Motion Graph Reader
Read speeds from distance–time graphs, and acceleration and distance from velocity–time graphs, on four new graphs each time.
About this activity
Four graphs of a journey, drawn on squared paper. Students work out the speed from the gradient of a distance–time graph, spot when something has stopped, find the fastest section and the average speed, then the acceleration and deceleration from a velocity–time graph and the distance travelled from the area under it. Every wrong answer gets a hint and a second go, then the working. The graphs change every time. The first screen says where motion graphs are in the student's board and that the area under a velocity–time graph is Higher tier on AQA.
How to use Motion Graph Reader
- Motion Graph Reader is a free Physics activity for Years 10 to 11 that takes about 12 minutes. Try it on this page on a computer, tablet or phone: there’s nothing to download.
- In a lesson, choose Show on the board to play it together as a class.
- To set it for a class, a teacher shares it and gets a code: students type the 6-digit code at lycolearn.co.uk/join with their first name and the first letter of their surname (no accounts needed), and their scores come back to the teacher.
Students will
- Find a speed from the gradient of a distance–time graph
- Find an acceleration from the gradient of a velocity–time graph
- Find the distance travelled from the area under a velocity–time graph
Teaching tips
- Good after teaching motion graphs: the four parts go from reading a gradient to working out an area.
- For Foundation groups on AQA, set it with 8 questions: the area part comes last.