Ben walks 500 meters from his house to the corner store. He then walks back toward his house but stops to talk to a neighbor when he is 200 meters from the corner store. If it takes Ben 910 seconds from the time he leaves his house until he stops to talk to his neighbor, what is his average velocity? (Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a meter per second.)
Ben’s average velocity is
m/s.
To find Ben's average velocity, we need to calculate the total displacement and total time taken.
1. Total Displacement:
Ben walks 500 meters from his house to the corner store, so his displacement in the first leg of the journey is 500 meters.
When he walks back and stops to talk to his neighbor, his displacement is 200 meters.
Total displacement = 500 meters (to the store) - 200 meters (from the store) = 300 meters
2. Total Time:
The total time taken is 910 seconds.
However, we need to subtract the time Ben spent talking to his neighbor to get the time he spent walking.
Let's assume Ben spent x seconds talking to his neighbor. So, the time spent walking is 910 - x seconds.
3. Average Velocity:
Average velocity is defined as the total displacement divided by the total time taken.
Average velocity = Total displacement / Total time taken
Average velocity = 300 meters / (910 - x) seconds
Since we are looking for Ben's average velocity when he stops to talk to his neighbor, x should be the time spent talking at that point. Therefore, x = 500 meters / walking speed.
Substitute x = 500 meters / walking speed into the formula:
Average velocity = 300 meters / (910 - 500/walking speed) seconds
At this point, it is impossible to precisely determine the walking speed without knowing the time Ben spent talking to his neighbor. Therefore, the answer cannot be calculated with the given information.