A car travels along a straight stretch of road. It proceeds for 11.3 mi at 51 mi/h, then 26.3 mi at 45 mi/h, and finally 42.3 mi at 31.1 mi/h. What is the car’s average velocity during the entire trip? Answer in units of mi/h
To find the average velocity of the car during the entire trip, we need to calculate the total displacement and divide it by the total time taken.
Step 1: Calculate the total displacement.
The displacement is the difference between the final position and the initial position of the car. Since the car travels along a straight stretch of road, we can directly add up the distances traveled in each segment to find the total displacement.
Displacement = (11.3 mi) + (26.3 mi) + (42.3 mi)
Step 2: Calculate the total time.
The total time is the sum of the times taken to travel each segment. We can use the formula time = distance/speed.
Time for the first segment = (11.3 mi) / (51 mi/h)
Time for the second segment = (26.3 mi) / (45 mi/h)
Time for the third segment = (42.3 mi) / (31.1 mi/h)
Total time = (Time for the first segment) + (Time for the second segment) + (Time for the third segment)
Step 3: Calculate the average velocity.
Average velocity = Total displacement / Total time
Now, you can plug in the values and calculate the average velocity.