Calculalting displacement, distance and acceleration

In summary, to find the distance traveled by an object in a velocity vs time graph with a concave up half parabola, you can estimate the integral of the velocity using Riemann sums. To find acceleration and average velocity, you can use the derivative and the final velocity - initial velocity divided by the time interval, respectively. The instantaneous acceleration is equal to the slope of the line at any point.
  • #1
doc.madani
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hello, i was wondering how i can find the distance traveled by an object in a velocity vs time graph, whilst the line being half a parabola concave up. Inregards to that how can i find acceleration and average velocity (just the formula's). i know in a constant velocity line acceleration is equal to acceleration, i just don't know how to find acceleration on a curved line. (just a gues, would you need to draw a tangent on a point of the line, and hence find the gradient of that line?)

thankyou :)
 
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  • #2
doc.madani said:
hello, i was wondering how i can find the distance traveled by an object in a velocity vs time graph, whilst the line being half a parabola concave up.

The distance traveled will simply be the integral of the velocity. In the case where you only have a graph, you'll need to estimate the integral using say, Riemann sums.

doc.madani said:
Inregards to that how can i find acceleration and average velocity (just the formula's).

The instantaneous acceleration is simply the derivative of the velocity, that is the slope at any instance. The average velocity, is simply the final velocity - initial velocity divided by the time interval.

doc.madani said:
i know in a constant velocity line acceleration is equal to acceleration, i just don't know how to find acceleration on a curved line. (just a gues, would you need to draw a tangent on a point of the line, and hence find the gradient of that line?)

acceleration is equal to acceleration? The instantaneous acceleration of any point is the slope of the line at that point.
 
  • #3
Pengwuino said:
acceleration is equal to acceleration? The instantaneous acceleration of any point is the slope of the line at that point.

my bad i was meant to say acceleration is equal to the slops, thank you i have a good understanding now :)
 

What is displacement?

Displacement is the distance and direction of an object's change in position from its starting point. It is a vector quantity and is represented by an arrow pointing from the initial position to the final position of the object.

What is the difference between displacement and distance?

Distance is the actual length of the path traveled by an object, while displacement is the shortest distance between the initial and final positions of the object. Distance is a scalar quantity, meaning it only has magnitude, while displacement is a vector quantity with both magnitude and direction.

How do you calculate displacement?

To calculate displacement, you need to know the initial position and the final position of the object. You can then subtract the initial position from the final position to get the displacement. Displacement = final position - initial position.

What is acceleration?

Acceleration is the rate of change of an object's velocity. It is a vector quantity and is represented by the change in velocity over time. It can be positive, negative, or zero depending on the direction of the change in velocity.

How do you calculate acceleration?

To calculate acceleration, you need to know the change in velocity and the time it took for that change to occur. You can then divide the change in velocity by the time to get the acceleration. Acceleration = (final velocity - initial velocity) / time.

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