2.3 Time, Velocity, and Speed
Learning Objectives
2.3.1
Explain the relationships between instantaneous velocity, average velocity, instantaneous speed, average speed, displacement,
and time.
Calculate velocity and speed given initial position, initial time, final position, and final time.
Derive a graph of velocity vs. time given a graph of position vs. time.
Interpret a graph of velocity vs. time.
2.3.2
2.3.3
2.3.4
There is more to motion than distance and displacement. Questions such as, “How long does a foot race take?” and “What was the runner’s
speed?” cannot be answered without an understanding of other concepts. In this section we add definitions of time, velocity, and speed to
expand our description of motion.
Time
The most fundamental physical quantities are defined by how they are measured. This is the case with time. Every measurement of time
involves measuring a change in some physical quantity. It may be a number on a digital clock, a heartbeat, or the position of the Sun in the
sky. In physics, the definition of time is simple— time is change, or the interval over which change occurs. It is impossible to know that time
has passed unless something changes.
The amount of time or change is calibrated by comparison with a standard. The SI unit for time is the second, abbreviated s. We might, for
example, observe that a certain pendulum makes one full swing every 0.75 s. We could then use the pendulum to measure time by counting
its swings or, of course, by connecting the pendulum to a clock mechanism that registers time on a dial. This allows us to not only measure
the amount of time, but also to determine a sequence of events.
How does time relate to motion? We are usually interested in elapsed time for a particular motion, such as how long it takes an airplane
passenger to get from his seat to the back of the plane. To find elapsed time, we note the time at the beginning and end of the motion and
subtract the two. For example, a lecture may start at 11:00 A.M. and end at 11:50 A.M., so that the elapsed time would be 50 min. Elapsed
time Δt is the difference between the ending time and beginning time,
Δt = tf − t0,
where Δt is the change in time or elapsed time, tf is the time at the end of the motion, and t0 is the time at the beginning of the motion. (As
usual, the delta symbol, Δ, means the change in the quantity that follows it.)
Life is simpler if the beginning time t0 is taken to be zero, as when we use a stopwatch. If we were using a stopwatch, it would simply read
zero at the start of the lecture and 50 min at the end. If t0 = 0, then Δt = tf ≡ t.
In this text, for simplicity’s sake,
•
motion starts at time equal to zero (t0 = 0)
•
the symbol t is used for elapsed time unless otherwise specified (Δt = tf ≡ t)
Velocity
Your notion of velocity is probably the same as its scientific definition. You know that if you have a large displacement in a small amount of
time you have a large velocity, and that velocity has units of distance divided by time, such as miles per hour or kilometers per hour.
Average velocity is displacement (change in position) divided by the time of travel,
v 
x
t

x f  x0
t f  t0
,
where v is the average (indicated by the bar over the v ) velocity, Δx is the change in position (or displacement), and xf and x0 are the
final and beginning positions at times tf and t0 , respectively. If the starting time t0 is taken to be zero, then the average velocity is
simply
v 
x
t
Notice that this definition indicates that velocity is a vector because displacement is a vector. It has both magnitude and direction. The SI
unit for velocity is meters per second or m/s, but many other units, such as km/h, mi/h (also written as mph), and cm/s, are in common
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use. Suppose, for example, an airplane passenger took 5 seconds to move −4 m (the negative sign indicates that displacement is toward
the back of the plane). His average velocity would be
v 
x
t

