VELOCITY TIME GRAPHS

The Velocity vs. Time Graph

Velo

city

(m

/s)

Time (s)

0

5

10

5 10 15

∆v

∆t

Velocity vs. time

o

o

tt

vvslope

onacceleratislope

The Slope of the Velocity vs. Time Graph is the Acceleration

Positive slopes, positive accelerationsnegative slopes, negative accelerations

v (

m/s

)

t (s)0

If the graph is above the x axis, it is a positive velocity.If the graph is below the x axis, it is a negative velocity.

Velocity Time Graphs

Slowing Down and Speeding Up An object will only speed up if the

velocity and acceleration are in the same direction

An object will only slow down if the velocity and acceleration are in different directions

av

av

av

av

-

If the magnitude of the velocity (the number itself, not the sign or direction) is INCREASING; the speed is getting bigger

If the magnitude of the velocity (the number itself, not the sign or direction) is DECREASING; the speed is getting smaller

Velocity vs Time Graphs

Try Examples on example page