Find Average Velocity on a Data Graph

AI Thread Summary
To find average velocity from a distance versus time graph, calculate the slope of the line at any point. For multiple velocities, use a weighted average by multiplying each velocity by the time it was held, summing these values, and dividing by total time. Alternatively, a simpler method involves subtracting the initial position from the final position and dividing by the total time. This straightforward approach effectively yields the average velocity without complex calculations. Understanding these methods is essential for accurately interpreting data graphs.
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How do you find average velocity by reading off of a data graph?
 
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That depends, is it a graph of position versus time, velocity versus time, or acceleration versus time?
 
it is d(m) vs t(s)...so it is distance versus time
 
When you have a distance versus time graph the velocity at any given point is the slope of the line at that point. If you have a number of different velocities on the graph you'll want the weighted average, i.e. take each velocity, multiply it by the amount of time the particle had that velocity, add them all up, then divide by the total time.
 
ok thanks a lot
 
It just occurred to me that I made this a lot harder than it needed to be :wink:

I was thinking of the whole matter in terms of a velocity vs. time graph, which is why I was talking about slopes of your distance vs. time graph. The easy way to do this is to simply subtract the initial value for the position from the final value for the position then divide by the time. That's really the same thing as what I said above, except it's computationally much more simple.
 
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