Gradient of Velocity-Time Graph

Recap: In a distance-time graph, the gradient is representing the ___________

9
8 Dave pushes his friend Bob, who is on a
𝑩 𝑪
7 wonky skateboard, down a steep hill.
Velocity (m/s)

6
5 What does the gradient, i.e. the rate of
4 change of speed, represent now?
𝑨
3 The acceleration.
2
1
𝑫 Time (secs)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

State and describe the acceleration between:

a) 𝐴 and 𝐵. Accelerating at 𝟑 ÷ 𝟒 = 𝟎. 𝟕𝟓 𝒎/𝒔𝟐
b) 𝐵 and 𝐶. Constant speed (acceleration is 0)
c) 𝐶 and 𝐷. Decelerating at 𝟕 ÷ 𝟐 = 𝟑. 𝟓 𝒎/𝒔𝟐
 Test Your Understanding

45 9
𝑫
40 8
35 7
𝑪 𝑫
Distance travelled (m)

Velocity (m/s)
30 6
25 5
20 4
𝑩 𝑪
15 3
10 2
Time 𝑩 Time
5 𝑨 1
𝑬 (s) (s)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Determine the speed from: Determine the acceleration from:

a) 𝐴 to 𝐵: 𝟏𝟓 ÷ 𝟑 = 𝟓 𝒎/𝒔 a) 𝐴 to 𝐵: −𝟒 ÷ 𝟒 = −𝟏 𝒎/𝒔𝟐
b) 𝐵 to 𝐶: 0 𝒎/𝒔 b) 𝐵 to 𝐶: 𝟓 ÷ 𝟐 = 𝟐. 𝟓 𝒎/𝒔
c) 𝐷 to 𝐸: −𝟒𝟎 ÷ 𝟐 = −𝟐𝟎 𝒎/𝒔 c) 𝐶 to 𝐷: 𝟎 𝒎/𝒔𝟐
When the line is curved

45
40
35
Speed (m/s)

30
25
20
15
10
5
Time (secs)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Suppose we wish to find the acceleration of a car after 7 seconds.

The line is curved this time, so how do we find the gradient at the instant when 𝑡 = 7?
Test Your Understanding

[Edexcel Specimen Papers Set 2, Paper

2H Q15a]
Karol runs in a race. The graph shows
her speed, in metres per
second, t seconds after the start of the
race.
Calculate an estimate for the gradient of
the graph when 𝑡 = 4.
You must show how you get your
answer.

10.8 − 3.3
= 1.17
6.4 − 0

(Mark scheme accepts 1-1.3)

More Difficult Example
[Edexcel Original SAMs Paper 3H Q14bi]
The graph gives information about the
variation in the temperature, in °𝐶, of an
amount of water that is allowed to cool
from 80°𝐶.

a) Work out the average rate of decrease of

the temperature of the water
between 𝑡 = 0 and 𝑡 = 800.
To find average rate, connect two end
points.
𝟑𝟐 − 𝟖𝟎
𝒎= = −𝟎. 𝟎𝟔 °𝑪
𝟖𝟎𝟎 − 𝟎
(Rate of decrease is 𝟎. 𝟎𝟔°𝑪)

b) The instantaneous rate of decrease of the

temperature of the water at
time 𝑇 seconds is equal to the average
rate of decrease of the temperature of
the water between 𝑡 = 0 and 𝑡 = 800.
Find an estimate for the value of 𝑇.
If some gradient, tangent will be parallel
to straight line drawn in (a).
𝑻 = 𝟑𝟓𝟎 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒔
 Exercise 1 (on printed sheet)

1 45 2 45
40 40
35
𝐵
35
Speed (m/s)

Speed (m/s)
30 30
25 25
20 20
15 𝐶 𝐷
15
10 𝐴 10
5 Time (s) 5 Time (s)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The speed-time graph shows the The graph shows the speed of a
motion of a toboggan as it car over time.
descends a hill. Determine the Estimate the acceleration of the
acceleration of the toboggan car when:
between: a) 𝑡 = 0 ≈ 𝟖 𝒎/𝒔𝟐
a) 𝐴 and 𝐵 = 𝟖. 𝟑𝟑 𝒎/𝒔𝟐 b) 𝑡 = 6 ≈ 𝟑. 𝟒 𝒎/𝒔𝟐
b) 𝐵 and 𝐶 = −𝟓 𝒎/𝒔𝟐 c) 𝑡 = 10 ≈ −𝟏𝟓. 𝟐 𝒎/𝒔𝟐
c) 𝐶 and 𝐷 = 𝟎 𝒎/𝒔𝟐
Exercise 1 (on printed sheet)

3 45 4
40 45
40
35
35
Displacement (m)

Speed (m/s)
30 30
25 25
20 20
15
15
10
10 5 Time (s)
5 Time
(s) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
The graph shows the motion of a car
The graph shows Sheila’s displacement before and after the driver sees a
from a wall during a game of dodgeball. speed camera.
Estimate her velocity when: Estimate the acceleration of the car
a) 𝑡 = 3
𝟑𝟒−𝟓
= 𝟓. 𝟑 𝒎/𝒔 when:
𝟓.𝟓−𝟎
𝟑𝟗−𝟏𝟏 a) 𝑡 = 6 ≈ −𝟐. 𝟏 𝒎/𝒔𝟐
b) 𝑡 = 10 = 𝟕. 𝟎 𝒎/𝒔 b) 𝑡 = 12 ≈ 𝟕. 𝟓 𝒎/𝒔𝟐
𝟏𝟏−𝟕
Exercise 1 (on printed sheet)

5 45
40
35
Speed (m/s)

