A ball is thrown into the air with an upward velocity of 10 m/s. A short time later, it is caught on its way down, also with a speed of 10 m/s.
(a) Draw the velocity–time graph for this situation.
(b) Draw the acceleration–time graph for this situation.
(c) Many people would describe the ball’s motion as “slowing down” until it reaches the top of its flight and then “speeding up” on the downward trip. However, a correct graph in part (b) should show a consistently negative (downward) acceleration.
Explain how a negative acceleration can mean both “speeding up” and “slowing down.”