Graphs, motion and equations

Activity 1: Click on the "Run" button below to see the red ball move. Press "Pause" and then "Reset" to take it back to the original position. Measure its position by positioning the cursor in the center of the ball and pressing the mouse button down--this will cause a small yellow box to appear with the horizontal and vertical coordinates of the ball. Run the animation several seconds and measure the position again. Plot these positions on the graph on the right, then check your work by clicking the button "Run animation according to graph." The blue ball will move according to the graph you made. If the two balls do not move together, check your work and correct any mistakes.

Look at the equation below the graph. What does the first number tell you? What does the number multiplied by "t" tell you? Drag the points around and observe how the equation changes. Does it behave like you expected? Activity 2: Repeat the same process as in activity 1 here. Note that in this case the ball is changing velocity (you may not notice it move for a second or two). Draw a graph; because the velocity is changing, you will need to use at least three points to get the curve. Try out your curve.

Once again, look at the equation below. What does the first number tell you? What does the number multiplied by "t" tell you? Why does it have the value it does? What does the number multipied by "t^2" (t²) tell you? Move some points around, and notice how the equation changes with the graph.