Distance-Time Graphs Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

What does a horizontal line on a distance-time graph mean?

The object is stationary (not moving).
The distance stays the same as time passes.

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

The speed.
The steeper the line, the faster the speed.

On a distance-time graph, what does a straight line sloping back down to the time axis show?

Travelling back towards the starting point, reaching it when the line meets the axis.

True or false? A horizontal line on a distance-time graph means the object is moving at a steady speed.

False.
It means the object is stationary; a sloping straight line means a steady speed.

What are the steps to work out a speed from one section of a distance-time graph?
e.g. a section showing 20 km travelled in 15 minutes

1. Read the distance travelled: $20$ km
2. Read the time taken, in hours: $15$ min $= 0.25$ h
3. Speed $=$ distance $\div$ time $= 20 \div 0.25 = 80$ km/h

What are the steps to complete a travel graph for a described journey?
e.g. at 3 hours she is 5 km from home, stays 2 hours, then walks home in 1 hour 30 minutes

1. Draw a horizontal line for the stop: $(3, 5)$ to $(5, 5)$
2. Find the end point: home is $0$ km at $5 + 1.5 = 6.5$ hours
3. Join with a straight line: $(5, 5)$ to $(6.5, 0)$