Question

(c) A student wants to measure the average speed of a cyclist.

The student estimates that one of his own steps is 1 m.
He counts 100 steps between two posts on a track.
He uses a stopwatch to measure the time the cyclist takes to travel between the 2 posts Figure 2 shows the set-up used to measure the average speed.
state two improvements the student could make to this method.​

Answer 1

Answer:
He could place the cyclist directly at the post rather than some distance away.
He could use a more accurate measurement device like a meter stick.


Explanation: The average speed of the cyclist will be slightly higher if he begins accelerating and travels for some distance before he reaches the post. This is because the cyclists starting velocity would be 0 (at rest)if he began at the post. In his set-up, the cyclist’s velocity will be non-zero when passing the first post since he has already had time to accelerate before reaching it. This would make the average speed higher than it should be.
Additionally, he could use a meter stick rather than a simple estimate which would make his distance measurement more accurate. This is important because average speed= distance travelled / time. If the distance is estimated rather than exact, then your average speed could be off. Meter sticks would correct for this as they are a more precise and accurate measurement tool.