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Let’s Analyze
LESSON 4: MOTION GRAPHS IN ONE-DIMENSIONAL Have you ever watched a car’s speedometer while it accelerates
MOTION or decelerates? That speedometer shows changes in velocity over time,
Competency: The learners will be able to create and interpret which is closely related to velocity-time graphs. Similarly, ride apps like
motion graphs of one-dimensional motion Waze or Google Maps calculate your estimated arrival time using
(displacement-time, velocity-time, and acceleration- displacement and velocity — key concepts that can be analyzed through
time graphs motion graphs.
Objectives: At the end of the lesson, learners should be able to: In sports, coaches use motion graphs to assess athlete
performance. For instance, a sprinter's acceleration over time is tracked
1. Create accurate displacement-time, velocity- using these graphs to enhance training. Even amusement parks use
time, and acceleration-time graphs for different motion analysis to design thrilling yet safe roller coasters, ensuring
types of one-dimensional motion. changes in velocity and acceleration are smooth and enjoyable.
2. Predict the motion of an object using
information presented in any of the three SLOPES AND GENERAL RELATIONSHIPS (a = 0, so v is constant)
motion graphs. First note that graphs in this text have perpendicular axes, one
3. Analyze and differentiate linear and curved horizontal and the other vertical. When two physical quantities are
portions of motion graphs in relation to uniform plotted against one another in such a graph, the horizontal axis is
or accelerated motion. usually considered to be an independent variable and the vertical axis
4. Solve problems involving one-dimensional a dependent variable. If we call the horizontal axis the x-axis and the
motion using motion graphs, including vertical axis the y-axis, as in Figure 1, a straight-line graph has the
computing displacement, velocity, and general form: y=mx+b
acceleration. Here m is the slope, defined to be the rise divided by the run (as
seen in the figure) of the straight line. The letter b is used for the y-
intercept, which is the point at which the line crosses the vertical axis.

DISCUSSION

Motion is a fundamental concept in physics that helps us

understand how objects change position over time. To analyze motion
efficiently, we often use graphs to visually represent the movement of
objects. These graphs provide insights into the speed, direction, and
acceleration of objects in motion. The three primary types of motion
graphs are displacement-time, velocity-time, and acceleration-time
graphs.

Understanding how to read and create these graphs allows us to

interpret real-world scenarios — from the steady motion of a car on the Figure 1. A straight-line graph. The equation for a straight line is y = mx
highway to the falling of an apple from a tree. These visual tools are +b
essential not only in academics but also in fields like engineering,
transportation, and sports science. By the end of this module, you'll be
able to confidently sketch and interpret these motion graphs and relate
DISPLACEMENT-TIME GRAPHS
them to everyday experiences.
 The x-axis represents time (t).
  The y-axis represents displacement (d). EXAMPLES:
 Straight diagonal line: constant velocity. 1. Displacement-Time Graph – Constant Speed
 Horizontal line: object is stationary. An object moves in a straight line with a constant speed of 2 m/s for 5
 Curved line: changing velocity (accelerated motion). seconds. Sketch the displacement-time graph.
Note to Remember: Solution:
 The slope of the line = velocity.  Displacement = velocity × time = 2 m/s × 5 s = 10 m
 Positive slope = moving forward.  The graph is a straight line from (0,0) to (5,10).
 Negative slope = moving backward. Interpretation: Slope = velocity = 2 m/s.

Time is usually an independent variable that other quantities,

such as displacement, depend upon. A graph of displacement versus
time would, thus, have x on the vertical axis and t on the horizontal axis.
Figure 2 is just such a straight-line graph. It shows a graph of
displacement versus time for a jet-powered car on a very flat dry lake
bed in Nevada.

2. Displacement-Time Graph – Stationary Object

An object remains at rest at 3 meters for 4 seconds.
Solution:
 Displacement does not change.
 Graph is a horizontal line from (0,3) to (4,3).
Interpretation: No motion; velocity = 0.

Figure 2. Graph of displacement versus time for a jet-powered car on

the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Using the relationship between dependent and independent variables,

we see that the slope in the graph above is average velocity v and the
intercept is displacement at time zero—that is, x0. Substituting these
symbols into y=mx+b gives x=v t + x 0 or x=x 0 + v t .

