Question

A body goes from P to Q with a velocity of 10 m/s and comes back from Q to P with a velocity of 20 m/s. What is the average velocity of the body during the entire trip?

Answer 1

Let's say the distance is D. Then the time going is D/10 sec. The time returning is D/20 s. The total time is 3D/20 s, and the total distance is 2D. The average speed for the round trip is (total distance)/(total time). That's (2D) ÷ (3D/20). That's (40D/3D) which is 13-1/3 m/s. (I thought it was going to depend on the distance, but it doesn't.)