Question

A polar bear starts at the North Pole. It

travels 1 km South, then 1 km East, then
1 km North to return to its starting point.
This trip takes 0.5 h.
What was the bear’s average velocity?
Answer in units of km/h.

Answer 1

The polar bear's total displacement is zero because it returns to the starting point, so the average velocity over the journey is also zero km/h.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question is about determining a polar bear's average velocity after a specific trip that returns it back to its starting point. Since the polar bear ends up where it started after the 0.5-hour journey, the total displacement is zero. Velocity is defined as the rate of change of displacement; therefore, if the total displacement is zero, the average velocity of the bear is also zero, regardless of the distance travelled.