Ch. 02 - Describing Motion: Kinematics in One Dimension

Giancoli Douglas - Physics for Scientists and Engineers 5th edition

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Giancoli Douglas 5th edition

Ch. 02 - Describing Motion: Kinematics in One Dimension

Problem 8

Chapter 2, Problem 8

Every year the Earth travels about 10⁹ km as it orbits the Sun. What is Earth's average speed in km/h?

Verified step by step guidance

Determine the total distance traveled by the Earth in one year, which is given as 10⁹ km.

Recall the formula for average speed:

v

_avg = dt, where

d

is the total distance and

t

is the total time.

Convert the time for one year into hours. Since there are 365 days in a year (ignoring leap years), and each day has 24 hours, calculate the total time in hours:

t = 365 	imes 24

hours.

Substitute the values for

d

(10⁹ km) and

t

(calculated in the previous step) into the formula for average speed:

v

_avg = 10⁹t.

Simplify the expression to find the Earth's average speed in km/h.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Orbital Motion

Orbital motion refers to the movement of an object in a curved path around a central body due to gravitational forces. In the case of Earth, it orbits the Sun in an elliptical path, which is governed by Kepler's laws of planetary motion. Understanding this concept is essential for calculating the distance traveled by Earth in its orbit.

Average Speed

Average speed is defined as the total distance traveled divided by the total time taken. It is a scalar quantity that provides a measure of how fast an object is moving, regardless of the direction. In this context, calculating Earth's average speed involves dividing the distance it travels in a year by the number of hours in a year.

Time Conversion

Time conversion is the process of changing units of time from one form to another, such as from years to hours. Since the question involves calculating speed over a yearly distance, it is necessary to convert the time frame of one year into hours to find the average speed in km/h. There are 24 hours in a day and approximately 365 days in a year, leading to a total of about 8,760 hours in a year.

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Unit Conversions

Related Practice

Textbook Question

A particle at t₁ = ― 2.0 s is at 𝓍₁ = 5.2 cm and at t₂ = 3.4 s is at 𝓍₂ = 8.5 cm. What is its average velocity over this time interval? Can you calculate its average speed from these data? Why or why not?

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Textbook Question

An airplane travels 1900 km at a speed of 720 km/h, and then encounters a tailwind that boosts its speed to 990 km/h for the next 2700 km. What was the total time for the trip? What was the average speed of the plane for this trip? [Hint: Does Eq. 2–12d apply?]

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Textbook Question

Sketch the v vs. t graph for the object whose displacement as a function of time is given by Fig. 2–40.

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Textbook Question

A horse trots away from its trainer in a straight line, moving 38 m away in 7.4 s. It then turns abruptly and gallops halfway back in 1.8 s. Calculate its average speed

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Textbook Question

If you are driving 85 km/h along a straight road and you look to the side for 2.0 s, how far do you travel during this inattentive period?

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Textbook Question

The position of an object along a straight tunnel as a function of time is plotted in Fig. 2–40. What is its average velocity between t = 25.0 s and t = 30.0 s?

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