2 Representing Motion

4 How Fast?

velocity
instantaneous
average speed
average velocity

VOCABULARY
NEW

absolute value
VOCABULARY
REVIEW
An object’s velocity is the rate of change in its position.

: magnitude of a number, regardless of sign.

2. Define the term average speed.

instantaneous velocity?
1. What is the difference between average velocity and

Use your book to answer the following questions.

absolute value
Recall and write the definition of the Review Vocabulary term.

Write the Main Idea for this section.

MAINIDEA
Average velocity refers to the total displacement of an

object in a certain period of time. Instantaneous velocity is

the speed plus the direction of movement.

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Student Edition, pp. 46–
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Speed is distance traveled divided by time. e
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Science Notebook • Representing Motion

1
 4 How Fast?
(continued)
Student Edition, pp. 46–50
GET IT? Explain the meaning of a position-time graph slope that
is upward or downward, and above or below the Y-axis.
The downward slope of a position time-graph shows that the
Velocity and Speed
motion is in the negative direction. And the upward slope

shows that the motion in the positive direction.

GET IT? Explain how average velocity is different from velocity.

Velocity is the rate at which the position changes. The average

velocity is the displacement or position change per time ratio.

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

Equation of Motion
Identify what the lengths of velocity vectors mean.

Velocity vector means the components of velocity along x-axis

and y-axis.

Complete the table showing how general variables compare to specific

motion variables.

General Variable Specific Motion

Variable

y X

m
v−
x
t
b
Xi
Science Notebook • Representing Motion
31
4 How Fast?
(continued)
Student Edition, p. 50 TRY IT!
Use with Example Problem 4 Problem
Position The figure shows a motorcyclist traveling east along a straight
Use this column for road. After passing point B, the cyclist continues to travel at an average
scratch work and velocity of 18 m/s east and arrives at point C 2.8 s later. What is the
position of point C?
sketches.

A B C
xi = 46 m east
x=?

1. ANALYZE AND SKETCH THE PROBLEM

Choose a coordinate system with the origin at A.
KNOWNS UNKNOWN

v− = 12m/s east t = 3.0s position of point C= ?

xi = 46m east

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Science Notebook • Representing Motion

32
 SUMMARIZE
How does the MAINIDEA for this section relate to the chapter’s BIGIDEA?

The big idea starts that displacement and velocity can describe an object’s motion, and the
main idea defines velocity.

REVIEW IT!
37. MAINIDEA How is an object’s velocity related to its position?

Because it represents the rate of change.

For problems 38–40, refer to Figure 25. Position v. Time

38. Ranking Task Rank the position-time graphs Figure 25
B D
according to the average speed, from greatest
average speed to least average speed.
A
Position (m)

Specifically indicate any ties.

B= 3/2, D= 1, C= -1, A= -2
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

39. Contrast Average Velocities Describe differences in

the average velocities shown on the graph for
objects A and B. Describe differences in the
average velocities shown on the graph for C
objects C and D. Time (s)

A has a negative average velocity and B has a positive average velocity. C has a

negative average velocity and D has a positive average velocity.

40. Ranking Task Rank the graphs in Figure 25 according to each object’s initial
position, from most positive position to most negative position. Specifically indicate
any ties. Would your ranking be different if you ranked according to initial distance
from the origin?

A, C, B, D. Yes, the ranking from the greatest to least distance would be A, C, D, B.

41. Average Speed and Average Velocity Explain how average speed and average
velocity are related to each other for an object in uniform motion.

Average speed is the absolute value of the average velocity. Speed is only a
magnitude, while velocity is a magnitude and a direction.

42. Position Two cars are traveling along a straight

road, as shown in Figure 26. They pass each other
at point B and then continue in opposite directions.
The red car travels for 0.25 h from point B to point C
at a constant velocity of 32 km/h east. The blue
D A Origin B
car travels for 0.25 h from point B to point D at a
C xi = 6.0 km
east
constant velocity of 48 km/h west. How far has
each car traveled from point B? What is the
position of each car relative to the origin, point A? Figure 26

The red car traveled 8km from point B, and the blue car traveled 12km from point B.

The red car is 14.0km away from point A, and the blue car is 6.0km away from

point A.
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43. Position A car travels north along a straight highway at an average speed of 85 py
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44. Critical Thinking In solving a physics problem, why is it important to create pictorial to
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