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Physics · Chapter 1: Speed and distance–time graphs

Year 11 Science · About 16 minutes with activities · Turn your sound on

Chapter 1 · Speed and d–t graphs
One line, one tripwhat happened?
Speed in m s⁻¹metres per second
One valuefor the whole trip
Keeps changingmoment to moment
d = 80 m
t = 2 min
Stoppedspeed = 0
Constant speed
Fast: steep
Slow: gentle
Speeding upgetting steeper
Slowing downgetting flatter
Going out
Coming back
Gradient = rise ÷ run= d ÷ t = speed
You move the walker
Graph draws live

Chapter 1 recap

  • Speed is the measure of distance travelled over a period of time, in m s⁻¹. Average speed: the entire trip. Instantaneous speed: at a particular time.
  • v = d ÷ t, d = v × t, t = d ÷ v. Convert to SI units first: metres (m) and seconds (s).
  • Distance–time graphs: flat = stopped, straight = constant speed, steeper = faster, curved = changing speed, sloping down = going back. Gradient = speed.
  • Next: Chapter 2 · Vectors, velocity and acceleration

Can a graph tell you a whole journey?

Chapter 1 · About 16 minutes · sound on

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