Question

part 5: trials table - data interpretation
use the table below to answer the questions.

object	trial	distance (meters)	time (seconds)
a	2	150	30
b	1	200	40
b	2	250	50

questions:

1. calculate the average speed for each object.
2. which object had the highest average speed?
3. compare object a and object b. which was faster and by how much?

bonus challenge
a cheetah runs 100 meters in 5 seconds. then it slows down and runs another 100 meters in 10 seconds. what is the cheetahs average speed for the entire 200 meters?

Explanation:

Step1: Recall average - speed formula

The formula for average speed is $v=\frac{d}{t}$, where $v$ is average speed, $d$ is distance, and $t$ is time.

Step2: Calculate average speed for Object A (Trial 1)

For Object A, Trial 1: $d = 100$ meters, $t = 20$ seconds. Using the formula $v=\frac{d}{t}$, we have $v_1=\frac{100}{20}=5$ m/s.

Step3: Calculate average speed for Object A (Trial 2)

For Object A, Trial 2: $d = 150$ meters, $t = 30$ seconds. So $v_2=\frac{150}{30}=5$ m/s. The average speed of Object A is $\frac{5 + 5}{2}=5$ m/s.

Step4: Calculate average speed for Object B (Trial 1)

For Object B, Trial 1: $d = 200$ meters, $t = 40$ seconds. Then $v_3=\frac{200}{40}=5$ m/s.

Step5: Calculate average speed for Object B (Trial 2)

For Object B, Trial 2: $d = 250$ meters, $t = 50$ seconds. So $v_4=\frac{250}{50}=5$ m/s. The average speed of Object B is $\frac{5+5}{2}=5$ m/s.

Step6: Answer question 2

Since the average speed of Object A and Object B is the same ($5$ m/s), neither object has a higher average speed.

Step7: Answer question 3

Since their average speeds are equal, neither is faster. The difference in speed is $5 - 5=0$ m/s.

Step8: Calculate cheetah's average speed

The cheetah runs a total distance $d = 200$ meters. The total time $t=5 + 10=15$ seconds. Using the formula $v=\frac{d}{t}$, we get $v=\frac{200}{15}=\frac{40}{3}\approx13.33$ m/s.

Answer:

1. The average speed of Object A is 5 m/s and the average speed of Object B is 5 m/s.
2. Neither object has a higher average speed.
3. They are equally fast, difference in speed is 0 m/s.

Bonus Challenge: The cheetah's average speed is approximately 13.33 m/s.