Read a journey off a graph, turn a gradient into a speed, then work out how fast a dropped object falls after each second.
Gradient (speed)
Distance
Shape means
Check yourself
On a distance-time graph, what does a flat (horizontal) line tell you?
The object is not moving. The distance is not changing, so the gradient is zero, which means the speed is zero.
When an object is dropped, how fast is it falling after one second, and after two seconds?
Gravity adds about 10 m/s of speed every second. After one second it falls at about 10 m/s, and after two seconds at about 20 m/s (using g roughly 10 N/kg).
On a velocity-time graph, what does a straight sloping line show?
Steady acceleration. The velocity is increasing by the same amount each second. A steeper slope means a larger acceleration; a flat line means constant speed.