3 together on your tabletop. Repeat for all 10 stories. 4- Make sure your group can explain why those 3 particular cards match