Problem 2.2: A hockey puck sliding on ice collides and rebounds from a wall

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A hockey puck sliding on ice collides and rebounds from a wall on a hockey rink. A top view is shown in the above animation (position is given in meters and time is given in seconds). Restart.

  1. For each time interval in the data table below, calculate the displacement, distance traveled, average velocity, and average speed of the puck.
    time interval displacement (m) distance traveled (m) average velocity (m/s) average speed (m/s)
    t = 1.5 s to 12.0 s        
    t = 1.5 s to 6.0 s        
    t = 6.0 s to 12.0 s        
  2. For which time interval(s) listed in the table above is the displacement equal to the distance traveled?
  3. Is the magnitude of the displacement always equal to the distance traveled?
  4. In general, if an object moves in a straight line but does not change direction, will the magnitude of its displacement during any interval equal its distance traveled during the same interval? If the answer is no, which will be greater?
  5. In general, if an object moves in a straight line but changes direction at some point, will the magnitude of its displacement during an interval that includes the change in direction equal its distance traveled? If the answer is no, which will be greater?
  6. Finally, qualitatively draw the acceleration vs. time graph for the animation.

Problem authored by Aaron Titus.