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Q.Prove that area under v - t (Velocity - Time) graph is equal to displacement?

Himachal HpboseHPBOSE Himachal Pradesh Class 11 Board Exam 2025Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
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The area under a v-t graph equals displacement because each thin strip of that area, v dt, is exactly the small displacement covered in time dt.

Consider an object whose velocity v varies with time, and its v-t graph over some interval from t1t_1 to t2t_2.

Divide this time interval into a large number of very small intervals, each of width dt. During any one such small interval, the velocity can be treated as (approximately) constant, equal to v at that instant. The displacement covered in that tiny interval is:

dx=v dtdx = v\, dt

But v dtv\,dt is also exactly the area of a thin vertical strip on the v-t graph, of height v and width dt.

To get the total displacement from t1t_1 to t2t_2, we add up (integrate) the displacement contributed by every such strip:

x=∫t1t2v dtx = \displaystyle\int_{t_1}^{t_2} v\, dt

But summing the areas of all these thin strips is precisely how we compute the total area under the v-t curve between t1t_1 and t2t_2. Hence:

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