A object travels at constant negative acceleration. What does the graph of the object's velocity as a function of time look like?
A. A straight line with positive slope
B. A curved line increasing from left to right
C. A curved line decreasing from left to right
D. A straight line with negative slope
D. A straight line with negative slope
When an object is traveling with constant negative acceleration, this means that its velocity is decreasing at a constant rate. Graphically, this is represented by a straight line with a negative slope when plotted as velocity versus time. The negative slope indicates that the velocity is decreasing over time, and the constancy of the negative acceleration is reflected by the straightness of the line; it doesn't curve because the rate of change of the velocity (the acceleration) is constant.