7.1 Averaging Continuous Functions: The Definite Integral

Checkpoint 4

There are three formulas displayed in the quoted text below. Rewrite each of the three formulas in terms of area.

We actually answered that question in the distance-from-speed calculation, for which we already had a meaning for average speed. In fact, we know that

total distance traveled `=` (average speed) `times` (length of time interval),

or

average speed `=` (total distance traveled)/(length of time interval).

In our new language of integrals, the total distance is the definite integral of the speed function. Thus

average speed `= 1/(b-a)int_a^b vtext[(]t text[)] dt`.

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