How to play Motion Graphs
Motion Graphs is a GCSE physics game for practising how to read motion graphs. Each question shows a distance-time graph or a velocity-time graph, split into lettered sections, and asks you one thing about it. You pick the answer from four options.
Some questions want a number: the speed in a section, the acceleration in a section or the distance travelled in a section. The others ask which section shows an object that is stationary, moving at a constant speed, speeding up or slowing down.
A round has ten questions. The first three use distance-time graphs only. From question 4, velocity-time graphs come in, with acceleration and the area under the line. In the last three, the areas are trapezium shaped. Tick the harder start if you want velocity-time graphs from the first question.
Each point on the graph sits on a gridline, so you can read exact values. You have 15 seconds for each question. A right answer inside the time scores 15 points, and if the clock runs out the question counts as wrong. Turn on the practice switch to play with no timer, where a right answer scores 10.
After a wrong answer, the game shows the rule it used and the numbers it took from the graph.
The science behind motion graphs
A distance-time graph shows how far an object has gone at each moment. The gradient of the line is the speed. A steep line means the object is fast. A flat line means the distance is not changing, so the object is stationary.
To find a gradient, read two points at the ends of a section. Then divide the change in distance by the change in time. If a section runs from 8 m at 4 s to 32 m at 6 s, the speed is 24 m ÷ 2 s = 12 m/s.
A velocity-time graph can look much the same, but it tells you something else. Its gradient is the acceleration, in m/s². A line that slopes down has a negative gradient, so the object is slowing down. A flat line above zero means a constant speed, and a flat line along the time axis means the object is stationary.
The area under a velocity-time graph is the distance travelled. Under a line that starts from zero, the shape is a triangle, with area ½ × base × height. Under a flat line it is a rectangle. When the line slopes between two velocities that are both above zero, the shape is a trapezium. Its area is the average of the two velocities multiplied by the time.
All the GCSE physics courses include these graphs. AQA 8463 covers them in 4.5.6.1.4 and 4.5.6.1.5, and tests the area under a velocity-time graph on Higher tier papers only. Edexcel 1PH0 has them in 2.7 and 2.10. OCR J249 has them in P2.1, and OCR J259 in P4.2.
You can see the equations as each board prints them on the speed equation page and the acceleration equation page. In the 2025 to 2027 exams, both appear on the equation sheet. The graph questions still ask you to pick the right two points and read them correctly.
Tips for reading distance-time and velocity-time graphs
- Look at the label on the vertical axis first. A distance graph and a velocity graph can have the same shape.
- Read the values at both ends of the section. One value on its own is a position or a velocity, and it is not the gradient.
- Put the change in the vertical value on top and the change in time underneath. Turn it upside down and you get s/m, which is never a speed.
- For a triangle, halve base × height. If you forget the half, your distance is twice too big.
- Let the unit guide you. Speed is in m/s, acceleration is in m/s², and distance is in m.
The wrong options in the game come from these slips, so when you miss one, check which of them caught you.
Use this in the classroom
Motion Graphs suits Years 9 to 11 in lessons on speed, acceleration and the area under a graph. A round takes about five minutes, so it fits at the start or the end of a lesson.
Put one graph on the board and ask students to describe the motion on mini whiteboards before anyone answers. Then show a distance-time graph and a velocity-time graph with the same shape, and ask what each one tells you. That comparison finds the students who read every flat line as a stop.
The practice switch turns the timer off for students who need more time to read the grid. Higher tier groups can use the harder start, which opens with velocity-time graphs and areas.
Students play without an account. The page for teachers explains how the site works in school, and the page for parents covers use at home.
Similar games
For the forces that cause these changes in motion, try Resultant Force. To practise the equations behind each gradient, play Equation Rearranger. Every game on the site is on the all games page.
Questions people ask
Students and teachers often ask these questions about distance-time and velocity-time graphs.
How do you find speed from a distance-time graph?
Find the gradient of the line. Take two points on a straight section, then divide the change in distance by the change in time. The answer is in metres per second.
What does a flat line mean on a velocity-time graph?
The velocity is not changing. If the line is above zero, the object moves at a constant speed. If the line lies along the time axis, the object is stationary.
How do you work out distance from a velocity-time graph?
Find the area between the line and the time axis. Split it into triangles and rectangles, work out each area and add them. The answer is in metres. AQA tests this on Higher tier papers only.
Is Motion Graphs suitable for Foundation tier students?
Yes. The first three questions use distance-time graphs, which students on every tier need to read. The area questions come later in the round. In practice mode, the finish button ends the round early if you want to stop before them.