Which graph best represents the motion of an object initially at rest and accelerating uniformly?

The correct answer is graph 2 (Speed against time: Speed/time)
Acceleration refers to the change in speed or velocity with respect to time (can include deceleration or change in direction).

Graph 2 started at point zero (0), which shows that the object was initially at rest. This fact makes Graph 1 and 3 incorrect because both graphs show that the object was not at rest.

Although Graph 4 shows that the object was initially at rest, it is incorrect because acceleration is always plotted as speed or velocity against time on the graph. Graph 4 is plotted as distance against time.

Distance against time is used to represent SPEED, not ACCELERATION. Speed is simply defined as the rate of distance covered in a given time.

The answer would be graph two. If something is initially at rest, the graph has to start at the very bottom. This eliminates graphs one and three. At this point, the increase has to be uniform. The line on graph four is steeper than the line on graph two. This means that graph two increases more uniformly than that of graph four.

However, there’s another way to figure this out. Graphs one and two are labelled “speed” on the y-axis and “time” on the x-axis. Graphs three and four are also labelled “time” on the x-axis, but “distance” on the y-axis. The question is asking about speed, not distance, so graphs three and four are ruled out. It still means graph two is the only answer since the line goes up as the speed increases over