The discussion revolves around understanding how acceleration is represented on a graph when an object is slowing down, particularly in the context of motion towards the origin. Participants are exploring the relationship between velocity, acceleration, and their graphical representations.
The conversation is ongoing, with participants offering insights and clarifications about the relationship between velocity and acceleration. Some have suggested that the direction of acceleration depends on whether the object is speeding up or slowing down, while others are exploring the implications of different graphical representations.
There appears to be some confusion regarding the definitions of positive and negative acceleration in relation to the direction of motion and the slopes of velocity-time graphs. Participants are actively questioning assumptions and definitions related to these concepts.
tyco05 said:If it is slowing down, what does that say about the acceleration?
An a-t graph plots acceleration. It doesn't matter if the object is moving towards the origin or away from it.
Khemkhajon said:Thats not true. Because if they gave you a x vs t graph of a object heading towards the orgin and speeding up the acceleration would still be negative because of the slope
tyco05 said:What exactly do you mean by this?
If something is speeding up, the slope of the v- t graph is positive. Hence the acceleration is positive.
tyco05 said:Hmmm... maybe you mean speeding up in a negative direction?
In that case your statement is correct.
tyco05 said:if the velocity is in a negative direction and it is slowing down then the acceleration is in the positive direction.