Acceleration

Observe the animation of the three cars below. Use the animation to answer the three questions. (If necessary, review the definition of acceleration.)

1. Which car or cars (red, green, and/or blue) are undergoing an acceleration? Study each car individually in order to determine the answer.

2. Which car (red, green, or blue) experiences the greatest acceleration?

3. Consider the position-time graph at the right. Each one of the three lines on the position-time graph corresponds to the motion of one of the three cars. Match the appropriate line to the particular color of car.

For more information on physical descriptions of motion, visit The Physics Classroom Tutorial. Detailed information is available there on the following topics:

Ticker Tape Diagrams

Speed and Velocity

Acceleration

Position-Time Graphs