Imagine a ball being thrown vertically upwards. When it is thrown, it has an initial speed. As it moves upwards, the gravitational force acts against it, causing its speed to decrease over time until it reaches its maximum height where the speed is 0. Then, as the ball falls back down, its speed increases in the opposite direction. The speed vs time graph for this situation would first show a decreasing line until it reaches 0 speed and then an increasing line in the opposite direction.
One way is to look at the slope. If the slope is positive, it means the object is accelerating. For example, in a speed vs time graph of a rocket launch, the positive slope shows the rocket is speeding up. If the slope is negative, like when a car is braking, the object is decelerating. A flat line means a constant speed, such as a plane flying at a steady cruising speed.
When the graph is a sloping straight line, like a positive slope, it indicates a constant acceleration. Say the slope is 2 m/s². This means the velocity of the object is increasing by 2 meters per second every second. If the initial velocity was 0, after 1 second it would be 2 m/s, after 2 seconds 4 m/s and so on. The steeper the slope, the greater the acceleration.
Think about a roller coaster. Initially, when it starts moving from the station, its speed is slow and gradually picks up. This is shown by the upward slope on the speed - time graph in the first minute or so. Then, it reaches a high speed and maintains that for some time, like for the next 2 - 3 minutes. Riders are screaming with excitement. As the ride nears the end, the speed decreases until it comes to a complete stop at the end of the track. All of these phases can be clearly seen and described using the speed - time graph.
When looking at a distance vs time graph story, we need to consider various aspects. A downward - sloping line could imply that the object is moving towards the starting point or in the opposite direction. If there are multiple lines on the graph, perhaps they represent different objects. One object might be moving faster than the other if its line has a steeper slope. Also, if the graph has a series of peaks and valleys, it could mean that the object is oscillating between different distances from the starting point, like a pendulum for instance.
First, decide on the motion of the object. If it's moving at a constant speed, draw a straight line with a suitable slope. For example, if it moves 5 meters every second, the slope of the line will be 5. If it's accelerating, start with a gentle slope and make it steeper over time.
A horizontal line on the velocity - time graph means zero acceleration. It's like a car moving on a flat road at a constant speed, say 60 km/h. There's no change in its velocity, so no acceleration.
Pay attention to sudden changes in the graph. A sharp spike in the acceleration might mean a sudden force was applied to the object. For example, if a ball is hit by a bat, there would be a sudden large acceleration. And if the graph suddenly goes from positive to negative acceleration, it means the direction of the acceleration has changed, like when a car brakes suddenly after speeding up.
When looking at distance - time graph stories, also consider the shape of the line. A curved line upwards can mean acceleration. Imagine a rocket launch. Initially, it has a slow start so the line is not very steep at the beginning on the graph, but as it accelerates, the line gets steeper. And a downward curve can mean deceleration like when a car brakes.
If the graph shows a sudden increase in speed, it could be like a bird taking off. It was at rest (speed = 0) and then quickly gains speed to fly. A constant speed part of the graph might represent a train moving on a straight track without any stops or accelerations for a while. And a decreasing speed could be a cyclist applying brakes to stop at a traffic light.
It could represent a car's motion. For example, if the acceleration is positive and constant on the graph, it might mean the car is steadily speeding up, like when you're on a highway entrance ramp. If the acceleration suddenly drops to zero, it could be that the driver has reached the desired speed and is now maintaining it.