What is happening at C?

Fast steady speed; moving away from the starting position

Slower steady speed; moving away from the starting position

What is happening at D?

Fast steady speed; moving away from the starting position

Slower steady speed; moving away from the starting position

What is happening at A?

Slower steady speed; moving away from the starting position

Steady speed; returning to start position

What is happening at B?

Slower steady speed; moving away from the starting position

Steady speed; returning to start position

During the second segment, which is between 50 seconds and 70 seconds, which direction is Tom moving?

Tom was moving back towards his house

Tom was moving towards the bus stop

how much distance is covered over a period of time

the change in the location of a object

What is happening in the graph from point A to B?

The object is moving away from the reference point at a constant speed.

The object is moving toward the reference point at a constant speed

Distance-time Graph Practice

Quiz

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Physics

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9th Grade

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Practice Problem

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Medium

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CCSS.HSF.IF.B.4, NGSS.MS-PS3-1, CCSS.8.EE.B.5

Standards-aligned

Used 4K+ times

FREE Resource

About this resource

Looking at this collection of questions, I can see this quiz focuses on kinematics, specifically distance-time graphs and motion analysis, which is fundamental content for 9th grade physics. The questions systematically build students' understanding from basic definitions of speed, distance, and time measurements to complex graph interpretation involving multiple scenarios like racing situations and real-world contexts such as Tom's walk to the bus stop. Students need to master several core concepts to succeed: the relationship between distance, time, and speed (v = d/t); the ability to interpret distance-time graphs where slope represents speed, horizontal lines indicate no motion, and steeper slopes show faster speeds; understanding that constant speed appears as straight diagonal lines while curved lines represent acceleration or deceleration; and distinguishing between scalar quantities like speed versus vector quantities like velocity that include direction. The quiz requires students to calculate speeds using the distance-time formula, analyze motion in segments, determine when objects are stationary versus moving, and interpret complex scenarios involving multiple moving objects. Created by a Physics teacher in the US who teaches grade 9, this quiz serves as an excellent formative assessment tool for kinematics instruction. Teachers can deploy this as a warm-up activity to gauge student readiness before introducing more complex motion concepts, use it for guided practice during lessons on graph interpretation, or assign it as homework to reinforce classroom learning about distance-time relationships. The variety of question types—from basic vocabulary and formula recall to complex graph analysis scenarios—makes it ideal for differentiated instruction, allowing teachers to identify which students have mastered fundamental concepts versus those who need additional support with mathematical applications. This assessment aligns with NGSS standards HS-PS2-1 (analyzing data to support claims about forces and motions) and Common Core mathematics standards involving linear relationships and slope interpretation, providing teachers with valuable data about student understanding of motion concepts that form the foundation for more advanced physics topics like acceleration and force analysis.