Asked in PMC Practice Test 35 (2021) 2021Moderate

If the velocity of a particle is varying linearly with the time, then shape of the d-t curve would be:

Correct answer: B. Quadratic

  • A. Linear
  • B. Quadratic
  • C. Cubic
  • D. Decreasing linearly

Explanation

If the velocity of a particle is varying linearly with time, then the shape of the distance-time (d-t) curve would be a quadratic curve. Let's understand why: Linear velocity vs. time relationship: If the velocity is varying linearly with time, it means the velocity is changing at a constant rate. In other words, the particle's speed is increasing or decreasing by a constant amount with each unit of time. Distance vs. time relationship: When velocity varies linearly, the distance traveled by the particle will not change linearly with time. Instead, it will change quadratically with time. When velocity varies linearly, the distance-time relationship becomes quadratic because the distance traveled is related to the area under the velocity-time curve. Since the velocity-time curve is a straight line (linear), the area under it will form a quadratic curve (parabolic) when plotted against time. So, the shape of the d-t curve for a particle with linearly varying velocity will be quadratic.

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