A bicyclist travels at 15 miles per hour south. After 10 minutes, the cyclist is traveling at 20 miles per hour south. Which is this an example of? acceleration speed velocity

Question

A bicyclist travels at 15 miles per hour south. After 10 minutes, the cyclist is traveling at 20 miles per hour south. Which is this an example of?      acceleration      speed      velocity

anonymous · Answer

well, do you have a change in speed?

anonymous · Answer

a change in velocity?

amonoconnor · Answer

By adding "south", the speed had both magnitude AND direction, becoming a vector, not a scalar which generic "speed" is. So the second option can be eliminated. Let's analyze the other part(s). A velocity is a distance/time. Do we have that? Yes! -> miles/hour. So, velocity is an option that theoretically fits this question. Buttt... It gives us a time, and acceleration is a change in a velocity (speed, with a direction)/time. So because it says "after 10 minutes", we consider the big picture to be talking about the change in velocity during that time span, which is simplified as "the acceleration" over that time. :)