Read the red line. Control the skater's speed. Match the motion. Ten levels, from steady cruising to real acceleration.
A distance-vs-time graphing game. Best with sound on.
Motion Match
Time0s
Score0 / 10
Level1
🦥🛹
The graph could not load. Please check your internet connection and refresh the page.
Set your speed, then press Start.
1.0 m/s
How to Play
The red dashed line is your target. It shows how far the skater should have traveled at each second. Your job: make the blue line land on top of it.
Steps
Read the red line. A steeper line means the skater needs to go faster.
Set the speed slider to match how steep the line is.
Press Start. Each second, a blue dot is plotted from your speed.
Adjust as you go. When the red line bends, change your speed to follow it.
Score 8 or higher (out of 10) to clear the level and unlock the next one.
Tips
A blue dot scores a point when it lands within about 1.5 meters of the red line, so getting close still counts.
Want to just explore? Turn on Practice Mode for free play: no scoring, the graph keeps scrolling, and you move the slider to see how speed shapes your line. You can also show a target line to trace.
Watch the coach bar: it tells you if you're on track, too fast, or too slow.
Stars
Each level shows how well you did with stars:
★★★ = a perfect 10 out of 10
★★ = 9 out of 10
★ = 8 out of 10 (cleared!)
You only need 1 star (a score of 8) to unlock the next level, but you can replay any level to chase all three.
Learn the Science
This is a distance-vs-time graph. Time runs across the bottom; distance traveled goes up the side. The shape of the line tells the story of the motion.
Slope = Speed
How steep the line is equals how fast the skater moves. A flatter line is slower; a steeper line is faster.
Straight vs. Curved
A straight line means constant speed, the skater covers the same distance every second. A curved line means the speed is changing: that's acceleration. A line curving upward steeper and steeper means speeding up; a line that flattens out means slowing down.
The graph below shows all three. Here is what each line means:
Grey, flat line = stopped (not moving, speed 0)Green, straight line = steady speed (constant)Pink, curved line = speeding up (acceleration)
Why it matters
Scientists and engineers read motion graphs to understand how things move, from cars and rockets to athletes and animals. Levels 1 to 5 use straight lines (constant speed). Levels 6 to 10 add curves, so you'll change your speed as you go to match real acceleration.
🎵
Turn on the music?
This game has fun retro background music and sound effects. Want them on? You can switch them on or off any time with the Music toggle.
🎉
Level Complete!
Thank you to the Chesapeake Education Foundation and the Dollar Bank Foundation for supporting the development of this simulation!