10/4/2017 MasteringPhysics: Assignment 1: Motion in 1-D

Whatxvs.tGraphsCanTellYou

Todescribethemotionofaparticlealongastraightline,itisoftenconvenienttodrawagraphrepresentingthepositionofthe
particleatdifferenttimes.Thistypeofgraphisusuallyreferredtoasanxvs.tgraph.Todrawsuchagraph,chooseanaxis
systeminwhichtimetisplottedonthehorizontalaxisandpositionxontheverticalaxis.Then,indicatethevaluesofxat
varioustimest.Mathematically,thiscorrespondstoplottingthevariablexasafunctionoft.Anexampleofagraphofposition
asafunctionoftimeforaparticletravelingalongastraightlineisshownbelow.Notethatanxvs.tgraphlikethisdoesnot
representthepathoftheparticleinspace.

Nowlet'sstudythegraphshowninthefigureinmoredetail.Referto
thisgraphtoanswerPartsA,B,andC.

PartA
Whatisthetotaldistancextraveledbytheparticle?

Expressyouranswerinmeters.

Hint1.Totaldistance
Thetotaldistancextraveledbytheparticleisgivenbythedifferencebetweentheinitialpositionx0 att = 0.0 s

andthepositionxatt = 50.0 s.Insymbols,

x = x x0 .

Hint2.Howtoreadanxvs.tgraph
Rememberthatinanxvs.tgraph,timetisplottedonthehorizontalaxisandpositionxontheverticalaxis.For
example,intheplotshowninthefigure,x = 16.0 matt = 10.0 s.

ANSWER:

x = 30 m

Correct

PartB
Whatistheaveragevelocityv av oftheparticleoverthetimeintervalt = 50.0 s ?

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10/4/2017 MasteringPhysics: Assignment 1: Motion in 1-D
Expressyouranswerinmeterspersecond.

Hint1.Definitionandgraphicalinterpretationofaveragevelocity
Theaveragevelocityv av ofaparticlethattravelsadistancexalongastraightlineinatimeintervaltisdefined
as
x
vav = .
t

Inanxvs.tgraph,then,theaveragevelocityequalstheslopeofthelineconnectingtheinitialandfinalpositions.

Hint2.Slopeofaline
TheslopemofalinefrompointA,withcoordinates(tA , xA ),topointB,withcoordinates(tB , xB ),isequaltothe
"rise"overthe"run,"or
x B x A
m= .
t B t A

ANSWER:

v av = 0.600 m/s

Correct
Theaveragevelocityofaparticlebetweentwopositionsisequaltotheslopeofthelineconnectingthetwo
correspondingpointsinanxvs.tgraph.

PartC
Whatistheinstantaneousvelocityv oftheparticleatt = 10.0 s ?
Expressyouranswerinmeterspersecond.

Hint1.Graphicalinterpretationofinstantaneousvelocity
Thevelocityofaparticleatanygiveninstantoftimeoratanypointinitspathiscalledinstantaneousvelocity.Inanx
vs.tgraphoftheparticle'smotion,youcandeterminetheinstantaneousvelocityoftheparticleatanypointinthe
curve.Theinstantaneousvelocityatanypointisequaltotheslopeofthelinetangenttothecurveatthatpoint.

ANSWER:

v = 0.600 m/s

AnswerRequested
Theinstantaneousvelocityofaparticleatanypointonitsxvs.tgraphistheslopeofthelinetangenttothecurveat
thatpoint.Sinceinthecaseathandthecurveisastraightline,thetangentlineisthecurveitself.Physically,this
meansthattheinstantaneousvelocityoftheparticleisconstantovertheentiretimeintervalofmotion.Thisistruefor
anymotionwheredistanceincreaseslinearlywithtime.

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10/4/2017 MasteringPhysics: Assignment 1: Motion in 1-D

Anothercommongraphicalrepresentationofmotionalongastraightlineisthevvs.tgraph,thatis,thegraphof(instantaneous)
velocityasafunctionoftime.Inthisgraph,timetisplottedonthehorizontalaxisandvelocityv ontheverticalaxis.Notethatby
definition,velocityandaccelerationarevectorquantities.Instraightlinemotion,however,thesevectorshaveonlyonenonzero
componentinthedirectionofmotion.Thus,inthisproblem,wewillcallv thevelocityandatheacceleration,eventhoughthey
arereallythecomponentsofthevelocityandaccelerationvectorsinthedirectionofmotion.

PartD
Whichofthegraphsshownisthecorrectvvs.tplotforthemotiondescribedinthepreviousparts?

Hint1.Howtoapproachtheproblem
Recallyourresultsfoundinthepreviousparts,namelythefactthattheinstantaneousvelocityoftheparticleis
constant.Whichgraphrepresentsavariablethatalwayshasthesameconstantvalueatanytime?

ANSWER:

GraphA

GraphB

GraphC

GraphD

Correct
Wheneveraparticlemoveswithconstantnonzerovelocity,itsxvs.tgraphisastraightlinewithanonzeroslope,and
itsvvs.tcurveisahorizontalline.

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10/4/2017 MasteringPhysics: Assignment 1: Motion in 1-D

PartE
Showninthefigureisthevvs.tcurveselectedinthepreviouspart.WhatistheareaAoftheshadedregionunderthe
curve?
Expressyouranswerinmeters.

Hint1.Howtoapproachtheproblem
Theshadedregionunderthevvs.tcurveisarectanglewhosehorizontalandverticalsideslieonthetaxisandthev
axis,respectively.Sincetheareaofarectangleistheproductofitssides,inthiscasetheareaoftheshadedregion
istheproductofacertainquantityexpressedinsecondsandanotherquantityexpressedinmeterspersecond.The
areaitself,then,willbeinmeters.

ANSWER:

A = 30 m

AnswerRequested
ComparethisresultwithwhatyoufoundinPartA.Asyoucansee,theareaoftheregionunderthevvs.tcurveequals
thetotaldistancetraveledbytheparticle.Thisistrueforanyvelocitycurveandanytimeinterval:Theareaoftheregion
thatextendsoveratimeintervaltunderthevvs.tcurveisalwaysequaltothedistancetraveledint.

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