How far does the athlete travel at the end of the (hypothetical) velocity - time profile below?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The athlete's change in position can be found by calculating the area under the velocity-time curve. With a relatively simple shape such as this one, the profile can be divided into a (right angled) triangle at each end (i.e. between 1 - 2 s & 4 - 5 s) and a rectangle in the middle (i.e. between 2 -4 s). The area of each triangle (0.5 x base x height) = 5 m, so 10 m in total, and the area of the rectangle = 20 m. Thus the total displacement, or in this case distance travelled = 30 m.

How Far Does the Athlete Travel at the End of the (Hypothetical)