Home › AP Physics C: Mechanics › Physics › Kinematics in One Dimension › Instantaneous speed is described as the magnitud…
Instantaneous speed is described as the magnitude of:
AAverage acceleration
BTotal displacement
CThe elapsed time
DInstantaneous velocity
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Instantaneous velocity
1. Speed and velocity differ by whether direction is kept.
2. Instantaneous velocity is the velocity at a specific instant.
3. Instantaneous speed is the magnitude of instantaneous velocity.
4. Taking the magnitude discards the direction.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 2 'Kinematics', sections 2.1-2.8_
Related questions
Distance travelled exceeds the magnitude of displacement whenever the path is:Average and instantaneous velocity coincide when the velocity over the interval is:Speed can never be negative while velocity can, because speed is defined as a:A car moving forward with a backward-pointing acceleration is undergoing:A runner completes one lap of a circular track. Their displacement is:The acceleration due to gravity on the Moon, as demonstrated by Scott in 1971, is:A minus sign attached to an average velocity indicates something about its:An object falling without air resistance or friction is defined to be in: