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Home Minds On 1D Kinematics Mission KG6 Interpreting Velocity-Time Graphs Help Help 1

Mission KG6 Interpreting Velocity-Time Graphs

The Question

The motion of an object is depicted by a velocity-time graph. Various time intervals during the motion are depicted by a letter. During which time interval(s) is the object moving with a positive velocity? List all that apply ... .
 

Physics Rules

Velocity-Time Graphs:
Velocity versus time graphs represent changes that occur in an object's velocity with respect to time. The slope of the line is the acceleration (change in velocity divided by the change in time) of the object. The area under the line (between the line on the graph and the time axis) is the displacement of the object.

Don't be Fooled

Many students confuse position-time graphs with velocity-time graphs. They know that a positive velocity is represented on a position-time graph as a diagonal line with positive slope. So they instantly begin looking for the same line on this graph. But don't be fooled! This is a velocity-time graph and the slope is the acceleration. A line with positive slope on a velocity-time graph is a line with a positive acceleration.

Think About It

Many questions in this mission can be answered with a mixture of good math sense and logical thinking. The graph is a plot of velocity. There is a positive and a negative region displayed along the vertical axis. Any part of the graph that is being plotted above 0 m/s in the positive region has a positive velocity.

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