A person walks to the right along a straight-line path with a steady velocity. Make a prediction for the graph of their position versus time (i.e. the vertical axis is position and the horizontal is time).

Suppose this same individual were instead to walk to the left along the same straight-line path with a steady velocity. Make a prediction for the graph of their position-time in this case. Briefly explain the similarities and differences between the graphs you made.

You will be using the PhET simulation "The Moving Man"(Links to an external site.) to check your work. Once you have opened the simulation, click on the tab at the upper left titled "Charts". This will show you three graphs: position-time, velocity-time, and acceleration-time. On the top right of each graph is a small red square with a "-", which when clicked on will remove the respective graph. You can use the "clear" button at the bottom left to clear the present graph if you want to restart.

Remove both the velocity and acceleration graphs before continuing.

By clicking and dragging the person at the top of the screen you can get them to move left or right and at speed determined by the speed of your dragging them. Attempt to move the person from the origin at "0" meters to the "6" meter mark at a steady speed. This might take a bit of practice. Once you have a graph you can be proud of, compare it to the first graph you made and make sure you understand the differences if there are any.

Repeat the process and make a graph for the person moving to the left from the "0" to the "-6" meter mark. Compare the simulated graph to your prediction.

On a position-time graph, what tells you if the motion is in the positive or negative direction? Explain your conclusion.

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/cheerpj/moving-man/latest/moving-man.html?simulation=moving-man