MOTION GRAPHS
CREATING AND INTERPRETING
GRAPHS
WHAT DO WE KNOW
• On the paper provided, write
down everything you know
about graphs and graphing
Components of the Graph
Review
• X- axis and Y-axis
• Scale and Variables
• Title
• How do you determine
• Scale
• Maximize the graph paper
Interpreting Graphs
The purpose of a graph is to show a
RELATIONSHIP between 2 variables
1. Positive Relationships:
• As one variable increases, so does the
other
• Conversely, as one variable decreases,
so does the other.
On your paper
DRAW AN X AND Y AXIS AND THEN
PLOT A LINE THAT SHOWS A
POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP
Positive Relationships
Interpreting Graphs
2. Negative or Inverse
Relationships:
• As one variable increases, the
other decreases
• Conversely, as one variable
decreases the other increases.
On your paper
DRAW AN X AND Y AXIS AND
THEN PLOT A LINE THAT SHOWS
A NEGATIVE/INVERSE
RELATIONSHIP
Negative Relationships
Line of Best Fit
Line of Best Fit: Straight line drawn through
linear data.
• The line does not necessarily connect the data
points but is drawn through the majority of
points, with an equal number of points above and
below the line.
MOTION GRAPHS
Graphs that deal with motion will have the
following variables on their X and Y axis:
Distance/Position
Speed
Time
Distance and time will be used to
calculate speed
Speed and time will give us acceleration
Speed and
Acceleration
• Speed: How fast you are going
• Acceleration: A rate of change in speed.
Are you speeding up or slowing down?
Distance, Time and Speed
• Distance is the amount of space BETWEEN 2
objects.
• Time is an interval that has a beginning and an
end
• Speed is the distance an object travels in a
specific amount of time.
• Constant speed is the same distance is traveled
every second or time interval
Relationship
Speed is directly related to distance
traveled
Relationship
Speed is indirectly/inversely related to
the amount of time
Position-Time Graphs
On your paper explain how to find the
speed of a car using a position-time graph
Calculate the Speed….
Constant Speed
• Position vs Time graphs will have a straight line
when the object is traveling at a constant
speed. Slope = Speed
Changing Speed
• A position vs time graph will have a
curve when the object is traveling at a
changing speed, steepness of the curve
will indicate just how fast object is
changing speed.
Calculating Speed
v = d/t
v = velocity or speed of an object
d = distance traveled
t = time that it took to travel that
particular distance
Units for speed are distance per unit of
time -or- m/sec -or- km/hr
Solve these problems
Use your notes to help you
• If a car travels 40 km in a time period
of 2 minutes, what is its speed?
• If a car travels 60 km at 20 km/hr,
how long does it take?
What is the relationship between
speed and time
(use your notes!)
Speed-Time Graphs for Acceleration
• Rate of change in an
object’s speed
• Slope = Acceleration
• When you plot
speed vs. time, you
now have the
acceleration of an
object.
• Describe the difference between
speed and acceleration
Distance from Speed vs. Time Graph
• Distance is equal to speed x time
• The area of a graph represents speed
x time
• Therefore the area below the line of
best fit is the distance traveled
Draw a speed-time graph that shows
an object that is moving at a
constant speed
Animal
Time/
Trial 1
Speed
Time/
Trial 2
Speed
Time/
Trial 3
Speed
Average
Speed
m/sec.
Sample Data for 10 Meter Race:
Dog
6
second
6
7
Cat
8
second
7
8
Turtle
20
second
18
19
Mouse
15
second
14
15
Lizard
30
second
32
31
Sample Graph
1. What will be on the X-Axis?
2. What will be on the Y-Axis?
3. Name the 3 different types of graphs and
then state which you will make for this set
of data.