SECTION Unit 1-Constant Motion

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 UNIT I Worksheet 1

1. Consider the position vs. time graph below for cyclists A and B.

a. Do the cyclists start at the same point? How do you know? If not, which is ahead?

b. At t= 7s, which cyclist is ahead? How do you know?

c. Which cyclist is travelling faster at t = 3s? How do you know?

d. Are their velocities equal at any time? How do you know?

e. What is happening at the intersection of lines A and B?

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2) Consider the new position vs. time graph below for cyclists A and B.

a. How does the motion of the cyclist A in the new graph compare to that of A in the previous graph from page
one?

b. How does the motion of cyclist B in the new graph compare to that of B in the previous graph?

c. Which cyclist has the greater speed? How do you know?

d. Describe what is happening at the intersection of lines A and B.

e. Which cyclist traveled a greater distance during the first 5 seconds? How do you know?
 UNIT I: Worksheet 2

Sketch velocity vs time graphs corresponding to the following descriptions of the motion of an object.

1. The object is moving away from the origin at a

constant (steady) speed.

2. The object is standing still.

3. The object moves toward the origin at a steady speed

for 10s, then stands still for 10s.

4. The object moves away from the origin at a steady

speed for 10s, reverses direction and moves back
toward the origin at the same speed.

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Draw the velocity vs time graphs for an object whose motion produced the position vs time
graphs shown below at left.

5.

6.

7.
 UNIT I: Worksheet 3
1) Robin, roller skating down a marked sidewalk, was observed to be at the following positions at the
times listed below:

t (s) x (m)

a. Plot a position vs. time and

a velocity vs. time 0.0 10.0
graph for the skater.
1.0 12.0
2.0 14.0

5.0 20.0

8.0 26.0

10.0 30.0

b. How far from the starting point was he at t = 6s? How do you know?

d. Was his speed constant over the entire interval? How do you know?

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2. The following data were obtained for a second trial:

a. Plot the position vs. time and a velocity vs. time graph for the skater.

t (s) x (m)

0.0 4.0

2.0 10.0

4.0 16.0

6.0 22.0

8.0 28.0

10.0 34.0

b. How far from the starting point was he at t = 5s?

How do you know?

c. Was his speed constant? If so, what was it?

d. In the first trial the skater was further along at 2s than he was in the second trial. Does this mean that
he was going faster? Explain your answer.
3. Suppose now that our skater was observed in a third trial. t (s) x (m)
The following data were obtained: 0.0 0.0

2.0 6.0
+
a. Plot the position vs. time and velocity time
graph for the skater. 4.0 12.0
/s)
6.0
(m 12.0
v
t (s)
8.0 8.0

10.0- 4.0

12.0 0.0

b. What do you think is happening during the time interval: t = 4s to t = 6s? How do you
know?

c. What do you think is happening during the time interval: t = 6s to t = 12s? How do you
know?
d. What was the total displacement? Explain.

e. Draw a possible velocity-time graph.

4. From the position vs time data below, answer the following questions.

t (s) x (m)
0 0
1 2
2 4
3 4
4 7
5 10
6 10
7 10
8 5
9 0

a. Construct a graph of position vs time.

b. Construct a graph of velocity vs time.

c. Draw a motion map for the object.

d. Determine the displacement from t = 3.0s to 5.0s using graph B.

e. Determine the displacement from t = 7.0 s to 9.0 s using graph B.

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 x
Written Description v vs. t graph x vs. t graph

t
v
2

t
x
3

t
UNIT I: Worksheet 4

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 5 6
x vs. t graph
v vs. t graph
Object moves with
Written Description
constant positive
velocity for 4 seconds.
Then, it stops for 2
seconds and returns to
the initial position in 2
seconds.
7 8
Object A starts 10m to
the right of the origin
and moves to the left at
2 m/s.
Object B starts at the
origin and moves to the
right at 3m/s.
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 UNIT I: Worksheet 5
1. Answer the following questions about the
position/time graph above.

position (m)
a) Describe a situation that would fit the graph to
the right. (Invent a scenario.)

b) What units will the slope have? What does the 0

0 time (s)
slope tell you about the object? How do you know?
Explain

2. Answer the following questions about the

velocity/time graph to the right.

velocity (m/s)
a) Describe a situation that would fit the graph to 0
0 time (s)
the right. (Invent a scenario.)

b) Draw a vertical line from the end of the line on your graph down to the x-axis. How would you calculate
the area of that shape?

c) What are the units of the area? What does the area tell you about the object? How do you know?
Explain.

3. a) How far did the object move in the first 8 seconds? In what direction did it move?

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velocity (m/s)

0 8 18 time (s)

-3

b) How far did the object move in the next 10 seconds? In what direction did it move?

c) How far did the object move in 18s?

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 d) At the end of the 18 s, how far is the object from where it was at 0 seconds? What direction is it from
where it started? (Physicists call how far and what direction displacement.)

e) On the graph below, sketch a position/time graph for the object’s trip. Use the sketch to determine at
what time the object was at the same location as the start of the trip. On each axis, label the beginning
and endpoints of each line you draw.
position (m)

0
0 time (s)

The problems on this worksheet are to be solved using graphs, even if you are able to solve them using
algebraic equations.
4. Jean Zon moves from position 180 m to position 85 m in 5.0 s. What was her average velocity?

5. Sue D. Nymm bikes east for 50 s to her friend’s house at 10.0 m/s. She takes 5.0 s to drop off her Physics
data. She then walks west for 80 s at 3.0 m/s. What was her displacement for the trip?

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6. The motion of Ms. Teri Novel is shown on the graph to the right . 10
velocity (m/s)

a) What is Teri’s displacement for the time shown on 5

the graph? (Show each step of your work.)
0
-5
-10
b) When is she again at the same position as at time =
0 s? How do you know? -15
0 2 4 6
time (s)
position (m)

c) On the grid to the right, make a quantitative

graph for position vs time. (Be sure to number the
scale on the position axis.)

d) Check to see if your answer to part b is correct. How

can you tell?

0 2 4 6
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time (s)