Displacement-Time Graphs

A displacement-time graph records position relative to a chosen origin. Read the axes before reading the line: its height is displacement, while its gradient is velocity.

On an s-t graph, a straight section rises from 0 m to 24 m between t = 0 and t = 8.0 s. Find the velocity.

On the curve above, a tangent is drawn at t = 4.0 s. It passes through (2.0 s, 0 m) and (6.0 s, 16 m). Find the velocity at t = 4.0 s.

A curved displacement-time graph becomes progressively steeper. State what happens to the velocity, describe how to find the velocity at 4.0 s, and state what a horizontal tangent would mean.