Distance-Time Graphs Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

What does the gradient of a distance-time graph represent?

The speed.
Steeper line = faster speed.

What does a horizontal line on a distance-time graph tell you?

The object is stationary (not moving).
The distance from the start stays the same.

What are the steps to find the speed for one stage of a distance-time graph?

e.g. a cyclist travels 20 km in the first 15 minutes

1. Read the distance travelled in that stage: $20$ km
2. Read the time taken, in the units you want: $15$ min $= \frac{15}{60}$ h
3. Speed $=$ distance $\div$ time $= 20 \div \frac{15}{60} = 80$ km/h

True or false? On a distance-time graph, a line sloping downwards means the object is slowing down.

False.
It means the object is travelling back towards its starting point.

On a distance-time graph, how do you identify the section where the speed is greatest?

The section whose gradient is greatest (the steepest section).

How do you draw a missing section of a travel graph when you are told the speed and the time?

e.g. 75 km/h for the last 20 minutes

Work out the distance for that section, then draw a straight line rising by that distance over that time.
$75 \times \frac{20}{60} = 25$ km, so the line rises 25 km over the 20 minutes.