Problem:
A student drove to the university from her home and noted that the odometer reading of her car increased by 12.0 km. The trip took 18.0 min.
(a) What was her average speed?
(b) If the straight-line distance from her home to the university is 10.3 km in a direction 25° S of E, what was her average velocity?
(c) If she returned home by the same path 7 h 30 min after she left, what were her average speed and velocity for the entire trip?
Solution:
Part A
The average speed is
\begin{align*}
\text{speed} & = \frac{\text{distance}}{\text{time}}\\
&= \frac{12\:\text{km}}{18\:\text{mins}}\times \frac{60\:\text{mins}}{1\:\text{hr}} \\
& =40\:\text{km/hr} \ \qquad \ \color{DarkOrange} \left( \text{Answer} \right)
\end{align*}Part B
The average velocity is
\begin{align*}
\overline{v} & =\frac{\Delta \text{x}\:}{\Delta \text{t}} \\
& =\frac{10.3\:\text{km}}{18.0\:\min \:}\times \frac{60\:\text{mins}}{1\:\text{hr}} \\
&=34.33\:\text{km/hr} \ \qquad \ \color{DarkOrange} \left( \text{Answer} \right)
\end{align*}The direction of the velocity is 25° S of E \ \qquad \ \color{DarkOrange} \left( \text{Answer} \right).
Part C
The average speed is
\begin{align*}
\text{speed} & = \frac{\text{distance}}{\text{time}}\\
& =\frac{12.0\:\text{km}\times 2}{7.5\:\text{hr}} \\
& =3.2\:\text{km/hr} \ \qquad \ \color{DarkOrange} \left( \text{Answer} \right)
\end{align*}And the average velocity is
\begin{align*}
\overline{v}=0 \ \qquad \ \color{DarkOrange} \left( \text{Answer} \right)
\end{align*}The average velocity is zero since the total displacement is zero.
College Physics Chapter 2 Problems
College Physics 2nd Edition Solutions Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction: The Nature of Science and Physics
Chapter 3: Two-Dimensional Kinematics
Chapter 4: Dynamics: Force and Newton’s Law of Motion
Chapter 5: Further Applications of Newton’s Laws: Friction, Drag, and Elasticity
Chapter 6: Uniform Circular Motion and Gravitation
Chapter 7: Work, Energy, and Energy Resources
Chapter 8: Linear Momentum and Collisions
Chapter 10: Rotational Motion and Angular Momentum
Chapter 12: Fluid Dynamics and Its Biological and Medical Applications
Chapter 13: Temperature, Kinetic Theory, and the Gas Laws
Chapter 14: Heat and Heat Transfer Methods
Chapter 15: Thermodynamics
Chapter 16: Oscillatory Motion and Waves
Chapter 17: Physics of Hearing
Chapter 18: Electric Charge and Electric Field
Chapter 19: Electric Potential and Electric Field
Chapter 20:
Electric Current, Resistance, and Ohm’s Law
Chapter 21: Circuits and DC Instruments
Chapter 22: Magnetism
Chapter 23: Electromagnetic Induction, AC Circuits, and Electrical Technologies
Chapter 24: Electromagnetic Waves
Chapter 25: Geometric Optics
Chapter 26: Vision and Optical Instrument
Chapter 27: Wave Optics
Chapter 28: Special Relativity
Chapter 29: Introduction to Quantum Physics
Chapter 30: Atomic Physics
Chapter 31: Radioactivity and Nuclear Physics
Chapter 32: Medical Applications of Nuclear Physics
Chapter 33: Particle Physics
Chapter 34: Frontiers of Physics
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