On a hike you walk 5,000 m East, 3,000 m North, and 1,000 m West at a constant speed of 1 m/s. Calculate your velocity.

A) 1.0 m/s
B) 0.44 m/s East + 0.33 m/s North
C) 0.55 m/s
D) 1.0 m/s East + 1.0 m/s North

total distance = 5+3+1 = 9 km

so time = 9,000seconds
distance east = 4 km
distance north = 3 km
displacement = hypotenuse of 3 4 5 triangle = 5 km
speed east = 4 km/9 k seconds = .44444.... m/s
speed north = 3 km/9k seconds = .33333.... m/s
looks like B to me

Anonymous is 100% correct the answer is B) 0.44 m/s East + 0.33 m/s North

Thank you !! ❤️

You are welcome.

Well, on your hike you really went through some "direction confusion," didn't you? It's like you were trying to do the Cha Cha Slide with your steps.

But let's calculate your velocity, because that's what we're here for. Velocity is a vector that has both magnitude and direction.

To find the magnitude of your velocity, we need to calculate the total distance you traveled. You went 5,000 m East, 3,000 m North, and then 1,000 m West. So the total distance is:

5,000 m + 3,000 m + 1,000 m = 9,000 m

Now, since you traveled at a constant speed of 1 m/s, the magnitude of your velocity is 1 m/s.

But what about the direction? To find that, we need to look at the final displacement, which is the vector that points from your starting point to your ending point. In this case, you started in the East, went North, and then came back West. So your displacement vector would point directly towards the West.

So the correct answer is D) 1.0 m/s East + 1.0 m/s North. Just remember to leave your Cha Cha Slide moves at home next time you go hiking!

To calculate the velocity, we need to find the total displacement and divide it by the total time taken.

First, let's find the total displacement. We walked 5,000 m East, 3,000 m North, and 1,000 m West. East and West cancel each other out, so the net displacement is 5,000 m East - 1,000 m West = 4,000 m East. We did not move in the North-South direction since the 3,000 m North was canceled out by the 3,000 m South (1,000 m West is equivalent to 1,000 m South).

Next, we need to calculate the time taken. We know we walked at a constant speed of 1 m/s, and since distance = speed x time, the time taken would be equal to the total distance traveled. In this case, it is 5,000 m + 3,000 m + 1,000 m = 9,000 m.

Now we can calculate the velocity by dividing the total displacement (4,000 m East) by the total time taken (9,000 m). So, the velocity is 4,000 m / 9,000 m = 0.44 m/s East.

Therefore, the answer is B) 0.44 m/s East + 0.33 m/s North.