Explain the concept of average velocity.

Average velocity is the total displacement of an object divided by the time taken.

Average velocity is a measure of how fast an object is moving in a particular direction over a given period of time. It is calculated by dividing the total displacement of an object by the time taken. Displacement is the distance between the initial and final positions of an object, and it is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.

To calculate average velocity, we use the formula:

average velocity = displacement / time taken

For example, if a car travels 100 km north in 2 hours, and then travels 50 km south in 1 hour, we can calculate its average velocity over the entire journey as follows:

total displacement = 100 km north - 50 km south = 50 km north
total time taken = 2 hours + 1 hour = 3 hours

average velocity = total displacement / total time taken
= 50 km north / 3 hours
= 16.67 km/h north

Therefore, the average velocity of the car over the entire journey is 16.67 km/h north.

It is important to note that average velocity is not the same as instantaneous velocity, which is the velocity of an object at a particular moment in time. Average velocity takes into account the entire journey, while instantaneous velocity only considers a specific point in time.