2.

2 Speed and Velocity

Vocabulary Life would be pretty dull if the objects around us stayed at the same
locations all the time. Fortunately, this is not the case. Given that many
t average speed objects do move, we would like to know more about the details of motion.
t average velocity For example, how fast does an object move? In what direction does it move?
You’ll learn how to answer these questions in this lesson.

Average speed is distance per time

The kangaroo in Figure 2.5 is traveling rapidly across the Australian
outback. How fast do you think the kangaroo is moving? How far can it
travel in 1 minute? How much time does it take for it to cover 1 kilometer?
All of these questions involve the rate of motion—that is, the distance
covered divided by the time. In physics, the rate of motion is referred to as
the speed. Speed simply describes how fast or slow something moves.
Knowing an object’s speed is the next step in describing its motion.
The simplest way to describe the rate of motion is with average speed. The
average speed of an object is defined as its speed averaged over a given
period of time.

Definition of Average Speed

distance
average speed =
elapsed time
SI units: meters per second (m>s)

The dimensions of average speed are distance per unit of time—or in SI

units, meters per second (m>s). Like distance, average speed is always
positive.

X Figure 2.5 A speedy kangaroo

This kangaroo can hop as fast as 65 km>h.

48
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t
-FTTPO


 GUIDED Example 2.3 | The Kingfisher Takes a Plunge Elapsed Time

A kingfisher is a bird that catches fish by plunging into water

from a height of several meters. If a kingfisher dives from a
height of 7.0 m with an average speed of 4.00 m>s, how long
does it take for it to reach the water?
Picture the Problem
7.0 m
As shown in our sketch, the kingfisher moves in a straight line
through a vertical distance of 7.0 m. The average speed of the
bird is 4.00 m>s.
Strategy
We rearrange the average-speed equation to solve for the
elapsed time:
distance Known
average speed =
elapsed time distance = 7.0 m
average speed = 4.00 m>s

Unknown
elapsed time = ?
Solution
distance
1 Rearrange the average-speed equation to solve
for the elapsed time :
average speed =
elapsed time
distance
elapsed time =
average speed
7.0 m
2 Substitute the numerical values for the distance
and the average speed :
elapsed time =
4.00 m>s
= 1.8 s

Insight
Notice that the equation average speed = distance>elapsed time is not just a formula
for calculating the average speed. It relates the three quantities speed, time, and distance.
Given any two of these quantities, we can find the third with this equation.

Practice Problems
10. Follow-up Suppose the kingfisher dives with
an average speed of 4.6 m>s for 1.4 s before hitting the
water. What was the height from which the bird dove?
11. It was a dark and stormy night, when suddenly you
saw a flash of lightning. Three-and-a-half seconds later
you heard the thunder. Given that the speed of sound
in air is 340 m>s, how far away did the lightning bolt
strike? Give your answer in both meters and kilometers.
12. The red kangaroo (Macropus rufus, shown in
Figure 2.5) is the largest marsupial in the world. It has
been clocked hopping at a speed of 65 km>h.
(a) How far (in kilometers) can a red kangaroo hop in
3.2 minutes at this speed?
(b) How much time will it take the kangaroo to hop
0.25 km at this speed?
13. Challenge A finch rides on the back of a
Galapagos tortoise, which walks at the stately pace of
0.060 m>s. After 1.2 minutes the finch tires of the tor-
toise’s slow pace, and it takes flight, traveling in the
same direction for another 1.2 minutes at 13 m>s.
What was the average speed of the finch over the
entire 2.4-minute interval?

