Can you give me a physics graph sum?

Question

All you need to do is write down a physics sum that needs to be solved graphically, (9th grade level) and the final answer so I can see if my working is correct. It can be displacement/time, acceleration/time or ANY OTHER TYPE.

If you want to know, this is what my assignment is:

I have to solve a graphical problem that isn't from my textbook, and I don't have any sources. My friends all have the same book, and all of us are stuck.

I'm not getting homework help, I'm NOT cheating, so don't give me answers like "Do it yourself", because I AM.

Thanks!

Answer 1

A force acting on a mass of 1 kg at rest starts off at zero, at time zero and increases linearly for 1 second up to 1 Newton and stops and then repeats again from zero to 1 newton again for one second and stops and the repeats again for two seconds until it is 2 Newtons and stops.

How fast is the 1 kg mass moving at the end of 4 seconds?

Answer: v = 3 m/s

Answer 2

One such problem would be to take a short trip in a car as a back-seat passenger behind the driver.  A trip of about 2 to 5 miles (5 to 15 minutes, or 30 to 90 data points) should be long enough.  Record the speed every ten seconds, plot the result as a function of time, and count the number of squares under the graph between the beginning and the end of the trip.  You can then compare this result to the odometer readings taken before and after the trip.  If you get the units right and your car's speedometer is accurate, you should be able to get reasonably good agreement.

You may be able to keep track of the time, the recording, and the speedometer by yourself, but you will be very busy if you do so.  Enlisting the help of a timekeeper/recorder while you keep watch on the speedometer will make things easier.

You can also use this data to estimate the acceleration of the car during normal acceleration and braking by calculating the slope of the curve during these periods.