Question
If you divide the total distance traveled on a car trip (as determined by the odometer) by the elapsed time of the trip, are you calculating average speed or magnitude of average velocity? Under what circumstances are these two quantities the same?
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This is represented mathematically as: \[ \text{Average Speed} = \frac{\text{Total Distance}}{\text{Total Time}} \] Show more…
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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?
There is a distinction between average speed and the magnitude of average velocity. Give an example that illustrates the difference between these two quantities.
The average distance per unit time, when the body is moving with variable speed, is called average speed, Average speed $=\frac{\text { Total distance travelled }}{\text { Total time taken }}$
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