Question

A student leaves his house and walks 4 m east to friend's house, and then turns and walks 7 m west to the library in 120 seconds. Determine the student's average velocity for his entire walk.

Answer 1

v_average = -0.025 m / s

the minus indicates that the velocity is to the west.

Step-by-step explanation:

For this exercise we use the definition of average velocity

v_average = (x₂-x₁) / Δt

Let's keep in mind that the velocity is a vector, so the displacement is

x₂ - x₁ = 4 - 7 = -3

the minus indicates that the shift is to the west.

Let's calculate

v_average = -3 / 120

v_average = -0.025 m / s

the minus indicates that the velocity is to the west.