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An airport shuttle driver is assigned to drive back and forth between a parking

ID: 1991405 • Letter: A

Question

An airport shuttle driver is assigned to drive back and forth between a parking lot (located at 0.0 km on a number line) and the airport main terminal (located at +4.0 km). The driver starts out at the terminal at noon, arrives at the lot at 12:15 P.M., returns to the terminal at 12:30 P.M., and arrives back at the lot at 12:45 P.M. What is the average velocity of the shuttle between (a) noon and 12:15, (b) noon and 12:30, and (c) noon and 12:45? Express all answers in meters per second.

I'm really confused on this one, I keep trying it but my answer does not seem right at all, so please explain the different steps or show your work so I can try to understand it. Thanks.

Explanation / Answer

Average Velocity = Displacement / Time

a. Average Velocity = 4000m / 900s = 4.44m/s
b. Average Velocity = 0 since displacement is zero
c. Average Velocity = 4000m / 2700s = 1.481 m/s

Think displacement. It is not distance. Displacement is the length of the straight line that joins the starting point and the ending point.