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Speed and Velocity

Speed is a scalar quantity that measures the rate of change of an object's position over time, regardless of direction. Velocity is a vector quantity that includes both speed and direction. Velocity is calculated as the change in an object's position divided by the time taken. Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity, either in magnitude or direction, over time. It is calculated as the change in velocity divided by time.

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945 views2 pages

Speed and Velocity

Speed is a scalar quantity that measures the rate of change of an object's position over time, regardless of direction. Velocity is a vector quantity that includes both speed and direction. Velocity is calculated as the change in an object's position divided by the time taken. Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity, either in magnitude or direction, over time. It is calculated as the change in velocity divided by time.

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Jeya Plays YT
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SPEED AND VELOCITY

Speed- being a scalar quantity, is the rate at which an object covers distance. The
average speed is the distance (a scalar quantity) per time ratio. Speed is ignorant of direction.
The formula for speed is speed = distance ÷ time. To work out what the units are for speed,
you need to know the units for distance and time. In this example, distance is in metres (m)
and time is in seconds (s), so the units will be in metres per second (m/s).

Example:  A man walks 20 km in 4 hours. Find his speed.


V= distance/time            

                    = 20/4 km/hr

Therefore, speed = 5 km/hr

Velocity - a vector quantity; it is direction-aware. Velocity is the rate at which the position


changes. Velocity is a measure of how quickly an object moves. So, the velocity is the
change in the position of an object, divided by the time. Velocity has a magnitude (a value)
and a direction. The unit for velocity is meters per second (m/s).

v = velocity (m/s)


xf = the final position (m)
xi = the initial position (m)
t = the time in which the change occurs (s)
Δx = short form for "the change in" position (m)

Example: 1) A sail boat is in a 1000 m race, and it crosses the starting line when it is already at
full speed. It reaches the finish line in exactly 1 minute and 20 seconds ( = 80.0 s). What is the
velocity of the sail boat?

Answer: 

v = 12.5 m/s
The velocity is 12.5 m/s, in the direction of the finish line.

VELOCITY
Your notion of velocity is probably the same as its scientific definition. You know that if you
have a large displacement in a small amount of time you have a large velocity, and that velocity
has units of distance divided by time, such as miles per hour or kilometers per hour.

In everyday conversation, to accelerate means to speed up. The accelerator in a car can in fact
cause it to speed up. The greater the acceleration, the greater the change in velocity over a
given time. The formal definition of acceleration is consistent with these notions, but more
inclusive.

Because acceleration is velocity in m/s divided by time in s, the SI units for acceleration
are m/s, meters per second squared or meters per second per second, which literally means by
how many meters per second the velocity changes every second.

Recall that velocity is a vector—it has both magnitude and direction. This means that a change
in velocity can be a change in magnitude (or speed), but it can also be a change in direction.
For example, if a car turns a corner at constant speed, it is accelerating because its direction is
changing. The quicker you turn, the greater the acceleration. So there is an acceleration when
velocity changes either in magnitude (an increase or decrease in speed) or in direction, or both.

TEACHER’S INSIGHT

Keep in mind that although acceleration is in the direction of the change in velocity, it is not always
in the direction of motion. When an object slows down, its acceleration is opposite to the direction of
its motion. This is known as deceleration.

Before you proceed, please watch the Video entitled “Speed and Velocity” by entering the link
below in your browser.

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