#  >> K-12 >> K-12 Basics

How to Make a Motion Diagram

If you have ever seen a time lapse photo of a dunk or a race where the athlete is shown in multiple positions in the same picture, you have seen a motion diagram. Usually, this diagram shows the position of the object at equal amounts of time. The positions make a trail that records the movement of the object through time and space. Anyone can make a time lapse diagram, and you do not need to be a television producer to make one.

Things You'll Need

  • Stop watch
  • Tape measure
  • Graph paper
  • Pencil
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Record the distance that an object moves over a period of time, using a stop watch and tape measure. For example, a car may move 5 feet over 1 second, 10 feet over 2 seconds or 15 feet over 3 seconds.

    • 2

      Draw a horizontal line on a piece of graph paper. Mark each box under the line and label the horizontal line: "Distance."

    • 3

      Draw a circle in the fifth, 10th and 15th box. The circles represent the position of the car at the 1, 2 and 3 second time intervals.

    • 4

      Draw arrows pointing to the right between the circles. The arrows represent the speed of the object. For example, mark "5 ft per second" over the arrows. Your motion diagram is complete.

Learnify Hub © www.0685.com All Rights Reserved