To calculate the speed of an object when you know both its initial position and final position, you need to consider the time it took for the object to move between those positions. Speed is defined as the distance traveled per unit of time. The formula to calculate speed is:
Speed = Distance / Time
Given the initial position (x₁) and final position (x₂) of the object, you can calculate the distance traveled by taking the difference between the two positions:
Distance = x₂ - x₁
Once you have the distance, if you also know the time it took for the object to travel that distance, you can plug the values into the formula to find the speed. If the time is denoted as 't', then:
Speed = Distance / Time = (x₂ - x₁) / t
Ensure that the positions and time are in consistent units (e.g., meters, kilometers, seconds) to obtain the speed in the corresponding unit.