GED Science : Velocity

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GED Science

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Velocity

A car travels due east for two hours and covers 144km. What is the car's average velocity in meters per second?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle \small \small 20\frac{m}{s}\)

\(\displaystyle \small 0.05\frac{m}{s}\)

\(\displaystyle \small 72000\frac{m}{s}\)

\(\displaystyle \small 72\frac{m}{s}\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle \small \small 20\frac{m}{s}\)

Explanation:

This question requires us to convert between units, then solve for the velocity.

First, convert kilometers to meters. There are 1000m in 1km.

\(\displaystyle 144km\times \frac{1000m}{1km}=144000m\)

Then, convert hours to seconds. There are 60min in 1hr, and 60sec in 1min. In other words, there are 3600s in 1hr.

\(\displaystyle 2hr\times \frac{60min}{1hr}\times \frac{60s}{1hr}=7200s\)

Now that you have both the distance in meters and the time in seconds, you can find the velocity. Velocity is equal to the distance divided by the time.

\(\displaystyle v=\frac{d}{t}\)

\(\displaystyle v=\frac{144000m}{7200s}=20\frac{m}{s}\)

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