Are you searching for a tool that plots a distance vs time graph for you? No need to worry, here we are providing the easy and simple steps that are helpful to draw a graph of distance vs time. Get useful information such as the distance traveled by an object in time, distance-time graph definition, and its importance from this page. You will also get some example questions in the below sections.
Graph of Distance vs. Time Definition
Distance vs time graph shows how far a moving object traveled in a specific amount of time. It is a simple graph line that shows the displacement of an object. We will take distance along the y-axis, time along the x-axis.
Importance of the Time Distance Graph
Distance and time graph deals with the motion of bodies. You need to record the distance, time of a moving body and plot those points on a graph to get the Graph of Distance Versus Time. From this graph, you can get the uniform velocity, speed of the object.
The different types of graph lines are listed here.
1. If the graph is a linear line, then the object is moving with either fast or steady speed.
2. If the graph line is a curve, then the object speed is getting faster.
3. If the graph line is a straight line parallel to the time, then the object speed is constant.
4. If the graph line is moving upwards, then speed is steady. When the graph is moving downwards, then speed is returning to start.
Steps to Draw a Graph of Distance Vs Time
Below are the rules you need to check for while drawing a distance vs time graph. You will get an idea in detail by referring to the lines outlined below.
- Get the equation between distance and time of the object.
- Find the distance for the random values of the time and put them on a table.
- Now plot the points on a graph paper and join them to get a line.
Solved Examples of Distance Time Graph
Example 1.
A bus driver drives at a constant speed which is indicated by the speedometer and the driver measures the time taken by the bus for every kilometer. The driver notices that the bus travels 10 kilometers every 20 minutes. Draw a graph for the given details and find the distance covered when the time is 60 minutes, 75 minutes.
Solution:
Given that,
The bus covers 10 kilometers of distance in 20 minutes duration.
10 Km = 20 minutes
D = 2T
When T = 10, D = 2 * 10 = 20
When T = 20, D = 2 * 20 = 40
When T = 30, D = 2 * 30 = 60
When T = 40, D = 2 * 40 = 80
| T | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D = 2T | 20 | 40 | 60 | 80 |
Along the x-axis: Take 1 small square = 10 minutes.
Along the y-axis: Take 1 small square = 20 km.
Plot the points A (10, 20), B (20, 40), C (30, 60), D (40, 80) on a graph.
Join those points to get a linear equation.
From the graph, we can observe that the distance covered in 60 minutes or 1 hour is 120 km.
The distance covered in 75 minutes is 150 km.
Example 2.
A person traveled 30 km away from the starting point and that took 2 hours duration.
(a) After that, he takes a rest for 1 hour.
(b) And, he moved further 30 km in 30 minutes.
(c) He traveled the remaining 60 km back to the starting point in 1 hour 30 minutes.
Solution:
Given that,
| T | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 30 | 30 | 60 | 30 | 0 |
Along the x-axis: Take 1 small square = 30 minutes.
Along the y-axis: Take 1 small square = 10 km.
Now, plot the points A (2, 30), B (3, 30), C (3.5, 60), D (4, 30), E (5, 0)
Join those points to get the graph line.
Example 3.
Draw a graph of distance vs time. When the distance covered by an object is 7 times the time taken. Find the distance covered at 7.5 minutes, 8.5 minutes?
Solution:
Given that,
Distance D = 7 * Time
D = 7T
When T = 0.5, D = 7 * 0.50 = 3
When T = 1, D = 7 * 1 = 7
When T = 1.5, D = 7 * 1.5 = 10.5
When T = 2, D = 7 * 2 = 14
When T = 2.5, D = 7 * 2.5 = 17.5
| T | 0.5 | 1 | 1.5 | 2 | 2.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 3 | 7 | 10.5 | 14 | 17.5 |
Along the x-axis: Take 1 small square = 0.5 units.
Along the y-axis: Take 1 small square = 5 units.
Now plot the points A (0.5, 3), B (1, 7), C (1.5, 10.5), D (2, 14), E (2.5, 17.5) on a graph.
Join the points.
From the graph, we can observe that the distance covered at 7.5 minutes is 52.5.
The distance covered at 8.5 minutes is 59.5 units.