Distance-Time Graphs
Prior Knowledge:
• Calculate speed, distance or time using a formula or formula triangle.
• Calculate the gradient of a straight line.
Example 1
The diagram shows a distance-time graph for a car journey and its return home.
80
Distance (miles)
C D
60
40
B
20
A E
0 1 2 3 4 5
Time (hours)
a. Which part of the journey was the fastest?
80
Distance (miles)
To find the fastest part of the journey, C D
you need to look for the steepest slope
(gradient). 60
In the diagram, we can see that the 40
section of the journey between parts B
B and C has the steepest gradient and
20
therefore is the fastest part of the
journey.
A E
0 1 2 3 4 5
Time (hours)
b. For how long was the car parked during
the journey?
To find when a person or object is
stationary, look for a horizontal line. This 80
Distance (miles)
means that the distance has not changed C D
but time has continued to pass. Section C
60
to D shows that the car is parked.
40
To calculate how long, subtract the time
B
that the journey restarts from the time it
stopped. 20
In this example, 2.5 – 1.5 = 1 hour.
A E
The car was parked for 1 hour. 0 1 2 3 4 5
Time (hours)
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Distance-Time Graphs
c. Calculate the speed for the first hour of the journey.
Section A to B covers the first hour of the journey. To calculate the speed, we can use the
formula triangle.
We already know the time is 1 hour. The distance can be found by
D subtracting the distance at the start of the section (in this case, 0)
from the distance at the end of the section (in this case, 30).
Distance
S T 30 – 0 = 30 miles
Speed Time
Speed = 30
1
Speed = 30mph
The gradient of the line on a distance-time graph will tell you the speed at that point. The
steeper the graph, the faster the speed.
Remember, the formulae we can use to find the gradient of a straight line are:
y −y rise
Gradient = x2 − x 1 or
2 1 run
Don’t forget to check the units!
Example 2
The diagram shows a distance-time graph for a motorbike. Find the speed of the motorbike,
giving your answer in kilometres per hour.
Distance (km)
50
40
30
20 45
45 minutes = 60
= 0.75 hours
10
50 − 0
Speed = 0.75 − 0 = 66.7km/h
0 10 20 30 40 50
Time (minutes)
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Distance-Time Graphs
Your Turn
1. The diagram shows a distance-time graph for a motorbike. Find the speed of the
motorbike when it was moving, giving your answer in km/h.
Distance (km)
50
40
30
20
10
0 10 20 30 40 50
Time (minutes)
2. The diagram shows a distance-time graph for a motorbike. Find the speed of the
motorbike during the fastest section of travel, giving your answer in km/h.
Distance (km)
50
40
30
20
10
0 10 20 30 40 50
Time (minutes)
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Distance-Time Graphs
3. The diagram shows a distance-time graph for a motorbike. Find the speed of the
motorbike during the fastest section of travel, giving your answer in km/h.
Distance (km)
50
40
30
20
10
0 10 20 30 40 50
Time (minutes)
4. The diagram shows a distance-time graph for a motorbike. Work out the average speed
of the motorbike during:
a. section A
Distance (km)
50
40
B
30
b. section B
20
A
10
c. the entire journey
0 10 20 30 40 50
Time (minutes)
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Distance-Time Graphs
5. The graph shows the journey of a cyclist. He leaves his starting position heading east.
Distance from home (m)
90
E
80
70
60
50
C D
40
B
30
20
10
A F
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Time (s)
a. How far has the cyclist travelled f. Between which two points is the
between points A and B? cyclist traveling the fastest?
b. How far did the cyclist travel g. Between which two points is the
throughout his entire journey? cyclist traveling the slowest?
c. Describe the cyclist’s speed between h. Calculate the average speed of the
points C and D. cyclist between points A and E.
d. Describe the cyclist’s speed between i. Calculate the average speed of the
points D and E. cyclist between points E and F.
e. Describe the cyclist’s speed between j. Calculate the average speed through
points B and C. the cyclist’s entire journey.
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Distance-Time Graphs
6. The graph shows the journey of a woman setting off from home and taking the bus into
town.
3000
Distance from home (m) G
2500 F
2000
D E
1500
1000
500 B C
A
0 120 240 360 480 600 720 840
Time (s)
a. For the first part of her journey, she f. How fast does the woman walk to the
walks to the bus stop. How long does bus stop?
this take?
g. What is the average speed of the bus
b. How long did she wait for the bus to during the journey?
arrive?
h. Suggest what is happening between
c. How long does the journey take on points D and E.
the bus?
i. The next day, there are no buses. The
d. How far from the woman’s house is woman sets off walking from home
the bus stop? with the same initial speed. Assuming
she walks at the same constant
speed, how long does it take her to
walk to town?
e. How far from the woman’s house is
the town?
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