Converting Velocity-Time Graphs Into Acceleration Graphs

In summary, this person is asking how to convert a graph of velocity-time into an acceleration time graph. The person is not sure what the units are for the graph or what the definition of acceleration is.
  • #1
j1249
14
0
I am completely lost on how to convert velocity time graphs into acceleration time graphs.
so far all i no is to break the velocity graph into sections/intervals and find the area. the answer i get for the area is the scale on my y-axis of my acceleration graph. but what i do not no is what kind of line would it be on the acceleration graph (like would my line be straight and positive or straight and negative or would it be just a horizontal line) and how to determine that? Also how do i convert graphs that go from a positive scale to a negative scale in one graph? any help would greatly be appreciated! Thank you!
 
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  • #2
j1249 said:
I am completely lost on how to convert velocity time graphs into acceleration time graphs.
so far all i no is to break the velocity graph into sections/intervals and find the area. the answer i get for the area is the scale on my y-axis of my acceleration graph. but what i do not no is what kind of line would it be on the acceleration graph (like would my line be straight and positive or straight and negative or would it be just a horizontal line) and how to determine that? Also how do i convert graphs that go from a positive scale to a negative scale in one graph? any help would greatly be appreciated! Thank you!

This may be your problem.

The areas under your Velocity-time graph are what? Like what are the units? i.e. what are the units of V*t?

What is the definition of acceleration?
 
  • #3
well the units of my v-t graph is m/s for velocity and s for time. as for the definition i do not no what you are asking. in my question it only asks me to determine the acceleration for each interval. then draw an a-t graph. so for my first interval i found the area by doing bh/2 so (2)(4)/2 and got 4m [forward]
 
  • #4
j1249 said:
well the units of my v-t graph is m/s for velocity and s for time. as for the definition i do not no what you are asking. in my question it only asks me to determine the acceleration for each interval. then draw an a-t graph. so for my first interval i found the area by doing bh/2 so (2)(4)/2 and got 4m [forward]

The area under a v-t graph is unfortunately distance.

Velocity times time is just that - distance, expressed graphically as an area. Because that is the dimension (m/s)*s = just m.

So if velocity is change in position divided by the change in time, what is acceleration?
 
  • #5
change in velocity divided by the change in time??

right...? lol
 
  • #6
So what might be a better way to treat the graph of velocity-time to come up with the graph of acceleration versus time?
 

1. What is the difference between velocity-time graphs and acceleration graphs?

The main difference between these two graphs is the quantity being represented on the y-axis. A velocity-time graph shows the change in velocity over time, while an acceleration graph shows the change in acceleration over time.

2. How do you convert a velocity-time graph into an acceleration graph?

To convert a velocity-time graph into an acceleration graph, you need to take the gradient of the velocity-time curve. The gradient represents the change in velocity divided by the change in time, which is equal to acceleration.

3. What do the different slopes on an acceleration graph represent?

The slope of an acceleration graph represents the rate of change of acceleration. A steeper slope indicates a larger change in acceleration over time, while a flatter slope indicates a smaller change in acceleration.

4. How can you tell if an object is accelerating or decelerating from an acceleration graph?

If the slope of the acceleration graph is positive, the object is accelerating. If the slope is negative, the object is decelerating. A flat slope (zero gradient) indicates constant acceleration or no acceleration.

5. Can you determine an object's initial velocity from an acceleration graph?

Yes, you can determine an object's initial velocity by finding the y-intercept of the acceleration graph. The y-intercept represents the initial velocity of the object.

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