Question

An object travels North at `6 m/s` for `2 s` and then travels South at `1 m/s` for `4 s`. What are the object's average speed and velocity?

Answer 1

The average velocity is `4/3` m/s toward the North.

Explanation:

The average speed of the object is simply the total displacement divided by the total time. Since the object first moves North for two seconds at 6 m/s, the object is displaced 12 meters to the North.

After moving South at 1 m/s for 4 seconds, the object now has a total displacement of 8 meters to the North.

The average speed then is:
`8/6 = 4/3` m/s

And the velocity is simply the average speed in the direction traveled, North.