Average Velocity Graph

1. Sep 5, 2007

ccsmarty

1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known data

Make a graph of the average velocity vs. time using data points collected.

Data points:
(0.8023 s, 0.606 m)
(0.9027 s, 0.710 m)
(1.0031 s, 0.816 m)
(1.1035 s, 0.912 m)
(1.2039 s, 1.023 m)
*s = seconds
*m = meters

2. Relevant equations

Avg. Velocity = (x-x0)/(t-t0)

3. The attempt at a solution

I calculated the average velocity for each segment (ie. from point 1 to point 2 and so on), but I'm not sure how to come up with the time component of the ordered pair of the average velocity points.
1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known data

2. Relevant equations

3. The attempt at a solution
1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known data

2. Relevant equations

3. The attempt at a solution

2. Sep 5, 2007

learningphysics

You'd plot the average velocity over the time you calculated for... for example the average velocity you got using (0.8023 s, 0.606 m) and (0.9027 s, 0.710 m)... you plot that average velocity number over the times 0.8023s to 0.9027s...

So you'll have a bunch of horizontal straight line segments...

3. Sep 5, 2007

Mindscrape

So I presume you started with

$$\frac{x_1 - x_0}{t_1 - t_0} = v_1 = .606/.802$$

This gives the average velocity of the time interval [0, .802]. So whatever the average velocity is you should have that value go from 0 to .802. Does this help? I'm not really sure what you mean.

4. Sep 6, 2007

andrevdh

Rather calculate the average velocity with

$$v_{avg} = \frac{x_{n+1} - x_n }{t_{n+1} - t_n}$$

It is not clear from your data what is given, the change in distance and time, or just the distance and time. My guess is that it is the second case.

Take the time for the average speed in the middle of each time interval, that is the time from the beginning up to the middle of the interval where the average speed was calculated.

5. Sep 6, 2007

ccsmarty

The data is just the distance that a cart traveled along a track at different times.
And thanks for the help everyone, I hope I can figure out with your advice. :)

6. Sep 6, 2007

Feldoh

I don't really get it... ARe you supposed to graph the points and find a least squares regression, are are you actually calculating the average velocity? If you're calculating the average velocity you need to give a time interval...

Last edited: Sep 6, 2007