A toy train starts from point O and moves along a straight horizontal track according…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Mechanics and materials · Mechanics and materials
Problem
A toy train starts from point O and moves along a straight horizontal track according to the following schedule:
• It travels steadily to point A, which is 3 m from O, taking 2 s.
• It then remains at rest at A for the next 3 s.
• Finally, it returns from A to O at uniform speed in 1 s.
Answer the following questions.
(i) Draw a neat, labelled position–time (x–t) graph for the entire motion, taking displacement from O as positive.
(ii) Explain how the slope of each segment of your graph indicates the nature of the train’s velocity during that segment.
(iii) From your graph, state the time intervals during which the train has (a) positive velocity, (b) zero velocity, and (c) negative velocity.