Physics Insight

Question pattern · Knowledge card

Motion graph construction & translation

Translate one motion representation into another by preserving slopes, signed areas, continuity and shared transition times.

Primary skill
Represent & draw
Original practice questions
2

Connect the ideas

Key relationships and graph reading

  • Position–time slope gives velocity
  • Velocity–time slope gives acceleration
  • Velocity–time area gives position change

Check your method

Three common mistakes

  1. Copying the same graph shape onto axes with different meanings.
  2. Breaking continuity at a stage boundary.
  3. Confusing zero velocity with zero acceleration.

Original micro-example

Try the idea in miniature

An object moves at constant positive velocity, then slows uniformly to rest.

Show the short answer

Its v–t graph is horizontal above zero, then slopes linearly down to zero. Its x–t graph first rises linearly, then rises with decreasing gradient and becomes horizontal.

Original practice questions

Practise this question pattern

The pattern describes the reasoning structure. Each link below opens a distinct original practice question.