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8th grade Speed, velocity and distance-time graphs worksheet

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Speed, velocity and distance-time graphs

Grade 8 Science Worksheet

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Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. East is positive. Ari walks 90 m east in 30 s, then 30 m west in 10 s. What is the average velocity for the whole trip?

  2. East is positive. Bo rides 90 m east in 30 s, then 10 m west in 10 s. What is the average velocity for the whole ride?

  3. Read this first

    Object on a straight track (example data)

    time (s)position (m east of the start)
    00
    210
    626
    812
  4. East is positive. Use the table. During which interval is the object's speed greatest, Jun?

    • 6 s to 8 s, at a velocity of −7 m/s, so the object moves west fastest there
    • 2 s to 6 s, since the object is farthest from the start, at 26 m, at the end of it
    • 2 s to 6 s, since the position changes by 16 m, the greatest change in any interval
    • 0 s to 2 s, since +5 m/s is the greatest velocity in the table
  5. East is positive. Use the table. What was the object's velocity from 3 s to 6 s, Kira?

    • 4 m/s east: the position changes by 4 m each second, so the object moves east
    • −12 m/s: the position falls by 12 m between the readings at 3 s and 6 s
    • −4 m/s, so the object moves more slowly than an object that is at rest
    • −4 m/s: the object moves 4 m toward the west each second, so the velocity is negative
  6. Scooter on a straight path (example data)

    time (s)position (m east of the start)
    00
    315
    627
    918
  7. East is positive. Which statement does the table support, Luz?

    • The velocity is positive until 6 s and negative after, so the scooter turned around at 6 s
    • The scooter moves fastest from 3 s to 6 s, since it is farthest from the start at 6 s
    • The scooter slows down after 6 s, because −3 is a smaller number than +4
    • The scooter keeps moving east after 6 s, at a speed of 3 m/s, since it moves at a steady rate
  8. Noah graphs two buses, P and Q. What does the point where the lines cross at 10 s show?

    • P and Q have the same speed at 10 s, because the two lines meet at that point
    • Q is faster, since it started 20 m from the start while P started at 0 m
    • Both buses stop at 10 s, because the lines end at the point where they meet
    • Both are at 30 m from the start at 10 s, and P is moving faster than Q
  9. Pia graphs two trains, A and B, over 20 s. Which statement does the graph support?

    • B slows down after 10 s, because the steeper piece of its line means a slower train
    • A and B both travel 40 m in 20 s, but B moves more slowly at first and faster later
    • A and B move at the same speed the whole time, because their lines meet again at 20 s
    • B climbs a hill that gets steeper after 10 m, while A is on flat ground
  10. 0. Ren times a cart over 2 m three times. Which is the best estimate of the cart's average speed?

    • About 1.05 m/s, from the 2 m distance and the fastest time of 1.9 s
    • About 1.0 m/s, from the 2 m distance and the mean time of 2.0 s
    • About 0.33 m/s, from the 2 m distance and the total of 6.0 s for the three trials together
    • About 2.0 m/s, since the mean time of the three trials is 2.0 s
  11. 0. Tala wants to know whether ball A is faster than ball B. Which change makes the test fair?

    • Roll ball A over 5 m on tile and ball B over 3 m on carpet, so the distances are swapped
    • Roll ball A on carpet over 3 m and ball B on tile over 5 m, so the surfaces are swapped
    • Time each ball three times and compare the means, keeping tile for A and carpet for B
    • Roll both balls over the same distance on the same surface, so only the ball differs
  12. Each cart was timed once. Zee claims heavy carts roll faster. Which statement about the claim does the table support?

    • The 0.1 s gap is small, and with one timing each it cannot show that heavy carts are faster
    • The result shows heavy carts are faster, because the heavy cart's time of 1.7 s is shorter
    • The heavy cart is three times faster, since its mass is three times greater
    • The result shows mass has no effect, because the two times are so close together
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8th grade Speed, velocity and distance-time graphs worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Speed, velocity and distance-time graphs. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can find speed from two points on a distance-time graph, even when the line does not start at zero, and not mistake the height of a line for its speed.
  • I can compare tables and graphs by how fast the distance changes, and read a falling line or a negative sign as a direction, not a slower speed.
  • I can tell distance from displacement, and average speed from average velocity, for a trip that goes out and comes back.
  • I can find an average velocity and the size of an average acceleration when a velocity reverses, with east as positive.
  • I can combine two motions on one line (same way subtract, opposite ways add) and say which way the result points.
  • I can judge a claim about speed against repeated timings: use the mean, and know when one or two trials cannot show a difference.

Standard: MS-PS2-2 (supporting)

Words to know

speed: How far something goes in each second

velocity: Speed together with a direction; a sign shows the direction

distance: The length of the whole path an object travels

displacement: The straight change from the start to the end, with a direction

slope: How steep a line is: the change up divided by the change across

average velocity: Net change in position divided by the total time

average acceleration: Change in velocity divided by the time it takes

relative motion: How one object seems to move when seen from another

Common mistakes

Your child gave how far the object went between the two points instead of how fast.

Your child multiplied the distance change and the time change. Speed is meters in each second, so the two changes are divided.

Your child added the two distances and found an average speed. Velocity needs the net change in position, so the trip back cancels part of the trip out.

What to say

Ask: how many meters in each second? That question means divide.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with speed, velocity and distance-time graphs?

Your child gave how far the object went between the two points instead of how fast.

How can I help my child with speed, velocity and distance-time graphs?

Ask: how many meters in each second? That question means divide.

Are these 8th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 8 science

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