Determine the modulus and direction of the speed of a point, if, with uniform movement

Determine the modulus and direction of the speed of a point, if, with uniform movement along the OX axis, its coordinate has changed from 5m to -3m in 4 seconds.

Given:

x0 = 5 meters – the starting coordinate of the point;

x1 = -3 meters – end coordinate of the point;

t = 4 seconds – time span.

It is required to determine the modulus and direction of the speed of movement of the point v (meter / second).

Since, according to the condition of the problem, the motion is uniform, we find the path traversed by the point:

S = x1 – x0 = -3 – 5 = -8 meters. The minus sign means that the body moves in the negative direction of the OX axis.

Then the modulus of speed is equal to:

v = | S / t | = | -8 / 4) = | -2 | = 2 m / s.

Answer: the modulus of speed is 2 m / s, the body moves in the negative direction of the OX axis.