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Old 01-25-2004, 08:48 PM   #4 (permalink)
KnifeMissile
 
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Location: Waterloo, Ontario
You're given the formula of the position as a function of time. People seem to forget that the derivative gives you the slope of the tangent, which is the instantaneous velocity. Because this is often what we want, we often simply call it velocity.

However, sometimes we want the average velocity, which is simply the slope of the secant of the function (during some interval). It can be proven, using calculus, that the slope of the secant is equal to the integral of the function divided by the length of the interval.

Anyway, back to your original problem. You have the position as a function of time. So, simply find the position at your first point in time and then find your position at the second point in time. Divide the difference in position with the length of time and that will be your average velocity.

I hope this helps. If you don't understand any part of this, please say so and I will either explain it in more detail or explain it more simply, depending on what you don't understand.
Good luck!
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