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11th grade Displacement and velocity, with a frame of reference worksheet

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Displacement and velocity, with a frame of reference

Grade 11 Science Worksheet

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Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. East is positive. Ari's cart rolls 80 m east at 4 m/s, then 20 m west at 5 m/s. What is its average velocity for the whole trip?

  2. East is positive. Bo's cart rolls 100 m east at 5 m/s, then 60 m west at 2 m/s. What is its average velocity for the whole trip?

  3. East is positive. Esme's cart rolls 90 m east at 3 m/s, then 135 m west at 9 m/s. What is its average velocity for the whole trip?

  4. In the position-time graph, what is the cart's average velocity for the whole 12 s, Jun?

    • −3 m/s, the slope of the last piece
    • −0.25 m/s, from a displacement of −3 m
    • 0 m/s, since the slopes +3, 0 and −3 average out
    • +2.25 m/s, the total distance ÷ time

  5. Kira's boat heads straight across a 120 m wide river at 4.0 m/s relative to the water. The current is 3.0 m/s downstream. How long to cross, and how far downstream does it land?

    • 24 s, landing 72 m downstream
    • 30 s, landing 120 m downstream
    • 30 s, landing 90 m downstream
    • 40 s, landing 120 m downstream

  6. Milo hikes 6.0 km east in 2.0 h, then back 6.0 km west in 3.0 h. What are the average speed and average velocity?

    • Speed 2.4 km/h; velocity 0 km/h
    • Speed 2.5 km/h; velocity 0 km/h, from the mean of 3 and 2
    • Speed 2.4 km/h; velocity 2.4 km/h
    • Speed 0 km/h; velocity 0 km/h

  7. A drone flies 300 m east, then 400 m north, in 100 s. What are its displacement, average velocity and average speed, Noah?

    • 500 m north of east; velocity 5 m/s, speed 5 m/s
    • 500 m at 53° north of east; velocity 5 m/s, speed 7 m/s
    • 100 m north of east; velocity 1 m/s, speed 7 m/s
    • 700 m north of east; velocity 7 m/s, speed 7 m/s

  8. Pia walks 3.0 km east, 4.0 km north, then 3.0 km west in 2.0 h. What are the displacement and average velocity?

    • 10 km; 5.0 km/h
    • 5.0 km; 2.5 km/h
    • 4.0 km north; 2.0 km/h north
    • 4.0 km north; 5.0 km/h north

  9. East is positive. Car A drives +25 m/s and truck B +18 m/s, with B 70 m ahead. How long until A reaches B, Ren?

    • 10 s: A gains 7 m/s on B
    • 2.8 s: 70 ÷ 25, ignoring B
    • 1.6 s: 70 ÷ (25 + 18)
    • 3.9 s: 70 ÷ 18, ignoring A

  10. The boat (4.0 m/s relative to the water) must land directly across a 120 m river with a 3.0 m/s current. How should Tala aim, and how long does it take?

    • Aim 49° upstream; 30 s, using the full 4.0 m/s across
    • Aim 37° upstream; about 38 s to cross
    • Aim straight across; 30 s, but it lands downstream
    • Aim 49° upstream; about 45 s to cross
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11th grade Displacement and velocity, with a frame of reference worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Displacement and velocity. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can find displacement as final − start and average velocity as displacement ÷ time when the path loops back, and tell it from distance and average speed.
  • I can read position-time graphs with negative positions, flat pieces, crossings and reversals, and find when a cart is back at the origin.
  • I can find the average velocity of a trip made of legs at different speeds (total displacement ÷ total time, not the mean of the velocities).
  • I can combine velocities between frames with signs (boat and river, walkway, trains passing, wind) and solve meeting and catching times; I know acceleration, not velocity, is the same in frames that differ by a steady velocity.

Standard: supports HS-PS2-1

Words to know

position: Where something is on a number line, measured from 0

displacement: Final position − starting position, with its sign

average velocity: Displacement ÷ time

average speed: Distance travelled ÷ time, with no sign

relative velocity: Velocity measured from a moving frame: object minus frame

Common mistakes

Your child used the length of the path where displacement was needed. Displacement is only final position minus start position.

Your child divided the final position by the time. Displacement is the final position minus the start position.

Your child averaged two velocities. When the legs last different times, use total displacement ÷ total time instead.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with displacement and velocity, with a frame of reference?

Your child used the length of the path where displacement was needed. Displacement is only final position minus start position.

Are these 11th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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