The winner of the Kentucky Derby runs the 1.25-mile race in 2 minutes, 2.0 s.
What's the horse's average speed in m/s?
A Message from Your Instructor:
Velocity refers to the displacement from the initial point to the final point. For the first part, determine where the car ends up in relation to the starting point. Speed refers to the total distance traveled, regardless of direction. For the second part just find the total distance traveled by the car.
for speed divide the distance by the time
for velocity divide the DISPLACEMENT by the time
displacement is a vector with x y and perhaps z components. All the way around a track is a Distance of 2 pi r BUT a displacement of ZERO
To find the horse's average speed, we need to calculate the total distance traveled and the total time taken. In this case, we are given that the Kentucky Derby race is 1.25 miles long and the time taken to complete the race is 2 minutes and 2.0 seconds.
First, we need to convert the time from minutes and seconds into seconds only. There are 60 seconds in a minute, so we can multiply 2 minutes by 60 to get 120 seconds. Adding the additional 2 seconds, the total time becomes 122 seconds.
Next, to find the average speed, we divide the total distance by the total time. The horse's average speed can be calculated by dividing 1.25 miles by 122 seconds.
To convert miles to meters, we can use the conversion factor 1 mile = 1609.34 meters.
So, the horse's average speed in m/s is calculated as follows:
Average Speed = (Total Distance in Meters) / Total Time in Seconds
Total Distance = 1.25 miles x 1609.34 meters/mile = 2011.675 meters
Average Speed = 2011.675 meters / 122 seconds
Therefore, the horse's average speed in m/s is approximately 16.51 m/s.