Question

Why two different formula for average velocity is used?

Answer 1

If any distances xi and xf with their corresponding time intervals ti and tf are given we use the formula

V_{av}\, = \frac{U+V}{2}

Where xi = Initial Distance,

Final distance = xf ,

Initial time = ti,

Final time = tf.

If final Velocity V and Initial velocity U are known, we make use of the formula

Where,

U = Initial Velocity and

V = Final Velocity.

If there are diverse distances like d1, d2, d3 ……. dn for diverse time intervals t1, t2, t3,… tn then

V_{av}\, = \frac{d_{1}+d_{2}+d_{3}+.......d_{n}}{t_{1}+t_{2}+t_{3}+.......t_{n}}