A soccer player practices kicking the ball into the goal from halfway down the soccer field. The time it takes for the ball to get to the goal from the time it is kicked averages about three seconds. The soccer field is 90 meters long. The player wants to know the average velocity of the ball. Is there enough information to calculate this?

Question

Question 3 options:

No, only average speed can be calculated from the distance of 90 meters and the time of three seconds.

Yes, displacement is 45 meters, elapsed time is three seconds, and the direction is toward the goal.

Yes, displacement is 90 meters, elapsed time is three seconds, and the direction is toward the goal.

No, only average speed can be calculated from the distance of 45 meters and the time of three seconds.

Answer 1

To determine whether there is enough information to calculate the average velocity of the soccer ball, we need to consider the definitions of average velocity and average speed.

Average velocity is defined as the displacement divided by the time taken, and it includes direction. Average speed, on the other hand, is simply the total distance traveled divided by the time taken, and it does not include direction.

In this scenario, the player is kicking the ball from halfway down the field to the goal. The soccer field is 90 meters long, so halfway down the field is 45 meters from the goal.

• Displacement: 45 meters (the straight-line distance from where the ball was kicked to the goal)
• Elapsed time: 3 seconds
• Direction: towards the goal

Based on this information:

• The average velocity can be calculated as: \[ \text{Average Velocity} = \frac{\text{Displacement}}{\text{Time}} = \frac{45 \text{ meters}}{3 \text{ seconds}} = 15 \text{ meters/second} \text{ towards the goal.} \]

Thus, we have all the necessary components to calculate the average velocity.

Therefore, the correct option is:

Yes, displacement is 45 meters, elapsed time is three seconds, and the direction is toward the goal.