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For the motion of a falling object, which graphs are straight lines?

a. acceleration versus time only
b. displacement versus time only
c. displacement versus time and acceleration versus time
d. velocity versus time and acceleration versus time

User Hugovdberg
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

For a falling object, the acceleration versus time graph is a straight line indicating constant acceleration. Displacement versus time is a curved line, while velocity versus time is a straight line, assuming the object falls from rest.

Step-by-step explanation:

For the motion of a falling object, if air resistance is negligible and the object is in free fall, the acceleration due to gravity is constant. This implies that the graph of acceleration versus time would be a horizontal straight line, indicating constant acceleration.

However, a graph of displacement versus time for an object in free fall would not be a straight line. This is because the displacement of a falling object increases with the square of the time due to the constant acceleration, which generates a parabolic curve.

Therefore, the correct answer is that for the motion of a falling object, the graph of acceleration versus time would be a straight line. The graph of velocity versus time would also be a straight line if the object fell from rest because the velocity increases linearly due to constant acceleration. The graph of displacement versus time squared is a straight line as well, which is true as per the given statement in the reference.

User Seoul
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