Moving Man Activity
Goals: To be able to accurately interpret and draw position, velocity and acceleration graphs
for common situations and explain the reasoning.
Directions:
1. Go to the website: http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/moving-man. Click “Run Now”.
After the applet loads, click on “charts” at the top of the screen. This window displays a tree
and a house at fixed positions relative to a coordinate axis across the top of the screen. The
figure can move back and forth from one brick wall to the other. Below the picture are three
graphs, position versus time, velocity-time, and acceleration-time. During this activity you
can copy or print these graphs (or “print screen”) and tape them into your journal.
2. For each of the following scenarios you will make predictions, run the simulation and
verify your predictions:
Scenario #1: The man starts at the tree and moves toward the house with constant velocity.
a. Without using Moving Man, sketch what you think the position-time, velocity-time, and
acceleration-time graphs would look like. Explain your reasoning for each graph.
b. Run the simulation giving the man some constant velocity. Print out the graphs.
Compare these graphs to your predictions and explain any disagreements.
Scenario #2: The man starts eight meters from the house and speeds up (at a constant rate)
while moving towards the house.
a. Without using Moving Man, sketch what you think the position-time, velocity-time,
and acceleration-time graphs would look like. Explain your reasoning for each graph.
b. Run the simulation giving the man some constant velocity. Print out the graphs.
Compare these graphs to your predictions and explain any disagreements.
Scenario #3: The man starts close to the tree, starts moving toward the house at a fast pace,
then gradually slows down (at a constant rate), and finally stops at the house.
a. Without using Moving Man, sketch what you think the position-time, velocity-time, and
acceleration-time graphs would look like. Explain your reasoning for each graph.
b. Run the simulation giving the man some constant velocity. Print out the graphs.
Compare these graphs to your predictions and explain any disagreements.
In addition to the narrative summary of this activity, make a chart summarizing the types of
motion and the corresponding types of graphs.
Example of a summary chart for the Moving Man activity:
Type of motion
Constant velocity
Constant acceleration
(speeding up)
Constant acceleration
(slowing down)
Position-time graphs
Velocity-time graphs
Acceleration-time
graphs