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Section summary

  • Time is measured in terms of change, and its SI unit is the second (s). Elapsed time for an event is
    Δ t = t f t 0 , size 12{Δt=t rSub { size 8{f} } - t rSub { size 8{0} } } {}
    where t f size 12{t rSub { size 8{f} } } {} is the final time and t 0 size 12{t rSub { size 8{0} } } {} is the initial time. The initial time is often taken to be zero, as if measured with a stopwatch; the elapsed time is then just t size 12{t} {} .
  • Average velocity v - size 12{ { bar {v}}} {} is defined as displacement divided by the travel time. In symbols, average velocity is
    v - = Δ x Δ t = x f x 0 t f t 0 . size 12{ { bar {v}}= { {Δx} over {Δt} } = { {x rSub { size 8{f} } - x rSub { size 8{0} } } over {t rSub { size 8{f} } - t rSub { size 8{0} } } } "." } {}
  • The SI unit for velocity is m/s.
  • Velocity is a vector and thus has a direction.
  • Instantaneous velocity v size 12{v} {} is the velocity at a specific instant or the average velocity for an infinitesimal interval.
  • Instantaneous speed is the magnitude of the instantaneous velocity.
  • Instantaneous speed is a scalar quantity, as it has no direction specified.
  • Average speed is the total distance traveled divided by the elapsed time. (Average speed is not the magnitude of the average velocity.) Speed is a scalar quantity; it has no direction associated with it.

Conceptual questions

Give an example (but not one from the text) of a device used to measure time and identify what change in that device indicates a change in time.

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There is a distinction between average speed and the magnitude of average velocity. Give an example that illustrates the difference between these two quantities.

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Does a car's odometer measure position or displacement? Does its speedometer measure speed or velocity?

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If you divide the total distance traveled on a car trip (as determined by the odometer) by the time for the trip, are you calculating the average speed or the magnitude of the average velocity? Under what circumstances are these two quantities the same?

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How are instantaneous velocity and instantaneous speed related to one another? How do they differ?

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Problems&Exercises

(a) Calculate Earth's average speed relative to the Sun. (b) What is its average velocity over a period of one year?

(a) 3 . 0 × 10 4 m/s size 12{3 "." "0 " times "10" rSup { size 8{4} } " m/s"} {}

(b) 0 m/s

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A helicopter blade spins at exactly 100 revolutions per minute. Its tip is 5.00 m from the center of rotation. (a) Calculate the average speed of the blade tip in the helicopter's frame of reference. (b) What is its average velocity over one revolution?

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The North American and European continents are moving apart at a rate of about 3 cm/y. At this rate how long will it take them to drift 500 km farther apart than they are at present?

2 × 10 7 years size 12{2 times "10" rSup { size 8{7} } " years"} {}

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Land west of the San Andreas fault in southern California is moving at an average velocity of about 6 cm/y northwest relative to land east of the fault. Los Angeles is west of the fault and may thus someday be at the same latitude as San Francisco, which is east of the fault. How far in the future will this occur if the displacement to be made is 590 km northwest, assuming the motion remains constant?

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On May 26, 1934, a streamlined, stainless steel diesel train called the Zephyr set the world's nonstop long-distance speed record for trains. Its run from Denver to Chicago took 13 hours, 4 minutes, 58 seconds, and was witnessed by more than a million people along the route. The total distance traveled was 1633.8 km. What was its average speed in km/h and m/s?

34 . 689 m/s = 124 . 88 km/h

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Questions & Answers

Discuss the differences between taste and flavor, including how other sensory inputs contribute to our  perception of flavor.
John Reply
taste refers to your understanding of the flavor . while flavor one The other hand is refers to sort of just a blend things.
Faith
While taste primarily relies on our taste buds, flavor involves a complex interplay between taste and aroma
Kamara
which drugs can we use for ulcers
Ummi Reply
omeprazole
Kamara
what
Renee
what is this
Renee
is a drug
Kamara
of anti-ulcer
Kamara
Omeprazole Cimetidine / Tagament For the complicated once ulcer - kit
Patrick
what is the function of lymphatic system
Nency Reply
Not really sure
Eli
to drain extracellular fluid all over the body.
asegid
The lymphatic system plays several crucial roles in the human body, functioning as a key component of the immune system and contributing to the maintenance of fluid balance. Its main functions include: 1. Immune Response: The lymphatic system produces and transports lymphocytes, which are a type of
asegid
to transport fluids fats proteins and lymphocytes to the blood stream as lymph
Adama
what is anatomy
Oyindarmola Reply
Anatomy is the identification and description of the structures of living things
Kamara
what's the difference between anatomy and physiology
Oyerinde Reply
Anatomy is the study of the structure of the body, while physiology is the study of the function of the body. Anatomy looks at the body's organs and systems, while physiology looks at how those organs and systems work together to keep the body functioning.
AI-Robot
what is enzymes all about?
Mohammed Reply
Enzymes are proteins that help speed up chemical reactions in our bodies. Enzymes are essential for digestion, liver function and much more. Too much or too little of a certain enzyme can cause health problems
Kamara
yes
Prince
how does the stomach protect itself from the damaging effects of HCl
Wulku Reply
little girl okay how does the stomach protect itself from the damaging effect of HCL
Wulku
it is because of the enzyme that the stomach produce that help the stomach from the damaging effect of HCL
Kamara
function of digestive system
Ali Reply
function of digestive
Ali
the diagram of the lungs
Adaeze Reply
what is the normal body temperature
Diya Reply
37 degrees selcius
Xolo
37°c
Stephanie
please why 37 degree selcius normal temperature
Mark
36.5
Simon
37°c
Iyogho
the normal temperature is 37°c or 98.6 °Fahrenheit is important for maintaining the homeostasis in the body the body regular this temperature through the process called thermoregulation which involves brain skin muscle and other organ working together to maintain stable internal temperature
Stephanie
37A c
Wulku
what is anaemia
Diya Reply
anaemia is the decrease in RBC count hemoglobin count and PVC count
Eniola
what is the pH of the vagina
Diya Reply
how does Lysin attack pathogens
Diya
acid
Mary
I information on anatomy position and digestive system and there enzyme
Elisha Reply
anatomy of the female external genitalia
Muhammad Reply
Organ Systems Of The Human Body (Continued) Organ Systems Of The Human Body (Continued)
Theophilus Reply
what's lochia albra
Kizito
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Source:  OpenStax, College physics for ap® courses. OpenStax CNX. Nov 04, 2016 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11844/1.14
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