Thus, a graph of displacement versus time gives a general

relationship among displacement, velocity, and time, as well as giving
detailed numerical information about a specific situation.
3. Find the average velocity of the car whose position is graphed in
REMEMBER: Figure 2.
The slope of the graph of displacement x vs. time t is velocity v. Solutions:
∆x 1. Find the initial point of the displacement and time and its final point.
slope= =v
∆t
 ∆x object is now at the same point as the observer, we can’t actually infer
2. Use the slope formula: slope= =v that. All we can tell from here is that the object is momentarily at rest
∆t
∆x 2000 m−525 m relative to the observer. The velocity then continues decreasing to
slope= =v = =250 m/s v=−10 m/s, implying that the object is now moving in the negative
∆t 6.4 s−0.50 s direction. A real-life scenario for this may be that you observe someone
Final answer: The average velocity as shown in Figure 2 is 250 m/s.
pulling into a long driveway, stopping briefly at the end, and then
VELOCITY-TIME GRAPHS backing down it.
 The x-axis represents time (t).
 The y-axis represents velocity (v). Velocity vs Time Graph for Multi-Stage Motion
 Horizontal line: constant velocity. Now, let’s return to our car from before
 Sloping line: changing velocity (acceleration). that moved in the positive direction,
 The area under the curve = displacement. stopped, and then came back. Since the
Note to Remember: slope in each segment of the position
 The slope = acceleration. graph was constant, we assumed that the
 Positive slope = increasing velocity. car’s movements had a constant velocity
 Negative slope = deceleration. and that it had zero velocity when it
stopped. The velocity-time graph for this
motion would look a bit like this:

