Final answer:
The statement is false; average speed can be equal to or greater than average velocity, as speed accounts for the entire path while velocity only considers straight-line displacement.
Step-by-step explanation:
False. The average speed of the ball can be equal to or greater than the average velocity of the ball depending on its path.To understand the difference between average speed and average velocity, it is essential to define both terms. Average speed is defined as the total distance traveled divided by the total time taken. It is a scalar quantity, which means it only has magnitude and no direction. On the other hand, average velocity is the displacement (the straight line distance from the initial to the final position) divided by the total time taken, and it is a vector quantity that has both magnitude and direction.
If a ball takes a straightforward path from one point to another, then its average speed and average velocity will be the same since the distance and displacement are equal. However, if the ball takes a roundabout path, the distance will be greater than the displacement, therefore the average speed will be higher than the average velocity. This is because while speed considers the entire path traveled, velocity only considers the straight-line displacement between the starting and ending points.
An example can be when a person jogs on a circular track; they may end up at the same point where they started. In this case, the displacement is zero (as they haven't changed their position in relation to the starting point), which would make the average velocity zero. However, the average speed is not zero because the person has covered a certain distance around the track.