Motion Lab Activity
Page 11 of 19
So, now that we know the y-intercept of a Position Versus Time graph represents the initial position of the object being represented by the graph, let's see if we can figure out what the slope of a Position Versus Time graph means.
Imagine each delineation of the x-axis represents 2 seconds. See the image below.
Imagine each delineation of the x-axis represents 2 seconds. See the image below.
In college algebra, we learned that if we want to find the slope of a straight line, we just need the coordinates for two points on the line and the following formula:
slope = rise / run
or
slope = ( y1 - y2 ) / ( x1 - x2 ),
where ( x1 , y1 ) and ( x2 , y2 ) are the coordinates of two points on the line.
We already know the coordinates for one point on the line: ( 0 seconds, 0 meters ). If we can find the coordinates for another point on the Position Versus Time graph, we can plug both sets of coordinates into the slope formula to find the slope of the graph.
The image below has a purple circle at a second point on the graph. Unscramble the sentence in the self-quiz below to find the coordinates for the point.
slope = rise / run
or
slope = ( y1 - y2 ) / ( x1 - x2 ),
where ( x1 , y1 ) and ( x2 , y2 ) are the coordinates of two points on the line.
We already know the coordinates for one point on the line: ( 0 seconds, 0 meters ). If we can find the coordinates for another point on the Position Versus Time graph, we can plug both sets of coordinates into the slope formula to find the slope of the graph.
The image below has a purple circle at a second point on the graph. Unscramble the sentence in the self-quiz below to find the coordinates for the point.
What are the Coordinates? Self-Quiz
Mixed-up sentence exercise
Put the parts in order to form a sentence. When you think your answer is correct, click on "Check" to check your answer. If you get stuck, click on "Hint" to find out the next correct part.