May 2

Graphing Motion: Understanding Distance & Velocity Graphs 📈🏃‍♂️

📅 Completed: May 2

In this lesson, students learned how to graph motion using both distance-time and velocity-time graphs. Through guided notes, practice problems, and class discussions, students explored how to interpret and create graphs that show how objects move over time.

📝 What We Covered:

🔹 Distance-Time Graphs

• X-axis: Time

• Y-axis: Distance
  
  

• What we learned to identify:

  • A straight horizontal line means the object is stopped.

  • A positive slope means the object is moving away from the starting point.

  • A negative slope means the object is returning to the start ​.
    
    

🔹 Velocity-Time Graphs

• X-axis: Time

• Y-axis: Velocity (or speed)

• What we learned to identify:

  • A straight horizontal line shows constant velocity.

  • A positive slope shows the object is speeding up (acceleration).

  • A negative slope shows the object is slowing down (deceleration) ​.

📊 Practice Activity:

Students practiced graphing real-world motion scenarios and answered analysis questions. For example, they worked through a problem about Cameron riding his scooter to a friend’s house, interpreting his journey using a distance-time graph to describe:

• His speed

• When he stopped for a break

• When he returned home .
  
  

🌟 Why This Matters:

These graphing skills are essential for understanding motion in the real world. Scientists and engineers use these graphs to analyze everything from car speeds to rocket launches. By learning how to read and create motion graphs, students gain valuable tools for interpreting data and solving physics problems.

✅ Great job building your graphing skills! Keep practicing to strengthen your understanding of how objects move and how to represent it visually. 📈🚗✨