A position-time graph is a straight line with slope 4 m/s. What is the object's velocity?

A position-time graph is a straight line with slope 4 m/s. What is the object's velocity?

• A. 4 m/s
• B. 0 m/s
• C. 2 m/s
• D. 8 m/s

Answer: (A)

On a position-time graph, velocity is the slope—the rate at which position changes with time. If the line is straight and its slope is 4 m/s, that means the position increases by 4 meters each second. So the object's velocity is 4 m/s in the positive direction defined by the axes. This reflects constant velocity, since a straight line indicates a constant rate of change. The other options would require different slopes: zero velocity would come from a horizontal line (no position change), and 2 or 8 m/s would correspond to slopes of 2 or 8, not 4.

On a position-time graph, velocity is the slope—the rate at which position changes with time. If the line is straight and its slope is 4 m/s, that means the position increases by 4 meters each second. So the object's velocity is 4 m/s in the positive direction defined by the axes. This reflects constant velocity, since a straight line indicates a constant rate of change. The other options would require different slopes: zero velocity would come from a horizontal line (no position change), and 2 or 8 m/s would correspond to slopes of 2 or 8, not 4.