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caprija
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Do you think that average speed and average velocities are usually the same for something in motion?
Ya I mean in Physics.radou said:Generally, they are synonyms, but velocity is usually used in the context of physics, I guess.
Thanksradou said:I guess there's no difference, except that you usually don't use the term 'speed' in physics.
It is like comparing apples and pears, they are completely different. One is a scalar the other is a vector quantity.caprija said:Do you think that average speed and average velocities are usually the same for something in motion?
ok so I'm confused now, when we're talking about something in MOTION is the average speed and the average velocity usually the same?MeJennifer said:It is like comparing apples and pears, they are completely different. One is a scalar the other is a vector quantity.
neutrino said:Actually, the average speed is the [tex]\frac{total distance travelled}{total time taken}[/tex], while average velocity is [tex]\frac{total displacement}{total time taken}[/tex]. Remember, the displacement can be zero when the distance is not.
radou said:Hm, could you clarify what you meant by that?
Omega_6 said:It is possible to have an average velocity of zero, for example.
(You travel at 5 m/s for 2 sec and then you travel at -5 m/s (backwards) for 2 sec)
Went offline for some time...What exactly did you not understand?radou said:I know, but I still don't understand the statement above. Nevermind.
Checkfate said:...BUT if you were to give velocity... [tex]\vec{v}=\frac{(30000miles+(-30000miles)}{3hours}=\frac{0miles}{3hours}=\frac{0miles}{hr} [/tex]
Get it?
Notice the arrow above v to designate whether it is a scalar quantity of a vector quantity.. [tex] \vec{v}=velocity [/tex] [tex] v=speed [/tex]
Yes, Thanks I get it.Checkfate said:Speed is a scalar quantity. If we designate forwards as positive movement and backwards as negative movement. I can run back and forth at 1m/s and arive where I started and my speed would still be 1m/s.
Now if we are using velocity, it is a VECTOR quantity. This means that you need to indicate MAGNITUDE and DIRECTION.
If you were to run 30,000 miles forward and then 30,000 miles backwards in 3 hours, your speed would be [tex]v=\frac{60000miles}{3hours}=\frac{20000miles}{hour} [/tex]
BUT if you were to give velocity... [tex]\vec{v}=\frac{(30000miles)+(-30000miles)}{3hours}=\frac{0miles}{3hours}=\frac{0miles}{hr} [/tex]
Get it?
Notice the arrow above v to designate whether it is a scalar quantity of a vector quantity.. [tex] \vec{v}=velocity [/tex] [tex] v=speed [/tex]
lol you thanks for trying.Checkfate said:Even if you are traveling in a straight line in a forward direction at 10m/s, your velocity would be +10m/s while your speed is 10m/s... Small differance, but one indicates the direction, the other does not.
Thanks for the definitions, I wrote them down lolCheckfate said:Hehe, you do that through calculus :)
By "tangent methods" do you mean differentiation? Have you ever heard the term derivative? I am in grade 12 and am just learning about it now :P
But to calculate the ALMOST instantaneous speed using a graph, simply draw a secant from one point to a point fairly close and estimate the slope. I think that's about as close as you can get without using calculus.
Just remember these definitions, they are right out of my physics book.
vector : A quantity, such as velocity, completely specified by a magnitude and a direction.
scalar : A quantity, such as mass, length, or speed, that is completely specified by its magnitude and has no direction.
If you take physics 20 next year, you will learn plenty about vectors and scalars, :).
Checkfate said:...
vector : A quantity, such as velocity, completely specified by a magnitude and a direction.
...
Checkfate said:I have not yet seen a vector where the orientation was declared. But anyways.
Checkfate said:...If you want to show your teacher that you understand it is a velocity (vector) then put [tex]\vec{v}=+0.7km/min[/tex] :)
radou said:Whoa, slow down just a little bit. A vector is completely specified by: magnitude ; direction ; orientation.checkfate said:vector : A quantity, such as velocity, completely specified by a magnitude and a direction.
...
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/velocity.html"
Case closed.
It is also common to indicate a vector by drawing an arrow whose length is proportional to the magnitude of the vector, and whose direction specifies the orientation of the vector.
radou said:If you are so 'aware' of the difference between vector and scalar quantities, then you should be more careful when writing equalities.
Thank you so muchhhhhhhh :)Checkfate said:[tex] 2v [/tex] :P
caprija, about your question :) "What is the instantaneous velocity between 0 and 3 seconds?"
It sounds like the question is asking you for the average velocity between 0-3s. So your approach is right, you would take two points that lie on the on the line of best fit between x=0 and x=3 and then calculate the slope of that line. :) If you want to show your teacher that you understand it is a velocity (vector) then put [tex]\vec{v}=+0.7km/min[/tex] :)
Is the portion of the graph between 0-3s a straight line?
Checkfate said:By the way, wth is this? Can you point out my error rather than just saying there is a mistake and I am not aware of the difference between scalar and vector quantities? Thanks.