A student says: 'A negative slope on a position-time graph means the object is slowing down.' What…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A student says: 'A negative slope on a position-time graph means the object is slowing down.' What is wrong? A line on such a graph goes from at to at . What velocity does it show?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
On a distance-time (or position-time) graph the slope is the velocity. On a velocity-time graph the slope is the acceleration and the area under the line is the distance.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The mistake. The slope is the velocity, so a negative slope means moving in the negative direction, back towards the start. It says nothing about slowing down.
Step 2. The example. : a steady back towards the start, not slowing at all.
Answer: A negative slope shows direction; here .
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