Question

The distance between the office and the lavatory is 100 m. Starting from the office a person runs to the lavatory with the speed v1=6 m/s. He returns back from the lavatory to the office with average speed v 2=1 m/s. Calculate an average velocity of this person over the time of roundtrip. in m/s.

Answer 1

The average velocity for the round trip is zero m/s because the displacement is zero when the person returns to the starting point.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the average velocity of the person over the time of the round trip, we must consider the total displacement and the total time taken for the trip. The displacement, which is the change in position, is zero because the person ends up back at the office, the starting point. Therefore, the average velocity for the entire round trip is also zero.

Here's why: Velocity is a vector quantity, which means it has both magnitude and direction. The average velocity is defined as the total displacement divided by the total time. Since the person returns to the starting point, the displacement is 0. No matter how much time the trip takes, dividing zero displacement by any amount of time will always give an average velocity of zero m/s.