Introduction to Motion 49

COOL PHYSICS
The Bullet Train
The world’s fastest train is Japan’s
Shinkansen, also known as the
bullet train. This train has reached a
speed of 581 km , h (361 mph). To
attain such high speeds, the train
floats above its tracks, levitated
there by powerful magnets. You
will learn about the interesting
physics of magnets in Chapter 22.
50
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The following Conceptual Example considers the average speed of a trip
consisting of two parts of equal distance, each traveled at a different speed.
The question can be answered without a calculation by applying logical
thinking and using the basic concept of average speed.
CONCEPTUAL Example 2.4 What Is the Average Speed?
You ride your bicycle 1 km at 10 km>h and then another 1 km at 30 km>h.
Is your average speed for the total 2-km trip greater than, less than, or
equal to 20 km>h?
10 km/h 30 km/h
1 km 1 km
Reasoning and Discussion
At first glance it seems that your average speed must be 20 km>h (the
average of 10 km>h and 30 km>h). Notice, however, that it takes more
time to travel 1 km at 10 km>h than it does to travel 1 km at 30 km>h.
Therefore, you are traveling at the lower speed for most of your trip. As a
result, your average speed is closer to 10 km>h than to 30 km>h.
Answer
Your average speed is less than 20 km>h.
Average velocity is displacement per time
There is a quantity that is even more useful in describing motion than the average
speed. An object’s average velocity is defined as its displacement per unit of
time. In other words, average velocity is displacement divided by elapsed time.
Definition of Average Velocity, vav
displacement
average velocity =
elapsed time
⌬x xf - x i
vav = =
⌬t tf - ti
SI units: meters per second (m>s)
The average velocity tells us, on average, how fast something is moving.
But it also tells us the average direction in which the object is moving. Like
displacement, the average velocity is a vector, and for straight-line motion its
direction is given by its sign:
t If an object moves in the positive direction, the average velocity is positive.
t If an object moves in the negative direction, the average velocity is negative.
For example, suppose object 1 has a velocity of 5 m>s and object 2 has a
velocity of - 5 m>s. Both objects are moving with a speed of 5 m>s. Their
velocities have opposite signs, however, and therefore the objects are
traveling in opposite directions.
In the next Guided Example, pay close attention to the positive and neg-
ative signs of the average velocity. They are the key to solving the problem.
GUIDED Example 2.5 | Sprint Training Average Velocity

An athlete sprints 50.0 m in 6.00 s, stops, and then

walks slowly back to the starting line in 40.0 s. If the Sprint
direction of the sprint is taken to be positive, what
are (a) the average sprint velocity, (b) the average
walking velocity, and (c) the average velocity for the
complete round-trip? x
x⫽0 50.0 m
Picture the Problem
Walk
In our sketch we set up a coordinate system with
the sprint in the positive x direction, as described in
the problem statement. For convenience we choose
the origin to be at the starting line. The finish line, x
then, is at x = 50.0 m. x⫽0 50.0 m

Strategy
In each part of the problem we are asked for the Known
average velocity and we are given information on (a) xi = 0 xf = 50.0 m ⌬t = 6.00 s
the distances and times. All that is needed, then, is (b) xi = 50.0 m xf = 0 ⌬t = 40.0 s
to determine the displacement, ⌬x = xf - xi, and (c) xi = 0 xf = 0 ⌬t = 46.0 s
identify the elapsed time, ⌬t = tf - ti, in each case.
With these results, we can use the defining equation, Unknown
vav = ⌬x> ⌬t, to calculate the average velocity. vav = ?
Solution
(a) Apply vav ⴝ ⌬x> ⌬t to the sprint, with ⌬x xf - x i
vav = =
1 xf ⴝ 50.0 m, xi ⴝ 0, and ⌬t ⴝ 6.00 s : ⌬t ⌬t Math HELP
50.0 m - 0 m Delta, ⌬
= See Math
6.00 s Review,
Section I
= 8.33 m>s

(b) Apply v ⴝ ⌬x> ⌬t to the walk. In this ⌬x xf - x i

2 case, av
x ⴝ 0, x ⴝ 50.0 m, and ⌬t ⴝ 40.0 s :
f i
vav =
⌬t
=
⌬t
0 m - 50.0 m
=
40 s
= -1.25 m>s

round-trip, x ⴝ x ⴝ 0; thus, ⌬x
3 (c)⌬xForⴝ the
0:
f i
vav =
⌬t
0m
=
46.0 s
= 0 m>s
Insight
Notice that the signs of the velocities in parts (a) and (b) indicate the directions of
motion: positive for motion to the right, and negative for motion to the left. Also, notice
that the average speed for the entire 100.0-m trip is 100.0 m>46.0 s = 2.17 m>s. Thus,
the average speed is nonzero, even though the average velocity is zero.

