I really need help and suggestion on how to respond to my peers. I need to pick 2 peers and respond to their post. I have picked out two posts, so can you help me on how to respond to their post and follow the discussion rubric? I have already completed my discussion posts, so that section is all done.

Here is the discussion post instructions:

Introduce yourself briefly and then think of something you do every day such as walking, driving, or commuting to work, the store, or school. Think about the time it takes to get there and the path you take. Now choose one example.

In your initial discussion post:

• Describe how the concepts of speed, velocity, and acceleration are present during that trip.
• In your description, explain the difference between speed and velocity, and describe how speed and velocity impact your acceleration.

In your response posts:

• Choose a factor that would impact speed, velocity, or acceleration in a scenario presented by your peer.
• Describe the impact that the factor has on the speed, velocity, and acceleration.

Here are some of the posts from my peers in the class.........

Post #1:

When I need to take some "dad time," I like to drive my truck down to the Quik Pik to grab a Butterfinger and a Coke. It usually takes about 3 minutes to travel 1 mile in my truck down the road traveling east to west.

My speed is what's called a scalar quantity and it tells me how much distance has been covered, with no regard to my direction. In this case, since I'm traveling 1 mile in 3 minutes my speed is 1 mile/3 minutes or 1/3 miles per minute, which on the odometer looks like about 20 miles per hour.

Velocity, on the other hand, is a vector quantity, which can tell me about not only my speed but also in which direction I am travelling. Since I'm traveling from east to west, we'd say that my velocity is 20 miles per hour to the west. Once I get my Butterfinger and Coke and drive home to my starting point, we'd say my velocity is -20 miles per hour to the east.

My acceleration through this whole event would look a bit like a camel hump if we observed it on a graph. Starting out my speed is 0, though when I press down on the accelerator my speed builds steadily up to 20 miles per hour heading west down the road. It's a quick trip, so after about half a mile and almost as soon as I hit 20 mph, I take my foot off the accelerator. The truck naturally maintains speed for a moment but soon my speed drops to 15 mph, then 10 mph, then to 5 mph as I approach the turn into the Quik Pik. I maintain my 5 mph speed as I turn left into the parking lot. Finally, I decelerate completely by applying the brakes and coming to a stop in a parking spot. Time for a snack.

Speed and velocity are the two factors that make up acceleration. Acceleration is the change in my velocity over a change in time. Since my velocity is comprised of both my speed and my direction, a change in either or both result in a form of acceleration. As I maintain a speed of 5 mph while turning left into the parking lot, that too is acceleration since the direction part of my velocity has changed. Speed is how fast I'm going over a certain distance. Velocity adds direction to my speed. And acceleration is the rate at which either my velocity or speed change over time.

Post #2:

The trip I have chosen to break down the areas of speed, velocity, and acceleration was when my Dad and I took his sailboat from the coast of Florida to the Bahamas. As many people know a sailboat gets most of its speed from the wind in the sails. Most of the wind is caught in the main sail creating the lift, or Velocity, it needs to give the boat the momentum to move across the water. While crossing the Gulf Stream a sailboat needs pretty good speed in order to not have the waves (and they can get fairly large in this area) slapping or rolling the boat around. This was an issue we encountered when the wind was not coming from the right direction to fill the main sail. To Accelerate the boat so we could "ride the waves" and allow them to push us we decided to furl out the Genoa sail (the smaller sail up front) and shift the main sail so we could ride "wing on wing" (one sail catching wind from one side and the other sail catching wind on the opposite side. When looked at from the back it looks like the boat has wings.) This extra velocity allowed us to accelerate and gain Speed which in turn made for a better ride. Unfortunately the wind decided to slack off after a little bit lessening the velocity of wind in the sails causing us to decrease in speed. But we countered that with 2 inboard motors and accelerated back to speed we needed to maintain for a smooth crossing.

Post #3: (This one is interesting because they use walking for speed, velocity, and acceleration).

One of my cherished daily rituals involves walking my dog to the park near my house. It's a thoughtfully orchestrated escape from the day's hustle and bustle. Typically, I embark on this stroll around 10 am, after my family members have left for work and school. During this time, I accompany my furry friend, relishing the fresh air after a bustling morning.

Throughout my daily walks with my dog, I find myself applying the principles of speed, velocity, and acceleration in captivating ways.

Speed signifies how rapidly I'm moving. Over the span of approximately 0.75 miles covered in 15 minutes, my average walking speed tallies up to 3 miles per hour.

Velocity encompasses not only speed but also direction. Despite the fact that my walks to the park and back traverse the same route, the direction shifts when I pivot to make my way home. Nonetheless, given my movement in a nearly straight line, the direction can be approximated as constant. Thus, my velocity during the walk to the park and back maintains a steady eastward direction, albeit minor adjustments may occur due to turns.

Acceleration, as the rate of change of velocity, plays its part subtly during these walks. Although my walking might seem consistently paced, subtle acceleration shifts do transpire. As I set off from a standstill at the commencement of each journey, I undergo an initial acceleration while accelerating my velocity. Correspondingly, upon reaching the park or arriving back home, I experience deceleration as I ease from my walking pace to a halt.

Incorporating these fundamental physics concepts into my daily walks serves to enhance my comprehension of the intricate interplay between quantitative values and directional dynamics. This practice also deepens my gratitude for the principles governing my everyday activities.