Question

How to find the instantaneous velocity from a postion- time graph? Explain with an example

Answer 1

• The slope of position time graph gives the instantaneous velocity.
• Ex: Say the slope of the graph at the given tine is 10. Then, the instantaneous velocity is equal to 10 m/s.
• The expression for slope is equal to ratio of change in y-coordinates and change in x-coordinates.
• If the position time graph is a straight line, then slope can be easily obtained by using the above formula.
• If the shape of the graph is a curve, then draw a tangent to the curve at the given time to find the instantaneous velocity.