Introduction to Motion 51
 Practice Problems
14. Follow-up If the average velocity during the athlete’s walk back
to the starting line in Guided Example 2.5 is -1.50 m>s, how much
time does it take for the athlete to walk back to the starting line?
15. Concept Check After a tennis match the two players dash to the
net to shake hands. If they both run with a speed of 3 m>s, are their
velocities equal? Explain.
16. In a well-known novel a person travels around the world in 80 days.
(a) What is the person’s approximate average speed during the adventure?
(b) What is the approximate average velocity for the entire trip?
(Note that Earth’s circumference at the equator is 40,075 km.)
17. Rank Four trains travel on different sections of a long straight
track. Taking north to be the positive direction, rank the trains in order
by velocity, from most negative to most positive. The trains move as
follows:
Train A moves north with a speed of 10 m>s.
Train B heads south and covers 900 m in 1 min.
Train C also heads south and has twice the speed of train A.
Train D travels north and covers 24 m in 2 s.

Average speed and average velocity are not the same

What distinguishes velocity As we have seen, speed and velocity are different. In fact, they differ in the
from speed? same way as distance and displacement. To make this clear, note that speed
has the following characteristics:

Characteristics of Speed
r Speed is the rate of motion.
r Speed is always positive and gives no information about the direction
of motion.
r The greater the speed of an object, the faster it moves.

The speedometer in a car, like the one shown in Figure 2.6, gives the speed
of the car but not the direction of motion. It truly is a “speed meter” and
not a velocity meter. For comparison, the characteristics of velocity are as
follows:

Characteristics of Velocity
r Velocity gives both the rate of motion and its direction.
r The sign of the velocity gives the direction of motion.
r The magnitude of the velocity is the speed of motion.

Thus, velocity gives the rate of motion and its direction, whereas
speed gives only the rate of motion.
When we say “the magnitude of the velocity,” as in the last bulleted
item above, we mean its absolute value. For example, we saw that the aver-
age velocity for the walking portion of the trip in Guided Example 2.5 was

52
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 COOL PHYSICS
Ultimate Speed Limit
Before Albert Einstein developed
the theory of relativity, it was
thought that objects could have
any speed. Einstein showed, how-
ever, that nothing in the universe
travels faster than the speed of
light, 3 : 108 m , s (about 186,000
miles per second). This is pretty
fast. At this speed you could travel
around the world 7.5 times in a
second. On the other hand, this is
also pretty slow. Traveling at the
speed of light, it would take you
▲ Figure 2.6 Speedometer more than 4 years to get to the
The speed of a car is measured with its speedometer. The speed does not depend on the nearest star other than the Sun.
direction of travel, and therefore the meter measures only speed and not velocity.

-1.25 m>s. The absolute value of this velocity is 1.25 m>s. Thus, the aver-
age speed of the athlete when walking was 1.25 m>s—the magnitude of the
average velocity. This relationship is just like that between distance and dis-
placement. A displacement of - 3 m corresponds to a straight-line distance
of 3 m, the magnitude of the displacement.

2.2 LessonCheck
Checking Concepts
18. Describe What is the main difference
between velocity and speed?
19. State What are the SI units of speed?
20. Analyze Friends tell you that on a recent trip
their average velocity was +20 m>s. Is it possible that
at any time during the trip their velocity was -20 m>s?
Explain, and give an example to justify your answer.
21. Triple Choice Suppose you ride a bicycle around
the block, returning to your starting point. At the end of
your trip, is your average speed greater than, less than,
or equal to the magnitude of your average velocity?
Explain.
Solving Problems
22. Calculate In 2009, Usain Bolt of Jamaica set a
world record of 9.58 s in the 100-m dash. What was his
average speed? Give your answer in meters per second
and kilometers per hour.
23. Calculate Radio waves travel at the speed of light,
approximately 300,000,000 m>s. How much time does
it take for a radio message to travel from the Earth to
the Moon and back? (See the inside back cover for the
necessary astronomical data.)
24. Think & Calculate A train travels in a straight line
at 20.0 m>s for 2 km, then at 30.0 m>s for another 2 km.
(a) Is the average speed of the train greater than, less
than, or equal to 25 m>s? Explain.
(b) Verify your answer to part (a) by calculating the
average speed.
25. Verify Determine the average speed of the bicycle
in Conceptual Example 2.4 for the entire 2-km trip.
Verify that it is less than 20 km>h, as expected.

Introduction to Motion 53