Question

In an experiment, a shearwater (a seabird) was taken from its nest, flown a distance 5220 km away, and released. It found its way back to its nest a time 12.9 days after release.
a. If we place the origin in the nest and extend the +x-axis to the release point, what was the bird's average velocity for the return flight?b. What was the bird's average velocity in m/s for the whole episode, from leaving the nest to returning?

Answer 1

Answer:

4.6834625323 m/s

0 m/s

Explanation:

s = Displacement

t = Time

Velocity is given by

$v=\dfrac{s}{t}\\\Rightarrow v=\dfrac{5220000}{12.9\times 24\times 60\times 60}\\\Rightarrow v=4.6834625323\ m/s$

The bird's average velocity for the return flight is 4.6834625323 m/s

In the whole episode the bird went 5220 km away from its nest and came back. This means the displacement is zero.

Hence, the average velocity for the whole episode is 0 m/s

Answer 2

Answer:

a)

b) $v_{avg}=0\ m.s^{-1}$

Explanation:

Given:

• distance the bird flew away from the nest, $d=5220\ km$

• time taken by the bird to return  to its nest, $t=12.9\ days=309.6\ hr$

a.

On taking the origin at the nest and +x axis at the release point we have the release position as 5220 kilometers.

Now the bird's average return velocity:

$v=\frac{d}{t}$

$v=\frac{5220}{309.6}$

$v=16.86\ km.hr^{-1}$

b.

Now we find the bird's total displacement in the whole episode to be zero because it returns to the origin.

And since average velocity is the total displacement per unit time, so it is also zero.