in getting ready to slam-dunk the ball, a basketball player starts from rest and sprints to a speed of 4.82 m/s in 1.98 s. assuming that the player accelerates uniformly, determine the distance he runs.

Great equation: distance = rate*time

So, distance run = 4.82 meters/second * 1.98 seconds = 9.5436 meters (round according to whatever the problem specifies, usually to the tenths or hundredths is sufficient).

This makes sense if you think about it since you are multiplying seconds with meters over seconds. The seconds cancel out, leaving you only the meters.

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.