Drawing Velocity Time Graphs

from Position Time Graphs

Uniform and Non-Uniform Motion
 Think about…
• Sketch a position-time graph of each object
listed below. Describe its slope as positive or
negative, and as constant, increasing, or
decreasing.
• A) a stone at rest
• B) a jogger moving steadily to the right
• C) a bicycle moving to the left and slowing down
• D) a rocket moving up at an increasing speed
• E) a stone falling freely with increasing speed
• F) a parachutist drifting down at a steady speed
 Non-Uniform Motion
• An object does not always move at a
constant speed.
• You may speed up or slow down.
• Non-uniform motion, when graphed,
appears as a curve not a straight line.
 Instantaneous Velocity
• When you are driving on the highway and you
look down at your speedometer, you are
traveling at + 55 km/h. At that instant in time, +
55 km/h is your instantaneous velocity.
• For uniform motion, your instantaneous velocity
is the same as you average velocity.
• For non-uniform motion, your instantaneous
velocity changes.
 Finding Instantaneous Velocity
from a Graph (Uniform Motion)
• To find
instantaneous
velocity on a
uniform position-
time graph, just
find the average
velocity for the
given segment.
 Finding Instantaneous Velocity
from a Graph (Non-Uniform Motion)
• To find instantaneous velocity on a non-
uniform position-time graph, draw a line
that is tangent to the curve at that point.
• The slope is the instantaneous velocity
(take the two points on the tangent from
each side of the point).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangent
Instantaneous Velocity (Non-
uniform Motion)
Worksheet
What does a v-t graph look like?
• Time is marked on the horizontal axis
and velocity is on the vertical.
• Graphs that represent an object’s velocity
versus its time.
 What can we determine from a
velocity time graph?
• Velocity and speed
• Time
• Acceleration
• Displacement and distance
 What can we determine from a
velocity time graph?
• Velocity - reading directly off the y-axis
 What can we determine from a
velocity time graph?
• Time (read off the x-axis)
 What can we determine from a
velocity time graph?
• Displacement = area under the curve
• NOTE: Area formulas:
– Arearectangle = length x width
– Areatriangle = ½ base x height
 What can we determine from a
velocity time graph?
• Acceleration = v/t = slope
What can you find from a v-t graph
• Acceleration = slope at a point on the
graph (you may have to use a tangent)

• Average acceleration = finding the slope of

a segment (use the start and end points)
 Interpreting v-t graphs
• Horizontal lines show uniform motion
(constant speed and direction).

• Inclined lines show change in speed or

direction, or both: in other words
accelerated motion.
Velocity-Time Graphs
Worksheet
• How can we
use d-t graphs
to determine v-
t graphs?
• Find the
velocity for
each section of
the graph and
plot it (make a
list of points).
 Page 57
• Page 57, question 4
• Page 58, question 5
• Worksheet