Distance and displacement are slightly different from each other. Distance is a scalar quantity that describes how much ground an object has covered. Displacement is a vector quantity that describes how far an object is from its starting position. A displacement-time graph normally puts displacement on the y-axis and time on the x-axis. Using S.I. units, displacement is measured in meters and time is measured in seconds.
In this activity, students will label displacement-time graphs and provide example scenarios. Students often get these confused with velocity-time graphs, so this activity will serve as both a way to introduce displacement-time graphs and serve as a visual reference for later!
| Section | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A | The object is moving at a constant speed. | Sandy is a park ranger. She is patrolling the park at a constant speed in her vehicle. |
| B | The object is stationary. | She sees a goose in her way and stops to let it pass. |
| C | The object moving at a constant speed in the same direction as section A, but not as quickly. | She continues again, but this time more slowly in case there are other animals. |
| D | The object is moving at a constant speed (more quickly than A and C), but in the opposite direction. | There was another animal, but not a goose! She quickly turns her vehicle around to go back to the ranger station at a high speed. |
As an extension, give your students a description of a journey and then have them create the graph themselves. This activity would also work if you got your students to label a velocity-time graph.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Label and interpret a distance time graph. Provide an example scenario to accompany it.
Storytelling helps students connect abstract graphs to real-life experiences. Turning data into memorable stories boosts understanding and makes lessons fun!
Ask students for ideas, like walking to school or a weekend adventure. Choose a scenario everyone understands to make the activity more meaningful and inclusive.
Guide students to break the story into distinct events—walking, stopping, turning around. Each event will become a section on the graph, linking narrative to data.
Work together to draw the graph on the board or digitally. Label axes clearly and mark each segment with both a description and the story event it represents.
Review each part of the graph, connecting lines and slopes to the story. Ask students to explain how the graph shows movement, pauses, and changes in direction.
A displacement-time graph shows how an object's position changes over time, including direction, while a distance-time graph only shows the total ground covered, regardless of direction. Displacement is a vector (shows direction), but distance is a scalar.
To interpret a displacement-time graph, look at the slope of the line: a straight upward or downward slope means constant speed, a flat line means the object is stationary, and changes in slope show changes in speed or direction.
Students should label the axes (displacement in meters on y-axis, time in seconds on x-axis), mark each section with what’s happening (moving, stationary), and add a narrative scenario matching the graph’s motion.
A great activity is to have students label a displacement-time graph and create a story or example for each section, helping them connect the graph's shape with real-life motion scenarios.
A displacement-time graph has displacement (meters) on the y-axis and shows position over time, while a velocity-time graph has velocity (meters/second) on the y-axis and shows how speed or direction changes over time.