Why do we use change of distance instead of just distance when calculating for speed and velocity?

Acave rescue team lifts an injured spelunker directly upward and out of a sinkhole by means of a motor-driven cable. the lift is performed in three stages, each requiring a vertical distance of 11.0 m: (a) the initially stationary spelunker is accelerated to a speed of 4.80 m/s; (b) he is then lifted at the constant speed of 4.80 m/s; (c) finally he is decelerated to zero speed. how much work is done on the 78.0 kg rescue by the force lifting him during each stage

2kg of refrigerant 134a undergoes a polytropic process in a piston-cylinder assembly from an initial state of saturated vapor at 2 bar to a final state of 12 bar, 80 degree c. a)determine the work for the process in kj. b)sketch the process on a p-v diagram.

Asolid round steel rod 6.25 mm in diameter and 375 mm long is rigidly bonded to the end of solid square brass rod 25 mm on a side and 300 mm long. the geometric axes of the bare are along the same line. an axial tensile force of 5.4 kn is applied at the extreme ends of the assembly. for steel e = 200 gpa and for brass e = 90 gpa. determine the total elongation for the assembly.