Velocity & Distance vs Time Graphs Chapter 2.1
In Physics, speed and velocity do not mean the same thing. Speed= how fast something is moving Velocity= how fast and in what direction Velocity= distance/time
Practice Problem: The speedometer of a car moving northward reads 60 km/h. It passes another car that travels southward at 60 km/h. Do both cars have the same speed? Yes Do both cars have the same velocity? No, the cars have opposite velocities because they are moving in opposite directions
Constant Velocity Occurs when an object has constant speed and constant direction
Practice Problem A racecar is traveling around a circular track at a constant speed of 200 km/h. Does the car travel at constant velocity? No, even though the driver is always traveling the same amount to the left, the motion is always changing direction Constant velocity requires constant speed in a straight line
Changing Velocity If the speed or the direction (or both) of an object are changing, the velocity is changing
Practice Problem: What three controls are used in a car to change the cars velocity? Gas pedal (increase speed) Brake pedal (decrease speed) Steering wheel (change direction)
Distance vs. Time Graphs X axis: always time Y axis: always distance Slope of line = distance/time Slope tells you what happens to speed of the object
What is happening in this graph? Distance is not changing Time is increasing Object is not moving Speed is 0 m/s
What is happening in this graph? Distance is increasing as time increases Straight line tells you object is moving at constant speed
What is happening in this graph? Two objects started as same spot and traveled same distance but in different times Dashed line has steeper slope so it traveled faster Both traveled at different constant speeds
What is happening in this graph? Distance and time both increasing but not at same rate throughout Speed is increasing as time goes on Object is accelerating
What is happening in this graph? Object is moving Object is slowing down
What is happening in this graph?
Which graph shows one person started 10 yards further ahead of the other person?
Which graph shows both people running at the same speed?