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1) Explain the difference between average velocity and instantaneous velocity. 2

ID: 2161514 • Letter: 1

Question

1) Explain the difference between average velocity and instantaneous velocity.


2) Sketch what you think the graphs would look like for position versus time, velocity versus time, and acceleration versus time for an object falling freely in a gravitational field (with no friction or air resistance).



3) You toss a ball straight up in the air and then catch it as it falls back down to your hand. What is the direction and magnitude of the acceleration of the ball 1) just after you toss it, 2) at the top of its arc, 3) just before you catch it? Explain.

THANKS! Will rate lifesaver whoever answers all three!

Explanation / Answer

Average velocity is calculated over a period of time. For instance, let's say the initial position is zero meters. The final position is twenty meters. If it took five seconds to travel twenty meters, then the average velocity is four meters per second. Instantaneous velocity is calculated at an instance of time. An example would be calculating the velocity at twenty-one meters at a time of exactly three seconds. The instantaneous velocity would be seven meters per second.