Quick check from College Physics, 2.8 Graphical Analysis of One-Dimensional Motion

Graphical Analysis of One-Dimensional Motion: quick check

A graph of velocity vs. time of a ship coming into a harbor is shown below. (a) Describe the motion of the ship based on the graph. (b)What would a graph of the ship’s acceleration look like?

Line graph of velocity versus time. The line has three legs. The first leg is flat. The second leg has a negative slope. The third leg also has a negative slope, but the slope is not as negative as the second leg.

Figure 2.52

Answer it in your own words before you look.

Answer
(a) The ship moves at constant velocity and then begins to decelerate at a constant rate. At some point, its deceleration rate decreases. It maintains this lower deceleration rate until it stops moving.

(b) A graph of acceleration vs. time would show zero acceleration in the first leg, large and constant negative acceleration in the second leg, and constant negative acceleration.

Figure 2.53

How did it go?