When is velocity increasing

Here is an activity that will help your students discover this relationship. Give Part 1 to half the class and Part 2 to the other half. Part 3 on the back of Part 1 and Part 2 is the same for both groups. Also see: A Note on Speed for the purely analytic approach. Like Like. On the AP test, can students just draw a graph of speed as the absolute value of velocity and then notice that speed is increasing or decreasing?

Twyla Good question. In these questions they want to see the value of the acceleration and velocity at the time given. If not the value then some indication as to their signs that the student has worked out.

If they have the same sign, then the speed is increasing, if they have different signs then decreasing. I also like to discuss with my students, using the graph, the acceleration of the function.

You alluded to this in your example. Looking at the graph we would see where the function was below the axis and where the slope of the tangent line was negative. OR Looking at the graph we would see where the function was above the axis and where the slope of the tangent line was positive.

Thanks Paul. I think I meant to include it with the original post. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Demonstration: A mass suspended on a spring will oscillate after being displaced.

The period of oscillation is affected by the Practical Activity Some physical quantities are essentially directional. Force is one such. As soon as you describe a force, it's possible to ask Physics Narrative Every mechanical wave has its origin in an oscillating object. The particles in the medium themselves oscillate, in a similar Teaching Guidance How high above the ground will the object reach?

The velocity of the object will be zero at its highest point above the ground. Previous Maximum Minimum Problems. Next Related Rates of Change.