1. Speed = __________ ÷ _____________.
2. Velocity = __________________ + ___________________.
3. If a car is driving around a curve, but maintains a constant speed, does it change
velocity? Why or why not?
4. Acceleration = rate of change in _______________.
5. A vector represents the ________________ and _______________ of a velocity.
6. If we have two velocity vectors, we can combine them by constructing a
________________ vector, using a parallelogram.
7. Negative acceleration is called ____________________.
Formulas and Units
Letter formula
velocity
distance
time
acceleration
SI Unit
(Give 2)
Problems (4 points each)
Write the formula
Check for the need for conversions
Show ALL work, including units
Express answer in scientific notation, and circle your answer including units.
Speed and Velocity
1. A motorcycle goes North 1200 meters in 85 seconds. What is its velocity?
2. A spaceship travels at a velocity of 3.70 km/s . The distance from the earth to the
moon is 3.87 x 10 5 km. How many DAYS will it take to reach the moon?
3. A downhill ski racer can cover the 2.35 mile course in exactly three minutes.
A. What is the racer’s velocity in miles/minute?
B. How many miles could he cover in 1.50 hours?
4. A top sprinter runs the hundred-yard dash in 9.62 seconds. What is the runner’s
velocity in miles per hour?
5. During a canoe race, a camper paddles 406 meters in 70 seconds. What is the average
speed in m/s?
6. The distance from home plate to the pitcher’s mound is 18.5 meters. If a pitcher is
capable of throwing a ball at 38.5 m/s, how much time will it take a thrown ball to
reach home plate?
7. Light from the sun reaches the Earth in 8.3 minutes. The speed of light is 3.0 x 108 m/s.
In meters, how far is the Earth from the Sun?
Acceleration
1. An airplane goes from rest to a velocity of 80 m/s in 5 seconds. What is its rate of
acceleration?
2. You are riding your bicycle at 14 m/s. You see a pot hole which you cannot avoid and
slow down to 4 m/s in 1.5 seconds to soften the impact. What is your acceleration?
3. If a car starts from rest and reaches 62 m/s in 4 seconds, what is its acceleration in
m/sec2?
4. Han Solo puts the Millennium Falcon into hyper-drive and the ship accelerates from
250,000 m/s to 800,000 m/s in 3.5 seconds. What is the rate of acceleration?
5. A Cheetah changes speed from 20 mi/hr to 60 mi/hr in 3 seconds. What is its
acceleration?
KEY
1. Speed = distance ÷ time.
2. Velocity = amount of speed plus a direction
3. If a car is driving around a curve, but maintains a constant speed, does it change
velocity? Why or why not? Yes, it changes direction
4. Acceleration = rate of change in velocity
5. A vector represents the amount / speed and of a velocity.
6. If we have two velocity vectors, we can combine them by constructing a
resultant vector, using a parallelogram.
7. Negative acceleration is called deceleration.
Formulas and Units
velocity
distance
time
acceleration
Letter formula
v=d/t
d=vt
t=d/v
(Give 2) a = ∆ v / ∆ t
a = v2 – v1
t2 – t1
SI Unit
meter / second
meter
second
meter / second 2
Problems (4 points each)
 Write the formula
 Check for the need for conversions
 Show ALL work, including units
 Express answer in scientific notation, and circle your answer including units.
Speed and Velocity
1. A motorcycle goes North 1200 meters in 85 seconds. What is its velocity?
v = d / t 1200 m = 1.41 x 101 m / s
2. A spaceship travels at a velocity of 3.70 km/s . The distance from the earth to the
moon is 3.87 x 10 5 km. How many DAYS will it take to reach the moon?
t =d / v (3.87 x 105 km) = (1.05 x 105 s) (1 min) (1 hr) (1 day) = 1.22 days
(3.70 km/ s)
(60 sec) (60 min) (24 hrs)
3. A downhill ski racer can cover the 2.35 mile course in exactly three minutes.
A. What is the racer’s velocity in miles/minute? v = d/t 2.35 mi =
7.83 x 10-1 mi / min
3.00 min
B. How many miles could he cover in 1.50 hours?
v = d / t (7.83 x 10-1 mi) (90 min) = 7.05 x 101 mi
min
4. A top sprinter runs the hundred-yard dash in 9.62 seconds. What is the runner’s
velocity in miles per hour? v = d / t (100 yd ) =
(9.62 s)
1
3
(1.04 x 10 yd/s) (1 mi) (3.6 x 10 s) = 2.13 x 101 mi/hr
(1.76 yd)
(1 hr)
5. During a canoe race, a camper paddles 406 meters in 70 seconds. What is the average
speed in m/s? s = d / t
406 m = 5.8 m/s
70 s
6. The distance from home plate to the pitcher’s mound is 18.5 meters. If a pitcher is
capable of throwing a ball at 38.5 m/s, how much time will it take a thrown ball to
reach home plate? t=d / v 18.5 m = 4.81 x 10-1 s
38.5 m/s
7. Light from the sun reaches the Earth in 8.3 minutes. The speed of light is 3.0 x 108 m/s.
In meters, how far is the Earth from the Sun? d = v t
(3.0 x 108 m ) (8.3 min) (60 sec) = 1.49 x 1011 m
sec
(1 min)
Acceleration USE THIS FORMULA FOR ALL ACCELERATION PROBLEMS!
a = v2 – v1
t2 – t1
1. An airplane goes from rest to a velocity of 80 m/s in 5 seconds. What is its rate of
acceleration? (80 m/s) – 0 m/s) = 1.6 x 101 m/s2
( 5 sec- 0 s)
2. You are riding your bicycle at 14 m/s. You see a pot hole which you cannot avoid and
slow down to 4 m/s in 1.5 seconds to soften the impact. What is your acceleration?
(4 m/s – 14 m/s) = - 10 m/s = - 6.67 m/s2
(1.5 s -0s)
1.5 s
3. If a car starts from rest and reaches 62 m/s in 4 seconds, what is its acceleration in
m/sec2?
62 m/s – 0 m/s = 1.55 x 101 m/s2
4s–0s
4. Han Solo puts the Millennium Falcon into hyper-drive and the ship accelerates from
250,000 m/s to 800,000 m/s in 3.5 seconds. What is the rate of acceleration?
8 x 105 m/s - 2.5 x 105 m/s = 5.5 x 105 m/s = 1.57 x 105 m/s2
3.5 s – 0 s
3.5 s
5. A Cheetah changes speed from 20 mi/hr to 60 mi/hr in 3 seconds. What is its
acceleration? 60 mi/hr – 20 mi/hr
= (40 mi ) ( 1 hr )
= 1.11 x 10-2 mi/s 1.11 x 10-2 mi/s = 3.7 x 10-3 mi/s2
(1 hr ) ( 3.6 x 103 s )
3s