Consider again three graphs for the motion of a skydiver who is affected by acceleration due to gravity and by air resistance:
1. an acceleration versus time graph for the falling skydiver
2. a velocity versus time graph for the falling skydiver
3, a displacement versus time graph for the falling skydiver
Which of the graphs have a positive slope?
I think the acceleration graph would be constant at -9.8 so it wouldn't be positive. Wouldn't all of them be negative? Because velocity is a vector quantity so it takes into account direction.
I don't know.. I've been thinking about this one for a while and I'm still stuck. Maybe it's just my mind turning to mush
well I got it wrong and im sad now
maybe too late but ...
due to air resistance , the diver reaches "terminal velocity"
... the resistive force of the air equals the gravitational force
... acceleration declines to zero , velocity becomes constant
the only thing constantly increasing is the diver's displacement
... displacement (from the jumping point) increases constantly
To determine which of the graphs have a positive slope, we need to understand the relationship between slope and the quantities represented by each graph.
1. Acceleration versus time graph: The slope of this graph represents the rate of change of acceleration over time. Since gravity always acts downward and its magnitude remains constant for a falling skydiver, the acceleration is always negative. Therefore, the slope of this graph is negative.
2. Velocity versus time graph: The slope of this graph represents the rate of change of velocity over time. Initially, when the skydiver jumps from an aircraft, the velocity is zero. As the skydiver falls, the velocity gradually increases in the downward direction due to the acceleration of gravity. Since the velocity increases with time, the slope of this graph is positive.
3. Displacement versus time graph: The slope of this graph represents the rate of change of displacement over time. For a falling skydiver, the displacement increases in the downward direction as time progresses, indicating the skydiver is moving further away from the starting position. Since the displacement increases with time, the slope of this graph is positive.
Therefore, both the velocity versus time graph and the displacement versus time graph have a positive slope.