Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite

Edward F. Redish

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Velocity graphs*

An object's motion is restricted to one dimension along the + distance axis. Answer each of the questions below by selecting the velocity graph that is the best choice to describe the answer. You may use a graph more than once or not at all.

  1. Which velocity graph shows an object going away from the origin at a steady velocity?
  2. Which velocity graph shows an object that is standing still?
  3. Which velocity graph shows an object moving toward the origin at a steady velocity?
  4. Which velocity graph shows an object changing direction?
  5. Which velocity graph shows an object that is steadily increasing its speed?
Note to the instructor: *This problem is adapted from the FMCE (R. Thornton and D. Sokoloff) by moving the most tempting distractor for problem (a) to the first place. If the correct answer (here (c)) is placed first, as in the FMCE, some students who are still uncertain recognize it and do not go on to the tempting distractor. If the tempting distractor is placed first, some of these students (who are confused between position and velocity) choose it. I therefore feel that it is more revealing of student difficulties in this form.

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Page last modified October 15, 2002: K13