D = 200 m + 300 m = 500 m (speed uses distance, not displacement so direction is disregarded)Ī runner sprints 500 m in 60 s then turns around and jogs 500 m back to the start in 440 s.If the entire trip takes 1 minute, what is the average speed? Substitute given variables in to the equation.Ī runner runs 200 m, east, then changes direction and runs 300 m, west.Isolate for the unknown variable in the equation.Choose the equation that matches your variables.Read through the entire problem first before doing anything else!.Do both have the same speed? Do they have the same velocity?īoth cars have the same speed, but they have opposite velocities because they are moving in opposite directions.ĭuring a race on level ground, John runs with an average velocity of 6.02 m/s to the east. It passes another car that travels southward at 100 km/h. The speedometer of a car moving northward reads 100 km/h. Because it is a scalar quantity, it can never be negative. Because it is a vector, direction is takenĭistance is the total length traveled by an object. The initial position is the origin, where the object starts. Be careful with your negatives and positives. Because it is a vector, direction is taken The final position is where the object ends. A negativeĭisplacement would mean moving down, backward, or to the left. Because it is a vector, direction is takenĭisplacement would mean moving up, forward, or to the right. Of the straight line from the origin to the finish. Time can be the total time or the time for that portion of the problem. Negative velocity means the object is moving down, backward, or to the Velocity means the object is moving up, forward, or to the right.
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Velocity is the rate at which an object's position changes. The change in speed can be negative, but not speed itself.
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Speed is the rate at which distance is covered. Listed below are many of the possible pertinent variables you will encounter.