Physics
Physics
Problem
A bus departs station X and travels straight to station Y, which is due north of X, in . It halts at Y for and then returns directly to X along the same road in . a. (a) Calculate the total distance travelled and the total time taken, including the halt. b. (b) Determine the average speed for the whole trip. c. (c) Determine the average velocity for the whole trip. d. (d) Explain why the magnitudes of the average speed and average velocity are different or the same for this journey.Intuitive explanation
This problem asks you to distinguish between speed (how fast you're going) and velocity (how fast and in which direction). The key insight is that average velocity depends only on net displacement—the straight-line distance and direction from start to finish—while average speed counts the total distance traveled. Since the bus returns to its starting point, its net displacement is zero, making average velocity zero, even though it clearly moved. Calculate each separately using their definitions.
Intuitive explanation
This problem asks you to distinguish between speed (how fast you're going) and velocity (how fast and in which direction). The key insight is that average velocity depends only on net displacement—the straight-line distance and direction from start to finish—while average speed counts the total distance traveled. Since the bus returns to its starting point, its net displacement is zero, making average velocity zero, even though it clearly moved. Calculate each separately using their definitions.