At the annual turtle races, Poindexter, the record holder, is trying to retain his title. As the race begins, Poindexter starts off racing North with a speed of 0.025 m/s. He retains this speed for 0.5 meters at which time he speeds up to 0.10 m/s. He continues at this rate for 0.75 meters. Tiring, he slows to 0.07 m/s and continues for another half of a meter. Applying all his concentration and effort for the last bit of the race he increases his speed to a swift 0.085 m/s. An exhausted Wood Turtle, Poindexter completes his two meter race beating his closest competitor by a nose.

A.In what amount of time did Poindexter run the race? (Show all your work.)
Time= Distance/Speed,
It was a 2 meter race= 0.5/.025=20, .75/.125=6, .5/.055=9.1, .25/0.085=2.9. 20+6+9.1+2.9=38seconds.

B.What was his average speed? (Show all your work.)
Average speed= total distance/ total time.
2/38=0.053m/s^2 Average Speed.

C.What was his displacement?
I have no idea?! Please help!

To determine Poindexter's displacement, we need to calculate the net distance traveled in a particular direction. Displacement is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.

In this case, since Poindexter starts off racing North, we'll consider North as the positive direction and South as the negative direction. We'll assume that the motion is one-dimensional along a straight line.

Given the information provided, we can break down Poindexter's motion as follows:

- In the first segment, he runs 0.5 meters North at a speed of 0.025 m/s. This gives a displacement of +0.5 meters.
- In the second segment, he runs 0.75 meters North at a speed of 0.10 m/s. This adds to his displacement, giving a total displacement of +0.5 + 0.75 = +1.25 meters.
- In the third segment, he runs 0.5 meters North at a speed of 0.07 m/s. This adds to his displacement, giving a total displacement of +1.25 + 0.5 = +1.75 meters.
- In the final segment, he runs 0.25 meters North at a speed of 0.085 m/s. This adds to his displacement, giving a total displacement of +1.75 + 0.25 = +2 meters.

Therefore, his displacement is +2 meters. The positive sign indicates that he finished North of his starting point.

Note: Displacement considers the straight-line distance between the initial and final position, regardless of the path taken.