4 m
 0.8 m/s
5s
The minus sign indicates the average velocity is also toward the rear of the plane.
The average velocity of an object does not tell us anything about what happens to it between the starting point and ending point, however.
For example, we cannot tell from average velocity whether the airplane passenger stops momentarily or backs up before he goes to the
back of the plane. To get more details, we must consider smaller segments of the trip over smaller time intervals.
The smaller the time intervals considered in a motion, the more detailed the information. When we carry this process to its logical
conclusion, we are left with an infinitesimally small interval. Over such an interval, the average velocity becomes the instantaneous velocity
or the velocity at a specific instant. A car’s speedometer, for example, shows the magnitude (but not the direction) of the instantaneous
velocity of the car. (Police give tickets based on instantaneous velocity, but when calculating how long it will take to get from one place to
another on a road trip, you need to use average velocity.) Instantaneous velocity v is the average velocity at a specific instant in time (or
over an infinitesimally small time interval).
Mathematically, finding instantaneous velocity, v, at a precise instant t can involve taking a limit, a calculus operation beyond the scope of
this text. However, under many circumstances, we can find precise values for instantaneous velocity without calculus.
Speed
In everyday language, most people use the terms “speed” and “velocity” interchangeably. In physics, however, they do not have the same
meaning and they are distinct concepts. One major difference is that speed has no direction. Thus speed is a scalar. Just as we need to
distinguish between instantaneous velocity and average velocity, we also need to distinguish between instantaneous speed and average
speed.
Instantaneous speed is the magnitude of instantaneous velocity. For example, suppose the airplane passenger at one instant had an
instantaneous velocity of −3.0 m/s (the minus meaning toward the rear of the plane). At that same time his instantaneous speed was 3.0
m/s. Or suppose that at one time during a shopping trip your instantaneous velocity is 40 km/h due north. Your instantaneous speed at
that instant would be 40 km/h—the same magnitude but without a direction. Average speed, however, is very different from average
velocity. Average speed is the distance traveled divided by elapsed time.
We have noted that distance traveled can be greater than displacement. So average speed can be greater than average velocity, which is
displacement divided by time. For example, if you drive to a store and return home in half an hour, and your car’s odometer shows the
total distance traveled was 6 km, then your average speed was 12 km/h. Your average velocity, however, was zero, because your
displacement for the round trip is zero. (Displacement is change in position and, thus, is zero for a round trip.) Thus average speed is not
simply the magnitude of average velocity.
Figure 2.10 During a 30-minute round trip to the store, the
total distance traveled is 6 km. The average speed is 12 km/h.
The displacement for the round trip is zero, since there was
no net change in position. Thus the average velocity is zero.
Another way of visualizing the motion of an object is to use a graph. A plot of position or of velocity as a function of time can be very useful.
For example, for this trip to the store, the position, velocity, and speed-vs.-time graphs are displayed in Figure 2.11. (Note that these graphs
depict a very simplified model of the trip. We are assuming that speed is constant during the trip, which is unrealistic given that we’ll
probably stop at the store. But for simplicity’s sake, we will model it with no stops or changes in speed. We are also assuming that the route
between the store and the house is a perfectly straight line.)
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Figure 2.11 Position vs. time, velocity vs. time, and speed vs. time on a trip. Note that the velocity for the return trip is negative.
Check Your Understanding
A commuter train travels from Baltimore to Washington, DC, and back in 1 hour and 45 minutes. The distance between the two stations
is approximately 40 miles. What is (a) the average velocity of the train, and (b) the average speed of the train in m/s?
Solution
The average velocity of the train is zero because xf = x0 ; the train ends up at the same place it starts.
The average speed of the train is calculated below. Note that the train travels 40 miles one way and 40 miles back, for a total
distance of 80 miles.
(a)
(b)
distance
time
80 miles
105 minutes

