What does a horizontal line on a position-time graph indicate about the object?(1 point)
Responses
The object has a position of zero.
The object has a position of zero.
The object is accelerating.
The object is accelerating.
The object has a constant, nonzero velocity.
The object has a constant, nonzero velocity.
The object remains still.
The object has a constant, nonzero velocity.
The correct response is: The object has a constant, nonzero velocity.
The correct answer is "The object has a constant, nonzero velocity."
To understand why a horizontal line on a position-time graph indicates a constant, nonzero velocity, let's break down the components of the graph.
A position-time graph represents the position of an object at different points in time. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the position of the object.
When a line on the position-time graph is horizontal, it means that the position of the object is not changing over time. In other words, the object remains at the same position throughout the entire duration represented on the graph.
If the object's position is not changing, it means that its velocity is constant. Velocity is defined as the rate of change of position with respect to time. If there is no change in the position, there is no change in the rate at which the position is changing, indicating a constant velocity.
Furthermore, since the line is horizontal and not at the origin (0,0), it implies that the object's velocity is nonzero. If the velocity were zero, the line would intersect the vertical axis at the origin, indicating that the object is stationary.
Therefore, a horizontal line on a position-time graph indicates that the object has a constant, nonzero velocity.