A toy train goes round a circular track and its speed never changes.
07[1 mark]
Say whether the train's displacement from the start, and its velocity, are changing or constant.
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Displacement changing, velocity changing
Displacement changing, velocity constant
Displacement constant, velocity changing
Displacement constant, velocity constant
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Velocity is speed in a given direction. The speed is constant, but the train's direction keeps turning round the track, so its velocity is changing. Displacement is the straight-line distance and direction from the start, and this changes as the train moves round. That is the first option. The second option treats velocity like speed and forgets direction. The last two options say displacement is constant, which would mean the train had not moved relative to its start.
1 mark
How the marks are earned
- Choose displacement changing and velocity changing: the train's straight-line distance and direction from the start keep changing, and its direction of travel keeps changing.
- One answer only: two answers earn nothing, and a circled or underlined right option counts if the box is blank.