Distance-Time Graphs Flashcards

All 5 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.

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 $(6.5, 0)$