Physics
Physics
Problem
A hiker walks 200 m east in 40 s and then 200 m west in 60 s. In one or two sentences, explain why the hiker’s average speed during the trip is different from the magnitude of the hiker’s average velocity.Intuitive explanation
Average speed counts all the distance traveled (400 m total), while average velocity only cares about the net displacement from start to finish (which is zero, since the hiker returns to the starting point). This is why speed gives you a positive number reflecting actual effort, while velocity's magnitude collapses to zero—they measure fundamentally different things.
Intuitive explanation
Average speed counts all the distance traveled (400 m total), while average velocity only cares about the net displacement from start to finish (which is zero, since the hiker returns to the starting point). This is why speed gives you a positive number reflecting actual effort, while velocity's magnitude collapses to zero—they measure fundamentally different things.