Trapezium rule - velocity-time graphs??!

I'm doing OCR GCSE maths and towards the end of the paper it talks about the "Trapezium Rule" for working out the distance traavelled. From physics I know this is the area beneath the graph, but how am I meant to 'estimate' this when it is a curved line??

Thanks,
A perplexed child xx

Reply 1

Eddie K

Do exactly what it says on the tin - split the curve up into trapeziums, which you know the areas of. Add all the areas together and you'll have an estimate for the area under the graph. The slope of the trapeziums should be a small portion of the actual curve which you have approximated to a straight line. This is why the final answer is only an estimate.

Reply 2

Zthavan

at gcse you would use
Area under a curved graph = ½ × d × (first + last + 2(sum of rest))

Reply 3

Simba

Isn't the trapezium rule a concept introduced in C2? I never knew it was in the GCSE syllabus... My maths teacher showed me it when I was doing my GCSE, but he said not to worry too much about it for GCSE. Then again, I do Edexcel; it may be different for you doing OCR :smile: