Note the Physics

• The acceleration of the object at any time value is represented by the slope of the velocity vs. time graph at that particular time.
• If the acceleration is in the same direction as the velocity, the object speeds up; if the acceleration is in the opposite direction to the velocity, it slows down.
• This Illumination deals with velocity vs. time graphs that are made up of straight-line segments, with sudden changes in slope at the times where the segments are joined. The slope, and thus the acceleration, is constant during each segment. In a graph of real motion the slope of the segments would not change suddenly because the acceleration of an object cannot change instantaneously. Consider these graphs as an approximation of a real motion in which the acceleration of the object changes in a very short, but non-zero amount of time.