You can see that the velocity remains a constant v=1 m/s while the car
moves to the right, changes to v=0 m/s while the car stops, and then
becomes v=−1 m/s while the car moves back to the left.
Finding the displacement in Velocity-Time Graph at Constant
Velocity
x=vt
Figure 3. Velocity-Time Graph when acceleration is 0. Remember: In a velocity-time (v-t) graph, the displacement is given by
 As the graph shows, the velocity is constant (c) throughout the the area under the velocity-Ztime curve. In a v-t graph, this is the same
interval. as finding the area under the line:
 No particles of matter how much the time changes, the velocity  For constant velocity: The area is a rectangle → Area=vt
will be c at every instant. In this case, we have taken the initial  For changing velocity: The area may be a triangle, trapezoid,
velocity to be positive. or combination of shapes.
 The graph will be different if the initial velocity is negative.
 Example: If the acceleration of a particle is zero (0), and velocity EXAMPLE:
is constantly said 5 m/s at t =0, then it will remain constant 1. An object moves at a constant velocity
throughout the time. of 5 m/s for 10 seconds.
Velocity vs Time Graph with a Change in Direction Solutions:
Let’s imagine a scenario for the graph to (1) V-T Graph: A horizontal line at v=5 m/s
the right. We see that the graph starts
from t = 0 to t = 10 s.
with the object’s top velocity of v=10 m/s
(2) Displacement: x = vt = 5 m/s (10s) =
and then seems to get lower. The object
50m.
reaches a velocity of v=0 m/s at t=2.5 s.
While it may make sense to say that the
 ∆ v=a x t
Proving Displacement is the Area under Velocity vs Time Graphs EXAMPLES:
To prove that the area under this velocity-time graph is the object’s Example 1: Constant Acceleration
displacement, let’s start with figuring out the displacement. The An object accelerates constantly at 3 m/s² for 5 seconds.
equation for displacement is Δx=vt. In this case, we know v=5 m/s and Find: Change in velocity.
t=10 s. Therefore, Δx=(5 m/s)⋅(10 s)=50 m. m
∆ v=a x t=3 2
x 5 s=15 m/s
Now that we know we’re
s
looking for a displacement
of 50 m, let’s try finding the
Example 2: Deceleration
area under the curve.
A car decelerates at –2 m/s² for 4 seconds.
Specifically, this is the area
Find: Change in velocity.
between the line of our graph
and the x-axis. We’ll start by m
∆ v=a x t=−2 2
x 4 s=8 m/s
drawing a shape – in this s
case, a rectangle. We’ll also Negative means the object is slowing down.
include values for its base
and height. Example 3: Varying Acceleration – Piecewise Constant
An object accelerates at 2 m/s² for 3 seconds, then –1 m/s² for the
Important Formulas to Remember: next 2 seconds.
Finding Displacement for Multiple Velocities: Find: Total change in velocity.
∆ x=∑ v n ∆ v=a x t=2
m
x 3 s=6 m/s
2
Finding the Displacement with Changing Velocity: s
Sum of the Areas of the Given Figure m
Finding Acceleration from a Velocity vs Time Graph ∆ v=a x t=−1 2 x 2 s=−2 m/s
s
∆v y 2− y 1
a= or m= ∆ v=6+ (−2 )=4 m/s
∆t x 2−x 1 Type of Line Meaning Area Under Line
Flat, above x-axis Constant positive Positive Δv
ACCELERATION – TIME GRAPHS acceleration
An acceleration-time graph shows how an object’s acceleration Flat, below x-axis Constant deceleration Negative Δv
changes over time. The y-axis represents acceleration (in m/s²), and the
On x-axis No acceleration No change in
x-axis represents time (in seconds).
velocity
 A horizontal line (flat) indicates constant acceleration.
Area Change in velocity Use geometry to
 If the graph lies above the time axis, the acceleration is
(rectangle/triangle) solve
positive (speeding up).
 If the graph lies below the time axis, the acceleration is
GRAPHING A-T Graph
negative (slowing down or decelerating).
1. Label the axes: Acceleration (y-axis) and Time (x-axis).
 Area under the curve in an a–t graph represents the change
2. Plot horizontal lines when acceleration is constant.
in velocity (Δv).
3. Use time intervals to define sections (e.g., 0–3 sec, 3–6 sec).
Finding the changes in velocity given acceleration-time graph
 4. For changing acceleration, you may use sloped lines, but in
most basic cases, use horizontal segments. II. Graph the following and write the equation of the line.
5. Shade under the curve if calculating change in velocity (area = 1. Acceleration: 3 m/s² Time: 0–5 seconds
a × t). 2. Acceleration: –2 m/s² Time: 0–4 seconds
Graph Feature Meaning 3. Acceleration: 0 m/s² Time: 0–6 seconds
Horizontal line above x-axis Constant acceleration 4. 0–3 seconds: +4 m/s² 3–6 seconds: –2 m/s²
Horizontal line on x-axis No acceleration 5. Acceleration increases linearly from 0 to 5 m/s² in 5 seconds
Horizontal line below x-axis Constant deceleration
Sloped line Changing acceleration
Area under curve Change in velocity (Δv)

PRACTICE NO. 1

I. Solve the following problems. Show your complete solutions and graph
your answer.
1. An object moves in a straight line. Its displacement-time graph is a
straight line from (0 s, 0 m) to (5 s, 10 m). What is the velocity of the
object during this interval?
2. A displacement-time graph shows a horizontal line from (3 s, 12 m) to
(7 s, 12 m). What does this graph tell you about the motion of the
object?
3. A displacement-time graph shows the object moves from 0 m to 15 m
in 3 seconds, then returns back to 5 m by the 6th second. What is the
total displacement at the 6th second?
4. The slope of a displacement-time graph is calculated to be 4 m/s. How
far will the object travel in 10 seconds?
5. An object’s displacement-time graph shows the following:
 0 to 3 s: displacement increases from 0 m to 9 m
 3 to 6 s: displacement decreases from 9 m to 3 m
What is the average velocity over the entire 6 seconds?
6. A velocity-time graph shows a constant velocity of 6 m/s from 0 to 4
seconds. What is the total displacement covered during this interval?
7. A velocity-time graph forms a triangle with a base of 6 s and a height
of 12 m/s. What is the displacement during these 6 seconds?
8. A velocity-time graph shows:
 From 0–4 s, velocity = +5 m/s
 From 4–8 s, velocity = –3 m/s
What is the total displacement over 8 seconds?