5280 feet
1 mile

80 miles
105 minutes

1 meter
3.28 feet

1 minute
 20 m/s
60 seconds
26) A high school athlete runs 100 m in 12.2 s. Calculate her average speed. (8.2 m/s)
27) A bullet is shot from a rifle with a speed of 300 m/s
a) What is the speed of the bullet in km/h? (1080 km/h)
b)
What time is required for the bullet to strike a target 3240 m away? (10.8 s)
28) A dolphin swims at 20 km/h. How far can the dolphin swim in 90 minutes? Give your answer in meters. (30,000 m)
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29) Find the speed of a baseball that crosses from the front to the back of home plate, a distance of 0.3 m, in 0.01 s. (30 m/s)
30) Calculate your speed in km/h if you run 50 m in 10 s. (18 km/h)
31) A tennis ball travels the length of the court, 2400 cm, in 0.5 s. Calculate the ball’s speed in m/s. (48 m/s)
32) A bus travels 30 km in 0.5 h. What is its speed in m/s? (16.7 m/s)
33) A caterpillar travels across the length of a 2.0 m porch in 6.5 minutes. What is the speed of the caterpillar in m/s? (0.0051 m/s)
34) How far will you travel if you maintain an average speed of 10 m/s for 40 s? (400 m)
35) A cyclist travels for 30 min with an average speed of 10 km/h. How far does she travel? (5 km)
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36) A hiker is at the bottom of a canyon facing the canyon wall closest to her. She is 280.5 meters from the wall and the sound of her voice
travels at 340 m/s at that location. How long after she shouts will she hear her echo? (1.65 s)
37) A motorist traveling on a straight stretch of open highway sets his cruise control at 90 km/hr. How far will he travel in 15 minutes?
(22.5 km)
38) You leave your home and drive 4.83 km east on Royal Lane to go to the grocery store. After shopping, you go back home by traveling
west on Royal Lane.
a) What distance do you travel during this trip? (9.66 km)
b)
What is your displacement? (0 km)
39) Lindsay runs around a 500 m track, ending where she started. Her coach records a final time of 120 s.
a) Determine the distance and displacement. (500 m, 0 m)
b)
Solve for her average speed and velocity. (4.2 m/s, 0 m/s)
40) Johnny walks 5 m to the left and 8 m to the right. His trip takes 9 s.
a) Determine Johnny’s distance and displacement. (13 m, 3 m)
b)
Solve for his average speed and velocity. (1.44 m/s, 0.33 m/s)
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41) A car travels north at 100 km/h for 2 h, slows down to 75 km/h for the next 2 h, and then turns south at 80 km/h for 1 h.
a) How many legs does this trip have?
b)
Write down the data for each leg.
c)
What is the car’s average speed for the entire journey? (86 km/h)
d)
What is the cars average velocity for the entire journey? (54 km/h, North)
42) A cab driver needs to get an actor to the theater in time for curtain time that is 8 minutes away. The cab driver speeds off to the
theater down a 1000 m long one-way street at a speed of 25 m/s. At the end of the street the cab driver waits at a traffic light for 1.5
min and then turns north onto a 1700 m long traffic filled avenue on which he is able to travel at a speed of 10 m/s.
a) How many legs does the trip have?
b)
Write down the data for each leg of the trip.
c)
Determine the time it takes for the actor to complete his trip. Does he arrive before the theater lights dim? (5.0 min)
43) A woman from Pasadena makes a trip to a nearby shopping mall that is located 40 miles from her home. On the trip to the mall she
averages 80 mi/hr. On the return trip she averages just 40 mi/hr.
a) How many legs does the trip have?
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b)
Write down the data for each leg of the trip.
c)
What was her average speed for the entire trip? (53.3 mi/h)
d)
What was her average velocity for the entire trip? (0 mi/h)
44) Ryan is playing in a game of soccer. During a part of the game, he runs downfield 25 m in 3 s. He quickly turns and runs backwards 10
m in 2 s. Finally, he turns again and continues to run downfield an additional 25 m in 4 s.
a) How many legs does the trip have?
b)
Write down the data for each leg of the trip.
c)
What was Ryan’s average speed for the entire trip? (6.67 m/s)
d)
What was Ryan’s average velocity for the entire trip? (4.44 m/s)
45) Laura is skydiving when at a certain altitude she opens her parachute and drifts toward the ground with a constant velocity of 6.9 m/s,
straight down. What is Laura’s displacement if it takes her 31.8 s to reach the ground? (219 m)
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46) A school bus has a route that is 38.7 km long. If the average velocity of the bus is 36.3 km/h, how long does it take the bus to complete
its route? (1.07 h)
47) You decide to go for a quick run around a neighborhood park. At an average velocity of 2.6 m/s, you run for 47.4 minutes. How many
kilometers did you run? (7.39 km)
48) You need to drop a letter off at the post office. The post office is 1.4 km away. If you walk at an average 1.8 m/s, how many minutes
would the round trip take? (25.9 min)
49) A gecko jumps on a meter stick at the 30 cm mark, then runs over and stops at the 63 cm mark. If the gecko makes this motion in 2.91
seconds, what is the gecko’s average velocity in m/s? (0.113 m/s)
50) You decide to go for a bicycle ride. At an average velocity of 2.6 m/s, you ride for 47.4 minutes. How many kilometers did you ride?
(7.39 km)
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