Question

A jogger travels 1 miles north along a rail trail but then turns and travels 3 miles south along the same straight trail. The jogger's whole trip took 1/2 hour. What was the jogger's average velocity for this trip?

Answer 1

The jogger's average velocity is 4 miles per hour to the south, calculated by dividing the total displacement of 2 miles by the time of 0.5 hours.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question about a jogger who travels 1 mile north and then 3 miles south along the same trail within a half-hour is related to average velocity. Velocity is a vector quantity which means it has both magnitude and direction. Since the jogger ends up 2 miles south of the starting point after a half-hour (or 0.5 hours), the magnitude of the displacement is 2 miles in the southern direction. To calculate the average velocity, you use the formula:

average velocity = displacement/time

Thus, the jogger's average velocity would be 2 miles / 0.5 hours = 4 miles per hour to the south.