alleryStart learning →A car's speedometer shows which quantity?
AThe total displacement so far
BMagnitude of instantaneous velocity
CDirection of the velocity
DThe average velocity so far
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Magnitude of instantaneous velocity
1. Instantaneous velocity is the velocity at one particular moment.
2. A speedometer needle responds to how fast the wheels turn right now.
3. A car's speedometer shows the magnitude, but not the direction, of the instantaneous velocity of the car.
4. Magnitude without direction is exactly what speed means.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP(R) Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 2 'Kinematics', sections 2.1-2.8_
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