Question

What are the average velocity and average acceleration of the tip of a 2.4 cm long hour hand of a clock?

Answer 1

A circle has a revolution of 360°. Since there are 12 hour markings, each hour interval has an angle of 30°. In radians, that would be equal to π/6 radians. So, in every 1 hour that passes, it covers π/6 of an angle. So, the angular velocity denoted as ω is π/6 ÷ 1 hour = π/6 rad/h. We can compute the average linear velocity, v, from the relationship:

v = rω, where r is the radius of the circle which is the length of the hour hand
v = (2.4 cm)(π/6 rad/h)
v = 1.257 cm/hour

Therefore, the average velocity is 1.257 cm per hour.

For the average acceleration, it is equal to zero. The hands of the clock move at a constant velocity. Since acceleration is the change of velocity per unit time, there is no change of velocity because it's constant. That's why it is zero.