Final answer:
The gradient in physics refers to the slope of a line on a graph, and it can be calculated by dividing the change in the y-value by the change in the x-value. A labeled longitudinal profile can be used to calculate the gradient. For example, the gradient can represent the average velocity on a position vs. time graph.
Step-by-step explanation:
In physics, the gradient refers to the slope of a line on a graph. It is a measure of how steep or flat the line is. The gradient is calculated by dividing the change in the y-value (dependent variable) by the change in the x-value (independent variable). For example, if we have a position vs. time graph, the gradient would represent the average velocity of the object.
To calculate the gradient, we can choose two points on the graph and calculate the rise over run between those points. For instance, if we have a position vs. time graph where the position changes from 2 meters to 8 meters over a time interval of 4 seconds, the gradient would be (8 - 2) / (4 - 0) = 1.5 meters per second.
Example: