The discussion revolves around calculating average speed and average velocity in physics problems involving motion. The original poster presents two scenarios: one involving a person walking at different speeds and another involving a skydiver. Participants explore the concepts of average speed and velocity, questioning the methods used to calculate them.
Some participants have provided guidance on how to approach the calculations for average speed and velocity. There is ongoing exploration of different interpretations of the problems, particularly regarding the application of formulas and the understanding of motion concepts.
The original poster expresses uncertainty about the time and distance traveled in the walking scenario, which affects their ability to calculate average speed. Additionally, there are constraints related to homework rules that may limit the types of assistance sought.
Doc Al said:Nope, it's much simpler than that. If "d" is the one way distance, what's the round trip distance?
Doc Al said:You don't need a number for the distance (or the time for that matter). Take the expression for total distance that you found and divide it by the expression for total time.
OK.Kildars said:Expression for total distance = 2d
Expression for total time = d(.472)
OK.2d / d(.472)
Not OK. What happened?d / (.472)
Doc Al said:OK.
OK.
Not OK. What happened?
Ahh... I see what you might have done. Note, in general:
\frac{2a}{a} \ne a