Meaning
A velocity-time graph is a graph that shows how the velocity of an object changes with time.
About Velocity Time Graphs
- Velocity-time graphs give information about the journey taken by an object.
- On a velocity-time graph the velocity is plotted on the y-axis and the time is plotted on the x-axis.
- A velocity-time graph can be used to calculate the acceleration of an object or the distance travelled by the object.
- The gradient of a velocity-time graph is the same as the acceleration.
- The area under the curve on a velocity-time graph is the distance travelled by an object.
Example Calculations
Calculating Acceleration
- The acceleration can be calculated from a velocity-time graph by reading the graph and using the equation \(a=\frac{v-u}{t}\).
Calculating Distance Travelled
- The distance travelled can be calculated from a velocity-time graph by breaking the graph into simple shapes and finding the area of those shapes. This may use the equations \(a = b \times h\) for rectangular shapes and \(a = \frac{b \times h}{2}\) for triangular shapes.
