What is the difference between speed and velocity? 2 What is acceleration? 3. Name 3 ways that velocity can change? 4 List three units that you might use to measure (a) speed; (b) velocity; (c) acceleration: 5. What is the average speed of a person who travels 10-m in 40-s
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Here are the correct answers to your questions, followed by a full 300-word explanation:
1. What is the difference between speed and velocity?
Answer: Speed is how fast an object is moving, while velocity is speed in a given direction.
2. What is acceleration?
Answer: Acceleration is the rate at which velocity changes over time.
3. Name 3 ways that velocity can change:
Answer:
- A change in speed (increase or decrease)
- A change in direction
- A change in both speed and direction
4. List three units you might use to measure:
(a) Speed: meters per second (m/s), kilometers per hour (km/h), miles per hour (mph)
(b) Velocity: meters per second (m/s), kilometers per hour (km/h), miles per hour (mph) with direction
(c) Acceleration: meters per second squared (m/s²), kilometers per hour per second (km/h/s), feet per second squared (ft/s²)
5. What is the average speed of a person who travels 10 meters in 40 seconds?
Answer:
Average speed = Distance ÷ Time = 10 meters ÷ 40 seconds = 0.25 m/s
Explanation
Understanding motion begins with the concepts of speed, velocity, and acceleration. These are essential for describing how objects move.
Speed refers to how fast something is moving. It is a scalar quantity, meaning it only tells us the magnitude, not the direction. For example, if a car moves at 60 kilometers per hour, we know its speed, but not whether it is going north, south, or another direction.
Velocity, however, is a vector quantity. This means it includes both the speed and the direction of motion. If that same car moves at 60 kilometers per hour to the north, then its velocity is 60 km/h north.
Acceleration is how quickly velocity changes. This change can occur in three ways: an object can speed up, slow down, or change direction. Any of these changes means the object is accelerating. Even if the speed remains constant but the object turns, it is still accelerating due to the change in direction.
Different units help measure these quantities. Speed and velocity often use meters per second (m/s) or kilometers per hour (km/h). Since velocity includes direction, it must be stated with words like “north” or “upward.” Acceleration uses units such as meters per second squared (m/s²), which means how much the velocity changes every second.
To find average speed, you divide the total distance traveled by the total time taken. For someone traveling 10 meters in 40 seconds, this equals 0.25 meters per second. This means the person covers a quarter of a meter every second on average.
