Math Problem Statement

The student starts at location A at time t=0 mins and then walks left reaching location B at 3.2min. Then the student walk right to location C, which takes 7.4min. Lastly, the student walks left to location D and which takes 16.8 mins. What is the average velocity from A to B in m/s?

The student starts at location A at time t=0 mins and then walks left reaching location B at 3.2 min. Then the student walks right to location C, which takes 7.4 min. Lastly, the student walks left to location D and which takes 16.8 mins. What is the average velocity from A to B in m/s?

Solution

To calculate the average velocity from point A to point B, we can use the following formula for average velocity:

vavg=ΔxΔtv_{avg} = \frac{\Delta x}{\Delta t}

Where:

  • Δx\Delta x is the change in position (displacement),
  • Δt\Delta t is the change in time.

From the image:

  • The position at A is 50 meters (based on the number line).
  • The position at B is 20 meters.

So, the displacement Δx\Delta x from A to B is:

Δx=20m50m=30m\Delta x = 20 \, \text{m} - 50 \, \text{m} = -30 \, \text{m}

The time taken to travel from A to B is 3.23.2 minutes, which needs to be converted into seconds:

Δt=3.2min×60s/min=192s\Delta t = 3.2 \, \text{min} \times 60 \, \text{s/min} = 192 \, \text{s}

Now, the average velocity is:

vavg=30m192s=0.15625m/sv_{avg} = \frac{-30 \, \text{m}}{192 \, \text{s}} = -0.15625 \, \text{m/s}

Thus, the average velocity from A to B is approximately 0.156m/s-0.156 \, \text{m/s}. The negative sign indicates that the student is moving to the left (in the negative direction).

Would you like to go over more details, or do you have any questions?

Here are 5 related questions:

  1. What is the total displacement of the student from A to D?
  2. How do we calculate average speed from A to B?
  3. What is the student's average velocity for the entire trip from A to D?
  4. What does the negative sign in average velocity indicate?
  5. How does velocity differ from speed in this context?

Tip: Always be careful to distinguish between displacement (which considers direction) and distance (which does not) when calculating velocity.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Kinematics
Velocity
Displacement
Time

Formulas

Average velocity formula: v_avg = Δx / Δt

Theorems

Displacement is the difference between final and initial positions
Time conversion from minutes to seconds

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 9-12