Question

a student analyzes the following motion descriptions to determine which examples represent velocity and which represent only speed. which examples do not represent velocity? select two correct answers.

• a bee flying east at 3 meters per minute
• a bicyclist completing 26.2 kilometers in 4 hours
• a mouse climbing up a wall at 1 m/s
• a cheetah running at 100 km/hr
• a bird flying north at 14 km/hr

Explanation:

Step1: Recall velocity definition

Velocity is a vector quantity with both magnitude and direction. Speed is a scalar quantity with only magnitude.

Step2: Analyze each option

• A bee flying east at 3 meters per minute has both magnitude (3 m/min) and direction (east), so it is velocity.
• A bicyclist completing 26.2 kilometers in 4 hours gives only the distance covered in a time - interval (speed = distance/time), no direction for the whole journey, so it is speed not velocity.
• A mouse climbing up a wall at 1 m/s has both magnitude (1 m/s) and an implied direction (up the wall), so it is velocity.
• A cheetah running at 100 km/hr has only magnitude, no direction specified, so it is speed not velocity.
• A bird flying north at 14 km/hr has both magnitude (14 km/hr) and direction (north), so it is velocity.

Answer:

C. A bicyclist completing 26.2 kilometers in 4 hours, D. A cheetah running at 100 km/hr