Comparing Velocity and Acceleration 2
The below plot gives two curves representing velocity as a function of time for two different particles.
Two curves giving velocity as a function of time of two particles
For which curve is the magnitude of the velocity greater at
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1 solution
Velocity, being a vector quantity, has both magnitude and direction. In this graph, the negative velocity represents moving in one direction and the positive velocity represents moving in the opposite direction. At x = 0, the yellow curve has a velocity of 0 units/s. The blue curve has a slightly negative velocity. We of course would just look at the magnitude (or simply, take the absolute value in this case) and you would find that the blue curve has a greater magnitude.