A 0.454-kg block is attached to a horizontal spring that is at its equilibrium length, and whose force constant is 21.0 N/m. The block rests on a frictionless surface. A 5.30×10?2-kg wad of putty is thrown horizontally at the block, hitting it with a speed of 8.97 m/s and sticking. Part AHow far does the putty-block system compress the spring?

Is a  vector quantity  that refers to "the rate at which an object changes its position." imagine a person moving rapidly - one step forward and one step back - always returning to the original starting position. while this might result in a frenzy of activity, it would result in a zero velocity. because the person always returns to the original position, the motion would never result in a change in position. since velocity is defined as the rate at which the position changes, this motion results in zero velocity. if a person in motion wishes to maximize their velocity, then that person must make every effort to maximize the amount that they are displaced from their original position. every step must go into moving that person further from where he or she started. for certain, the person should never change directions and begin to return to the starting position.