What happened to the line on the Position-Time Graph (Blue Graph) when the man returned to the 0 meters? Explain why (the graph decreases)
When the man returned to the 0 meters on the position-time graph, the line representing his position decreased or went down. This is because the position-time graph represents the change in position of the object over time. As the man moves away from the 0 meters position, the position value increases and is plotted above the x-axis (positive side). However, when the man returns to the 0 meters position, the position value decreases and is plotted below the x-axis (negative side).
The graph decreases because the position is measured relative to a reference point, in this case, the 0 meters point. As the man moves away from the reference point, the position increases in a positive direction. But as he comes back towards the reference point, his position decreases and becomes negative.
Therefore, when the man returns to the 0 meters position on the position-time graph, the line representing his position decreases below the x-axis, indicating a negative position relative to the reference point.
To understand what happens to the line on the position-time graph (blue graph) when the man returns to 0 meters, we need to consider the concept of position on a graph.
A position-time graph shows the relation between the position of an object and the time. The horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents position. The line on the graph represents the object's position at different points in time.
When the man returns to 0 meters on the graph, it means that he has reached the initial position from where he started. This corresponds to the starting point on the position-time graph.
Since the man has returned to the same position, his displacement or change in position is zero. Displacement is the difference between the final and initial positions. When the displacement is zero, it implies that there is no change in position. Graphically, this is represented by a flat or horizontal line.
Therefore, when the man returns to the 0 meters position, the line on the position-time graph will become horizontal or flat at that point. This indicates that there is no change in position, resulting in a decrease in the slope or gradient of the graph line.
When the man returns to the 0 meters on the position-time graph (blue graph), the line on the graph starts to decrease or slope downwards. This indicates that the man is moving in the negative direction, or moving backwards.
The decrease in the position-time graph occurs because the position of an object is measured relative to a reference point. In this case, the reference point is the starting position at 0 meters. As the man moves away from the reference point in the positive direction, the position-time graph shows a positive slope. However, when the man turns around and moves back towards the reference point, his position becomes increasingly negative, and thus the slope of the graph starts to decrease.
In simpler terms, the line on the position-time graph decreases because the man is moving backwards towards the starting point, which results in a negative change in position.