Question

Instantaneous speed is measured

A. At the starting point
B. When the object reaches its destination
C. At a particular instant
D. Over the duration of the trip

Answer 1

C. At a particular instant

Step-by-step explanation:

Speed is the defined as the ratio between the distance covered by an object and the time taken:

`v=(d)/(t)`

where d is the distance and t the time.

However, there are two possible measurements of speed:

- Average speed: this is the speed measured over a non-zero time interval (for example: a car moving 100 metres in 5 seconds; its average speed is

`v=(100 m)/(5 s)=20 m/s`

- Instantaneous speed: this is the speed of an object measured at a particular instant in time, so for a time interval that tends to zero. So, in the previous example, the average speed is 20 m/s but the instantaneous speed of the car at various instants of time can be different from that value.