Question

if a moving object travels north for a distance of 105 m in 22 sec, what is it’s speed and velocity ?

Answer 1

Answer:

Speed: 4.8 m/s

Velocity: 4.8 m/s north

Explanation:

Definitions:

- Speed is a scalar quantity, which is equal to the ratio between distance covered (d) and time taken (t):

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

- Velocity is a vector quantity, whose magnitude is equal to the ratio between the displacement of the object and the time taken:

$v=\frac{disp.}{t}$

And it also has a direction (the same as the displacement).

In this problem:

- The object travels a distance of

d = 105 m

In a time interval of

t = 22 s

So its speed is

$s=\frac{105}{22}=4.8 m/s$

- The displacement of the object is the same as the distance in this case, so still 105 m, covered in a time interval of 22 s; this means that the magnitude of the velocity is the same as the speed:

$v=4.8 m/s$

However, velocity is a vector quantity, so it also has a direction: and since the object has moved north, the direction of the velocity is north as well.