Area under a graph
What Area under a graph means in Physics A-Level, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of Area under a graph
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Reference: OCR
For a varying force, split the area into rectangles, triangles or trapezia, or count squares, rather than using a single force value.
Under a velocity–time graph it gives displacement, and under an acceleration–time graph it gives change in velocity.
Found by counting squares or by approximating with strips, and it equals the product of the two axis quantities.
Topics that use Area under a graph
- Capacitor charge and discharge (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
- Motion along a straight line (AQA A-Level)
- Newton’s laws of motion (OCR A-Level)
Related terms
- Gradient
- Acceleration
- Action–reaction pairs
- Area under a graph as a product
- Capacitor charging and discharging
- Change in momentum and direction
- Determining the time constant from a graph
- Displacement
Using Area under a graph in the exam
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