Question

position vs time
the object represented by this graph is moving
away from the origin at a constant velocity.
away from the origin at a decreasing velocity.
toward the origin at a constant velocity.
toward the origin at a decreasing velocity.

Explanation:

1. In a position - time graph, the slope of the graph represents the velocity of the object. The formula for slope (velocity) is $v=\frac{\Delta x}{\Delta t}$, where $\Delta x$ is the change in position and $\Delta t$ is the change in time.
2. For the given graph, the position of the object at $t = 0$ s is $x_0=12$ m and at $t = 5$ s is $x_5 = 3$ m (approximate from the graph). The change in position $\Delta x=x_5 - x_0=3 - 12=- 9$ m (negative sign indicates the object is moving towards the origin as position is decreasing towards 0).
3. The graph is a straight line, which means the slope (velocity) is constant. A straight - line graph in position - time implies uniform (constant) velocity. Since the position is decreasing (from 12 m to 3 m as time increases from 0 s to 5 s), the object is moving toward the origin, and the velocity is constant (because the slope of a straight line is constant).

Answer:

toward the origin at a constant velocity.