Differentials Consider a sphere rolling straight up an inclined plane.
For this example, we are given a set of values representing the position of the sphere on the inclined plane as a function of time. If we plot its position as a function of time, the graph would look something like the graph to the right. The average velocity of the sphere is the ratio of its displacement and the time required for that displacement to occur. For example, the sphere rolls from the 1.5 meter mark at 0.0 seconds to the 1.5 meter mark at 10 seconds for a displacement of zero meters in 10 seconds. The sphere's average velocity may be calculated for various choices of time intervals.