A frisbee is thrown 24 m through the air, where it is caught 8.0 s later. What is the velocity of the frisbee? 3.0 m/s
16 m/s
32 m/s
46 m/s
The correct answer and explanation is:
To calculate the velocity of the frisbee, we use the basic equation for average velocity in physics: velocity=distancetime\text{velocity} = \frac{\text{distance}}{\text{time}}
Here, the distance traveled by the frisbee is 24 m, and the time taken to reach that point is 8.0 seconds.
Substitute the given values into the formula: velocity=24 m8.0 s=3.0 m/s\text{velocity} = \frac{24 \, \text{m}}{8.0 \, \text{s}} = 3.0 \, \text{m/s}
Thus, the correct answer is 3.0 m/s.
Explanation:
The formula used here is for average velocity. It gives a straightforward measure of the rate at which an object moves, which in this case is the frisbee. To clarify, average velocity does not take into account changes in speed or direction (i.e., acceleration); it simply considers the total distance traveled and the total time taken. In this problem, we assume that the frisbee’s motion is relatively simple, meaning there are no major variations in speed or a complicated trajectory, which is why we can use this formula.
The frisbee travels 24 m over a span of 8 seconds. By dividing the total distance by the time it takes, we find the average speed or velocity of the frisbee throughout its flight. The value is 3.0 m/s, which means, on average, the frisbee moves at 3 meters per second.