I am having one hell of a time figuring out this question and hoping someone on BG can help me. I won't give specific numbers because I don't want you to solve the problem for me but, in general:
let's say an object is traveling with constant acceleration in one dimension. let's also say the object begins by traveling in a negative direction but the acceleration eventually will make the velocity positive. so, the equation might look something like:
position = (initial velocity [negative]) * (time) + (acceleration [positive]) * (time squared)
here's the question I can't wrap my head around: How do you find the average speed between two points in time if the velocity is negative at the first point in time but positive at the second point in time?
note that I'm not asking for the average velocity - that's ez pz, simply calculate the difference in displacement and divide by time, yadda yadda. but in order to find the average speed, I need to find the distance traveled, which is NOT the same as the displacement in this case. how do I do that?
for example (and these are not the same numbers as in my problem) what is the average speed of the object if the equation is:
position = -1.5 * (time) + .5 * (time squared)
from between time = 1 and time = 10.
mods please move this if you feel the need; I wasn't sure if it would fit better in the general forum or the tech forum.