Homework Help - HS Physics

Xuxa Borealis
October 6, 2016

14.
Emily takes a trip, driving with constant velocity of 89.5 km/hr to the north except for a 22 minute rest
stop. If Emilys average velocity is 77.8 km/hr to the north, how long does the trip take?
Okay, so first things first. The problem suggests using example problem 2A. Example problem 2A provides
the equation for average velocity:
x
vavg =
(1)
t
Change in distance over change in time. So we will want to use this equation. The problem we now have is
that we are not given a distance... we are given a velocity, so, we have to make a distance, from a velocity:
velocity =

distance
time

distance = velocity time

velocity time
(2)
t
Okay so, the velocity time part is the constant velocity, 89.5 km/hr = v1 , and the t is made up of the
time traveled at the constant velocity, 89.5 km/hr, and the 22 minute rest stop.
vavg =

x = (velocity #1 time #1) (velocity #2 time #2)

x = v1 (t1 t0 ) v0 (t2 t1 )
Time t0 = 0, and v0 = 0.0 km/hr that is the rest stop time, 22 minutes.
x = v1 (t1 0) 0(t2 t1 )
x = v1 (t1 )

(3)

And your change in time for the whole trip, which is what you are looking for is:
t = t3

(4)

Now we go back to equation 2, and substitute in x (equation 3) for velocity time and t (equation 4)
for t
v1 (t1 )
(5)
vavg =
t3
So now you have the above but you can substitue in something for t1 , because you can write t1 in terms of
t3 . From Emilys total travel time of t3 , 22 minutes of it are her NOT traveling at 89.5 km/hr, so the time
she is traveling at 89.5 km/hr is equal to total travel time (22 min put into hours)
22 minutes

1 hour
= .37 hour
60 minutes

So equation 5 becomes
vavg =

v1 (t3 .37 hr)

t3

(6)

Plug in your vavg = 77.8 km/hr and your v1 = 89.5 km/hr and solve for t3 . Or, as below, solve for t3 , and
then plug in.
vavg t3 = v1 (t3 .37 hr)
vavg t3 = v1 t3 .37v1
vavg t3 v1 t3 = .37v1
t3 (vavg v1 ) = .37v1
t3 =
t3 =

.37v1
(vavg v1 )

.37(89.5)
((77.8) (89.5))

t3 =

.37(89.5)
(11.7)

t3 =

33.115
(11.7)

t3 = 2.83 hours

(7)