# A swimmer dives off a starting block and swims along a straight lane. For the first part of the swim the swimmer moves at a constant velocity. She then decelerates uniformly until she reaches the end of the pool and stops. Describe what a velocity-time graph of the swimmer's entire journey would look like, and explain what the area under the graph represents.

> Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Physics (4PH1) — 1.2 Movement and position · Describe · 4 marks

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. The first section of the graph is a horizontal straight line (showing constant velocity).
2. The second section of the graph is a straight line with a negative gradient (sloping downward to zero) showing uniform deceleration.
3. The line ends at zero (velocity = 0) showing the swimmer has stopped.
4. The area under the velocity-time graph represents the total distance travelled by the swimmer.

## Key terms

- [velocity-time graph](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/velocity-time-graph)
- [constant velocity](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/constant-velocity)

## Related

- [Revision notes for Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Physics (4PH1)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Describe" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-swimmer-dives-off-a-starting-b01241d9) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.