30
25
20
15
10
5 Time (s)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The graph shows the speed of a

train after applying its breaks.
a) Determine the average
acceleration of the train.
𝟑𝟓
− = −𝟑. 𝟓 𝒎/𝒔𝟐
𝟏𝟎
b) Estimate the time at which the
acceleration of the train was
this average.
≈ 𝟔 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒔
Area under speed-time graphs.
A cat runs at a constant speed of
20 m/s for 10 seconds, as
indicated by the graph.
45 What distance did it travel?
40
35
Speed (m/s)

30
25
20 What is the area of the shaded
15 region under the graph up to 10
10
5
seconds? How does it relate to
Time (s)
the distance?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Harder Example

45 What is the distance travelled?

40
35 Area of triangle:
Speed (m/s)

30
25
20
15 Area of trapezium:
10
5 Time (s)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Area of rectangle:

Total distance travelled:

Test Your Understanding

The velocity-time graph drawn

below shows the journey of a
car. Find the total distance
travelled.

Using whole trapezium:

𝟏𝟓 + 𝟒𝟓
× 𝟐𝟎 = 𝟔𝟎𝟎 𝒎
𝟐
Estimating area under a curved graph

Suppose we want to estimate

45
40 the area under the graph in
35 order to determine the
Speed (m/s)

30 distance travelled. What

25 might be a good strategy?
20
15
10
5 Time (s)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

“Work out an estimate for the distance the car travelled in the first 12
seconds. Use 4 strips of equal width.”
Test Your Understanding
[Edexcel Specimen Papers Set 1,
Paper 2H Q20b] The graph shows
information about the
velocity, 𝑣 m/s, of a parachutist 𝑡
seconds after leaving a plane.

Work out an estimate for the

distance fallen by the parachutist
in the first 12 seconds after leaving
the plane.
Use 3 strips of equal width.
Problem Solving

A car accelerates to 𝑉 𝑚/𝑠 in 3

seconds, maintains this speed
for 6 seconds, then decelerates
𝑉
until coming to rest at 12
Speed (m/s)

seconds. The car travels 340 m

in total.
Determine the value of 𝑉.

Time (s) Using area of trapezium:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 𝟓 + 𝟏𝟐
× 𝑽 = 𝟑𝟒𝟎
𝟐
𝟖. 𝟓𝑽 = 𝟑𝟒𝟎
𝟑𝟒𝟎
𝑽= = 𝟒𝟎
𝟖. 𝟓
Exercise 2 (on printed sheet)

1 Calculate the distance travelled by these cars in their first 10 seconds.

a 45 b 45
40 40
35 35

Speed (m/s)
Speed (m/s)

30 30
25 25
20 20
15 15
10 10
5 5 Time (s)
Time (s)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

𝟏𝟕𝟓 𝒎 𝟏𝟔𝟎 𝒎
c d
45 45
40 40
35 Speed (m/s) 35
Speed (m/s)

30 30
25 25
20 20
15 15
10 10
5 Time (s) 5 Time (s)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
𝟑𝟎𝟎 𝒎 𝟐𝟕𝟕. 𝟓 𝒎
Exercise 2 (on printed sheet)

2 3

Speed (m/s)
Speed (m/s)

Time (s) Time (s)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A tortoise starts running at a speed of

A car accelerates from rest with
3 m/s, increasing to 𝑉 m/s after 5
constant acceleration, until it reaches
seconds. He maintains this speed for
a speed of 𝑉 m/s after 10 seconds. The
the next 5 seconds.
distance travelled is 150m.
Over the 10 seconds he has travelled
Determine the value of 𝑉.
155m. Determine 𝑉.
𝟏𝟎 × 𝑽
= 𝟏𝟓𝟎 𝟑+𝑽
𝟐 × 𝟏𝟎 = 𝟏𝟓𝟓
𝟏𝟎𝑽 = 𝟑𝟎𝟎 𝟐
𝟓 𝟑 + 𝑽 = 𝟏𝟓𝟓
𝑽 = 𝟑𝟎
𝟑 + 𝑽 = 𝟑𝟏
𝑽 = 𝟐𝟖
Exercise 2 (on printed sheet)

4 45
5 45
40 40
35 35

Speed (m/s)
Speed (m/s)

30 30
25 25
20 20
15 15
10 10
5 5 Time (s)
Time (s)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

a) Using 2 strips, estimate the Using 5 strips, estimate the distance the
distance the car has travelled in car has travelled in the first 10 seconds.
the first 10 seconds.
𝟓 × 𝟑𝟓 𝟓 × 𝟑𝟓 𝟐 × 𝟏𝟎 𝟏𝟎 + 𝟑𝟎 𝟑𝟎 + 𝟐𝟎
+ = 𝟏𝟕𝟓 𝒎 + ×𝟐 + ×𝟐
𝟐 𝟐 𝟐 𝟐 𝟐
𝟐𝟎 + 𝟒𝟎 𝟐 × 𝟒𝟎
+ ×𝟐 + = 𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝒎
𝟐 𝟐
b) Does this underestimate or
overestimate the true area?
Underestimate
Exercise 2
45
40
35
Speed (m/s)

30
25
20
15
10
5 Time (s)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Estimate the distance travelled in the first 12 seconds when using:

a) 1 strip (i.e. a single triangle)
𝟏𝟐 × 𝟒𝟓
= 𝟐𝟕𝟎 𝒎
𝟐
b) 2 strips
𝟔 × 𝟏𝟓 𝟏𝟓 + 𝟒𝟓
+ × 𝟔 = 𝟐𝟐𝟓 𝒎
𝟐 𝟐
c) 3 strips.
𝟒×𝟓 𝟓 + 𝟑𝟓 𝟑𝟓 + 𝟒𝟓
+ ×𝟒 + × 𝟒 = 𝟐𝟓𝟎 𝒎
𝟐 𝟐 𝟐