GCSE :: Rates of Change

Graphs 3 – Distance Time Graphs & Speed –Time Graphs

Page 201 – 214

What does gradient indicate?
45
40
Distance from home (m)

35
30
Dave goes to visit his friend Bob who
25
lives just a few doors away.
20
15
10
5
Time (secs)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

How many metres do he travel Therefore how in general can we interpret the
per second on his journey there? gradient of a distance-time graph?
We worked out the change in distance per each 1
30m across 4 seconds. second increase in time.
Therefore m/s. This the gradient of the line and tells us the rate of
? ?
change of distance with respect to time.
For a distance-time graph, the rate of change is the
speed.
Gradient of Velocity-Time Graph
9
8 Dave pushes his friend Bob, who is on a
7 𝑩 𝑪 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) and . Accelerating at ?
?
b) and . Constant speed (acceleration is 0)
c) and . Decelerating at ?
We could also say the
acceleration is
 Test Your Understanding

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

Velocity (m/s)
30 6
25 5
20 4
15
𝑩 𝑪 3
10 2
𝑩 Time
5 𝑨 𝑬
Time
(s)
1
(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) to : ? a) to : ?
b) to : 0 ? b) to : ?
c) to : ? c) to :
?
When the line is curved

Choose two (suitably far apart)

points on the tangent, then
45
use to find the gradient.
40 (Recall means “change in”)

35
Speed (m/s)

30
Draw the tangent to the curve
25
at this particular time. The
20 gradient of the tangent will be
15 the same as the curve at this
instant in time.
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 ?
𝟑𝟓 − 𝟔
𝒎≈ =𝟐 . 𝟗𝟗
𝟏𝟐 − 𝟐. 𝟑?
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, seconds after the start of the
race.
Calculate an estimate for the gradient of
the graph when .
You must show how you get your
answer.

?
(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 , of an
amount of water that is allowed to cool
from .

a) Work out the average rate of decrease of

the temperature of the water
between and .
To find average rate, connect two end
points.
?
(Rate of decrease is )

b) The instantaneous rate of decrease of the

temperature of the water at
time seconds is equal to the average rate
of decrease of the temperature of the The proof for why this works is quite
water between and . complicated and would require you to
Find an estimate for the value of . know ‘definite integration’; a topic not
If some gradient, tangent will be parallel covered till A Level
to straight line drawn in (a).
?
 Exercise 1 (on printed sheet)

1 45 2 45
40
35 𝐵 40
35
Speed (m/s)

30

Speed (m/s)
30
25 25
20
15 𝐶 𝐷 20
15
𝐴
10
5
10
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) ?
a) and ? b) ?
b) and ? c) ?
c) and ?
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) when:
b)
? a) ?
? b) ?
(Fro Note: The difference between ‘distance’ and
‘displacement’ is that displacement can be negative, and can
decrease, whereas distance travelled always increases)
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.

b) Estimate the ?time at which the

acceleration of the train was
this average.

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

45 What is the distance travelled?

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

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

?
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
Divide up the area into
15
trapeziums and/or triangles
10
5
?
that best fill the area.
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.” Total width is 12, so each strip is 3 wide.

( 𝟐
+
𝟐 )(
𝟑×𝟑𝟓 𝟑𝟓+𝟑𝟎
×𝟑 + ?
𝟑𝟎+𝟏𝟓
𝟐
×𝟑 + )(
𝟑×𝟏𝟓
𝟐 )( )
Test Your Understanding
[Edexcel Specimen Papers Set 1,
Paper 2H Q20b] The graph shows
information about the
velocity, m/s, of a parachutist
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 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 .

Time (s) Using area of trapezium:

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

?
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)
𝑉
Speed (m/s)

3
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 m/s after 5
constant acceleration, until it reaches a
seconds. He maintains this speed for
speed of 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 .
155m. Determine .

?
?
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 the car has travelled in the first 10 seconds.
first 10 seconds.

? ?
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)

b) 2 strips ?
c) 3 strips.
?