Labs / Physics
Motion Grapher
A dot glides along the track while three graphs — position, velocity, and acceleration versus time — draw themselves from its motion. Steer it with the sliders, or pick a challenge and try to trace the dashed target curve. Drag across the graphs to freeze any moment and read off the numbers.
x 0.00 mv 0.00 m/sa 1.00 m/s²t 0.00 smatch —
What to try
- Set acceleration to zero and give the dot some velocity. Why is the position graph a straight line while the velocity graph is flat?
- Turn up the acceleration. The velocity graph becomes a slanted line — so what shape does the position graph take, and why?
- Can you make the dot stop and reverse? What must the velocity graph do at the exact instant the dot turns around?
- In “Match: hill”, what starting velocity and acceleration reproduce the dashed curve? What does the peak of the hill tell you about the velocity there?
- Negative acceleration with positive velocity: is the dot speeding up or slowing down? What if both are negative?