Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
Physics

Short Answer

PhysicsShort Answer

Short Answer

3.1 Acceleration

21.

True or False—The vector for a negative acceleration points in the opposite direction when compared to the vector for a positive acceleration.

  1. True
  2. False
22 .
If a car decelerates from 20 m/s to 15 m/s in 5 s , what is Δ v ?
  1. –5 m/s
  2. –1 m/s
  3. 1 m/s
  4. 5 m/s
23.

How is the vector arrow representing an acceleration of magnitude 3 m/s2 different from the vector arrow representing a negative acceleration of magnitude 3 m/s2?

  1. They point in the same direction.
  2. They are perpendicular, forming a 90° angle between each other.
  3. They point in opposite directions.
  4. They are perpendicular, forming a 270° angle between each other.
24.

How long does it take to accelerate from 8.0 m/s to 20.0 m/s at a rate of acceleration of 3.0 m/s2?

  1. 0.25 s
  2. 4.0 s
  3. 9.33 s
  4. 36 s

3.2 Representing Acceleration with Equations and Graphs

25.

If a plot of displacement versus time is linear, what can be said about the acceleration?

  1. Acceleration is 0.
  2. Acceleration is a non-zero constant.
  3. Acceleration is positive.
  4. Acceleration is negative.
26.

True or False: —The image shows a velocity vs. time graph for a jet car. If you take the slope at any point on the graph, the jet car’s acceleration will be 5.0 m/s2.

  1. True
  2. False
27.

When plotted on the blank plots, which answer choice would show the motion of an object that has uniformly accelerated from 2 m/s to 8 m/s in 3 s?

  1. The plot on the left shows a line from (0,2) to (3,8) while the plot on the right shows a line from (0,2) to (3,2).
  2. The plot on the left shows a line from (0,2) to (3,8) while the plot on the right shows a line from (0,3) to (3,3).
  3. The plot on the left shows a line from (0,8) to (3,2) while the plot on the right shows a line from (0,2) to (3,2).
  4. The plot on the left shows a line from (0,8) to (3,2) while the plot on the right shows a line from (0,3) to (3,3).
28.

When is a plot of velocity versus time a straight line and when is it a curved line?

  1. It is a straight line when acceleration is changing and is a curved line when acceleration is constant.
  2. It is a straight line when acceleration is constant and is a curved line when acceleration is changing.
  3. It is a straight line when velocity is constant and is a curved line when velocity is changing.
  4. It is a straight line when velocity is changing and is a curved line when velocity is constant.
Citation/Attribution
Reuse and redistribution of this content in digital or print format:
  • This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's prior written permission.
  • This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License, which means that you can reuse and modify the material only for noncommercial purposes, must attribute Texas Education Agency (TEA), and must distribute any derivative works under the same license. The original material is available at: https://www.texasgateway.org/book/tea-physics . Changes were made to the original material, including updates to art, structure, and other content updates.
  • Any commercial printing of this textbook, including using a local or custom printer, must be approved by OpenStax, and proper citation provided.
  • OpenStax-copyrighted images, activities, assessments, and similar components of this book are subject to the same licensing – CC-BY-NC-SA. They can be used for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Commercial use requires permission.
  • Permission requests: Anyone who intends to incorporate this content (including text, images, and other components) into large language models, use it in AI offerings, use it commercially (including in print), and/or has questions about another use case is welcome to complete our reuse request form.
Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/physics/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial digital format, then for every page that includes OpenStax content, you must license the derivative work under the same CC-BY-NC-SA license as the original, and include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/physics/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

The information below includes the information needed to generate citations in most major styles (APA, MLA, etc.); you must reformat and organize the information as needed to fit the requirements of the style. Use the information below to generate a citation. We recommend using a citation tool such as this one.

© Jul 8, 2026 Texas Education Agency (TEA). The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo, and Rice University name, and Rice University logo trademarks, or wordmarks are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.