Understanding Velocity-Time Graphs

[iceman021]

I am new to this site, so please forgive any issues that I have.

I know that this is a simplistic problem to solve, but I do not understand how I am supposed to solve it without any sort of data.

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/7504/snapshot20090903181722.tif

Thank you for any help given, it is much appreciated.

 

[tiny-tim]

Welcome to PF!

Hi iceman021! Welcome to PF!

… I do not understand how I am supposed to solve it without any sort of data.

They only want the shape of the velocity-time graphs, so just estimate the slope of the original graphs.

(after all, there are no units marked on the original graphs, so they can't complain if you put no units on the new graphs! )

 

[tomcue]

Hello and welcome to the site! I am happy to help you understand velocity-time graphs.

First, let's start with the basics. A velocity-time graph shows the relationship between an object's velocity (speed and direction) and time. The horizontal axis represents time, while the vertical axis represents velocity. The slope of the graph represents the object's acceleration, with a steeper slope indicating a higher acceleration.

Now, looking at the graph you provided, we can see that the object's velocity starts at 0 m/s and then increases to 10 m/s over a period of 5 seconds. This means that the object is accelerating at a constant rate of 2 m/s^2 (since acceleration = change in velocity/change in time). This can also be seen by the constant slope of the line.

After reaching a velocity of 10 m/s, the object maintains this velocity for 10 seconds, as shown by the flat line on the graph. This indicates that the object is moving at a constant speed of 10 m/s for those 10 seconds.

Finally, the object begins to decelerate, with its velocity decreasing from 10 m/s to 0 m/s over a period of 5 seconds. This means that the object is decelerating at a constant rate of -2 m/s^2 (since acceleration = change in velocity/change in time). This can be seen by the negative slope of the line.

I hope this helps you understand how to interpret velocity-time graphs. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Happy learning!