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Match the oil drop representation below to the appropriate letter for a velocity-time graph. It is known that the object is moving toward the right (where rightward is the positive direction).
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Velocity-Time Graphs:
Velocity versus time graphs represent changes that occur in an object's velocity with respect to time. The slope of the line is the acceleration (change in velocity divided by the change in time) of the object.
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The oil drop pattern uses dots to represent the location of the car after a certain interval of time - perhaps after every 1-second interval in time. An inspection of the location of each dot relative to the previous dots allows you to determine if the distance traveled in the most recent second is increasing, decreasing or staying the same. You can decide what type of motion is involved by observing how the distance traveled in each consecutive second is changing.
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It should be clear from the oil drop pattern that the object is moving with a constant velocity. In some cases it is a constant positive velocity; in other cases, it is moving with a constant negative velocity. You must match this with the appropriate velocity-time plot. A velocity-time graph is a plot of velocity values. If the velocity is constant, then the graph should reflect this by a line that maintains the same velocity value for the entire duration of time. Such a line is horizontal. If the velocity is positive, then the horizontal line should be plotted in the positive region. And of course if the velocity is negative, then the horizontal line should be plotted in the negative region.
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