Reporter: Raymond P.

Baldelovar
Professor: Adoracion S. Kuhutan
23, 2015

Section:
Date:

BSPE 1A
November

Questions in Physics
Displacement and Average Velocity
Problem 1: A man walks 7 km in 2 hours and 2 km in 1 hour in the same
direction.
a) What is the man's displacement from point A to B?
b) What is the mans displacement from point B to C?
c) What is the mans displacement from point A to C?
d) What is the man's average velocity for the whole journey?

0 km

7 km

Solution:
a. x = xB xA

= 7 km 0 km
= 7 km
b. x = xC xB

= 9 km 7 km
= 2 km
c. x = xC xA

= 9 km 0 km
= 9 km
d.

9 km

Problem 2: A man walks 7 km East in 2 hours and then 2.5 km West in 1

hour.
a) What is the man's displacement from point A to B?
b) What is the mans displacement from point C to D?
c) What is the mans average velocity for the whole journey?

0 km

7 km

4.5

Solution:
a. x = xB xA

= 7 km 0 km
= 7 km
b. x = xC xD

= 7 km 4.5 km
= 2.5 km
c.

7 km

Problem 3:
You start walking from a point on a circular field of radius
0.5 km and 1 hour later you are at the same point.

a) What is your average velocity for the whole journey?

Solution:

a. If you walk around a circular field and come back to the same point
where you started the displacement, which a change in position, is
equal to zero. Since the displacement is equal to zero, the average
velocity is also equal to zero.

Problem 4:
John drove South 120 km at 60 km/h and then East 150 km
at 50 km/h. Determine:

a) the displacement from point A to C?

b) the magnitude of the average velocity for the whole journey?

Solution:
a. The magnitude of the displacement is the distance AC between the
final point and the starting point and is calculated using Pythagora's
theorem as follows:
AC2 = 1202 + 1502 AC = (14400+22500) = 30 41 km
b.

Problem 5: A car travels 22 km south, 12 km west, and 14 km north in half

an hour.

a) What is the final displacement of the car?

b) What is the average velocity of the car?

Solution:
a. The displacement is the distance between the starting point and the
final point and is the hypotenuse DA of the right triangle DAE and is
calculated using Pythagora's theorem as follows
AE = 22 - 14 = 8 km
DA2 = AE2 + ED2 = 82 + 122 = 64 + 144 = 208
DA = 208 = 413 km
b.

References:

How to Calculate Average Velocity. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20,

2015, from http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Average-Velocity
Solved Physics Problem: Average Velocity and Displacement. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 20, 2015, from
http://www.frigginphysics.com/2010/12/solved-physics-problemaverage-velocity-and-displacement/
Velocity and Speed: Solutions to Problems. (n.d.). Retrieved November
20, 2015, from
http://www.problemsphysics.com/mechanics/motion/velo_spe_solutions
.html