Lesson 1.1: Average Speed
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Lesson 1.1: Average Speed
When you take a trip in a vehicle and look at the speedometer, you can see your instantaneous speed for any moment of the trip. In contrast, the average speed of your trip is a description of the speed that relates to the entire trip. You can expect that the average speed of someone cycling, riding an oxcart, or travelling on foot will be very different.Average speed is used to describe motion when it is non-uniform. It is the total distance over the total time.
Instantaneous speed can also be used; it is the speed of something of a very small time interval (an instant).
When you are mountain biking you are going up and down hills, over good paths and through wet, soft ground. You speed is constantly changing. This is non-uniform motion. You might still be able to use an average speed to estimate where you will be at lunch time. Or you might use instantaneous speed to describe your motion during a scary downhill segment.
Showing your work is an important communication skill. It proves your answer is correct. It will also help you find the solutions to more complicated problems. The video on the right highlights some of the things
you should do when solving problems.
- Read pages 168 to 172 of the textbook. Work through the example problems. Answer the questions as you encounter them and check your answers with those in the “Practice Answers ” .
- Read “1.1 Summary” on page 173 of the textbook. Then, complete “1.1 Questions” #1, 2ab, 3d, 4c.
Check your answers with those in the “Practice Answers ” in the online course.