Question

A rugby player carries the ball 15.9 m straight clown the playing field in 3.46 s. He then passes the ball 2.66 m straight backward to a teammate in 0.293 s. The teammate runs the ball straight forward another 17.6 m in 3.68 s before being tackled. Calculate the ball's average velocity for each of the three intervals and for the entire motion. Let the positive direction be down the field. Average velocity during the first 3.46 seconds: m/s Average velocity during the next 0.293 seconds: m/s Average velocity during the final 3.68 seconds: m/s Overall average velocity: m/s

Answer 1

Here,

Average velocity during the first 3.46 s = 15.9/3.46 = 4.59 m/s
Average velocity during the next 0.293 s = -2.66/0.293 = -9.08 m/s
Average velocity during the final 3.68 s = 17.6/3.68 = 4.78 m/s

Now, the total average velocity = total displacement/ total time
Total displacement = 15.9 – 2.66 + 17.6 = 30.84 m
Total time = 3.46 + 0.293 + 3.68 = 7.433 s
So, overall average velocity = 30.84/7.433 = 4.15 m/s