Uniformly accelerated motion
Dots on the tape: each gap is longer than the last.
With constant acceleration, velocity changes uniformly with time and the v–t graph is a sloping straight line: its slope equals the acceleration, and the area between the line and the time axis equals the displacement. On a ticker-timer tape, successive gaps between dots always differ by aT².
Velocity vs. time (v–t graph)
The slope of the line equals the acceleration; the area between the line and the t-axis equals the displacement.
Think about it
With an initial velocity of 2 m/s and an acceleration of 1.5 m/s², what is the displacement in the first 4 s?
x = v₀t + ½at² = 2 × 4 + ½ × 1.5 × 4² = 20 m. It can also be found from the trapezoid area under the v–t graph: (2 + 8) × 4 ÷ 2 = 20 m.
Model assumptionsPoint-mass model · Constant acceleration · Restarts every 4 s
Data log
Set the parameters and click “Record data”. Record several rows with different parameters to plot their relationship and fit a straight line; pause and record at different times to study how a reading changes with time.