Moving Man: Position, Velocity & Acceleration Graphs
Drag the person along the track and watch position, velocity and acceleration graphs build.
Drag the person along the track. The three graphs record where he was, how fast he moved and how his speed changed.
About the Moving Man: Position, Velocity & Acceleration Graphs
Free kinematics simulator. Drag the person along a track and see live position, velocity and acceleration graphs, or set a velocity and watch him walk. Built for physics, the moving man: position, velocity & acceleration graphs runs instantly in your browser: change a setting or drag an object and the result updates at once, so you learn by trying things out rather than only reading about them.
Drag the person along the track and watch position, velocity and acceleration graphs build. Use it to explore physics ideas at your own pace, then check what you found against the key ideas further down this page.
How to use the Moving Man: Position, Velocity & Acceleration Graphs
- Use the controls to change Velocity, Acceleration. The simulation reacts instantly.
- Pick an option such as Drag him, Set velocity, Set acceleration to switch modes or load an example.
- Press "Pause", "Clear graphs" to start, reset or change what is happening.
- Where you see a glowing handle, object, weight or atom, drag it with your mouse or finger. Everything responds in real time.
- Watch the readouts and graphs update as you experiment, and compare what you see with the key ideas below.
Things to try
- Drag the man at a steady pace and look at the velocity graph.
- Speed up steadily and watch acceleration appear.
- Use Set velocity to make him walk by himself.
- Try to make a position graph that goes up and then comes back.
Key ideas you can learn
- Velocity is the slope of the position-time graph.
- Acceleration is the slope of the velocity-time graph.
- A steady velocity gives a straight position graph and zero acceleration.
Where this is used in the real world
Motion graphs are used to analyse sports performance, vehicle tests, robot paths and any data recorded over time.
Who is this simulation for?
Physics students in middle school, high school and first-year university, teachers who want a quick demonstration for the projector, and anyone revising for exams. It works well for flipped classrooms because students can explore before the lesson.
For teachers: project it on the board, let students predict what will happen, then run it together. For students: change one thing at a time and write down what changes.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get velocity from a position graph?
Take the slope: velocity = change in position ÷ change in time. A steeper line means a faster speed.
What does a curved position graph mean?
The velocity is changing, so there is acceleration. The more it curves, the bigger the acceleration.
Is the Moving Man: Position, Velocity & Acceleration Graphs free to use?
Yes. It is completely free, with no signup, no download and no ads inside the simulation. It runs in your web browser.
Does the Moving Man: Position, Velocity & Acceleration Graphs work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It uses touch as well as the mouse, so you can drag objects with your finger. A larger screen makes the controls easier to see.