Velocity Problem: Find Avg. Velocity for t=2

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Homework Statement



The position of a car is given by the values below.

Seconds | Feet
1 | 10
2 | 32
3 | 70
4 | 119
5 | 178

Find the average velocity for the time period beginning when t=2 and lasting
(a) 3 seconds
(b) 2 seconds
(c) 1 second

Homework Equations



There were no equations provided

The Attempt at a Solution



:confused:
i usually have an equation to go by, but i do not in this case.
all attempts to make an equation out of the data have failed.
i think it is an exponential curve, but i can find the exact formula.
if anyone could stear me in the direction so i can figure this problem out.
i want to know what I'm doing, so do not give me the answer but please someone point me in some productive direction.

would i just input the numbers in the slope equation?
M=
y-y1
----
x-x1
i have the x and y already.
that seems too easy.
 
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Last edited:
xviddivxoggmp3, you are completely right- it is that easy. Shrodinger's dog is also correct but might be a bit confusing here. His point is that this problem is leading you to the idea of a "limit" and then the velocity at a single time.
 
HallsofIvy said:
xviddivxoggmp3, you are completely right- it is that easy. Shrodinger's dog is also correct but might be a bit confusing here. His point is that this problem is leading you to the idea of a "limit" and then the velocity at a single time.

Yeah I edited, I kind of misread it, but then I reread his question and saw how simple what he was asking was.:smile:

Here's a graph I did,I had a bit of time and wanted a bit of practice.

Graph of:-

Seconds | Feet
1 | 10
2 | 32
3 | 70
4 | 119
5 | 178

Graph.JPG


Essentially the question is asking you to find an exact point on the graph.
 
Last edited:
There are two things I don't understand about this problem. First, when finding the nth root of a number, there should in theory be n solutions. However, the formula produces n+1 roots. Here is how. The first root is simply ##\left(r\right)^{\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)}##. Then you multiply this first root by n additional expressions given by the formula, as you go through k=0,1,...n-1. So you end up with n+1 roots, which cannot be correct. Let me illustrate what I mean. For this...
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