The graph represents the motion of a cyclist at the start of an Olympic race - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 6 - 2016 - Paper 1

To calculate the initial acceleration, we need to determine the change in velocity and the time taken for that change.

From the graph, at time 0 seconds, the velocity is 0 m/s, and at time 2 seconds, the velocity is 16 m/s.

The change in velocity is:

$\Delta v = v_f - v_i = 16 \, \text{m/s} - 0 \, \text{m/s} = 16 \, \text{m/s}$

The time taken for this change is:

$\Delta t = 2 \, \text{s} - 0 \, \text{s} = 2 \, \text{s}$

Now, we can calculate the acceleration using the formula:

$a = \frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t} = \frac{16 \, \text{m/s}}{2 \, \text{s}} = 8 \, \text{m/s}^2$