File "velocity-and-speed.html"
Path: /StudyIB/physics/page/223/velocity-and-speedhtml
File size: 47.55 KB
MIME-type: text/html
Charset: utf-8
<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="EN"><head> <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-PZBWZ8J');</script> <title>Velocity and speed</title><!-- Removed by WebCopy --><!--<base href="/">--><!-- Removed by WebCopy --><meta http-equiv="x-ua-compatible" content="IE=Edge"><meta charset="utf-8"><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><link href="../../../css/bootstrap.flatly.min.css" rel="stylesheet" media="screen"><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../../fonts/awesome/css/font-awesome.min.css"><link href="../../../js/jquery-fancybox/jquery.fancybox.min.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../../css/style.min.css?v=202301301645"><meta name="robots" content="index, follow"><meta name="googlebot" content="noarchive"><meta prefix="og: http://ogp.me/ns#" property="og:title" name="og:title" content="StudyIB Physics: Velocity and speed"> <meta prefix="og: http://ogp.me/ns#" property="og:image" content="https://studyib.net/img/studyib-card-default.jpg"> <meta prefix="og: http://ogp.me/ns#" property="og:description" name="og:description" content="Velocity is the vector equivalent of speed. Since speed is the distance travelled per unit time, this means that velocity is displacement travelled per unit time."> <meta prefix="og: http://ogp.me/ns#" property="og:url" name="og:url" content="https://studyib.net/physics/page/223/velocity-and-speed"> <meta prefix="og: http://ogp.me/ns#" property="og:site_name" name="og:site_name" content="StudyIB - Your IB learning companion"> <meta prefix="og: http://ogp.me/ns#" property="og:locale" name="og:locale" content="en"> <meta prefix="og: http://ogp.me/ns#" property="og:type" name="og:type" content="website"> <meta name="description" content="Velocity is the vector equivalent of speed. Since speed is the distance travelled per unit time, this means that velocity is displacement travelled per unit time."> <meta name="image" content="https://studyib.net/img/studyib-card-default.jpg"> <meta name="keywords" content="Mechanics, IB, IBDP, InThinking, International Baccalaureate, Revision, Revision websites, Student Sites, Students, Learning, Guidance, Exam, Questions, Practice problems, Diagnose, Help, Notes"> <meta itemprop="name" content="StudyIB Physics: Velocity and speed"> <meta itemprop="description" content="Velocity is the vector equivalent of speed. Since speed is the distance travelled per unit time, this means that velocity is displacement travelled per unit time."> <meta itemprop="image" content="https://studyib.net/img/studyib-card-default.jpg"> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"> <meta name="twitter:title" content="StudyIB Physics: Velocity and speed"> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Velocity is the vector equivalent of speed. Since speed is the distance travelled per unit time, this means that velocity is displacement travelled per unit time."> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://studyib.net/img/studyib-card-default.jpg"> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@inthinker"><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../../css/snippets.min.css?v=202209111300"><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../../css/article.min.css?v=202211221000"><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../../js/slick-carousel/slick.min.css"><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../../js/slick-carousel/slick-theme.min.css"><style type="text/css">button.gifffer img { margin-bottom: 40px !important; }</style><style type="text/css">.filter-sl-only { display: none; }</style><script src="../../../ajax/libs/mathjax/2.7.0/MathJax.js?config=TeX-AMS-MML_HTMLorMML"></script><script src="../../../js/ifvisible.min.js"></script><script>ifvisible.setIdleDuration(300);</script><link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="57x57" href="../../../img/favicon/apple-touch-icon-57x57.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="114x114" href="../../../img/favicon/apple-touch-icon-114x114.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="72x72" href="../../../img/favicon/apple-touch-icon-72x72.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="144x144" href="../../../img/favicon/apple-touch-icon-144x144.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="60x60" href="../../../img/favicon/apple-touch-icon-60x60.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="120x120" href="../../../img/favicon/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="76x76" href="../../../img/favicon/apple-touch-icon-76x76.png"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="152x152" href="../../../img/favicon/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="../../../img/favicon/favicon-196x196.png" sizes="196x196"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="../../../img/favicon/favicon-96x96.png" sizes="96x96"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="../../../img/favicon/favicon-32x32.png" sizes="32x32"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="../../../img/favicon/favicon-16x16.png" sizes="16x16"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="../../../img/favicon/favicon-128.png" sizes="128x128"> <meta name="application-name" content="StudyIB: Your IB Learning Companion"> <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#A5BED5"> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="/img/favicon/mstile-144x144.png"> <meta name="msapplication-square70x70logo" content="/img/favicon/mstile-70x70.png"> <meta name="msapplication-square150x150logo" content="/img/favicon/mstile-150x150.png"> <meta name="msapplication-wide310x150logo" content="/img/favicon/mstile-310x150.png"> <meta name="msapplication-square310x310logo" content="/img/favicon/mstile-310x310.png"><script>var stdHash = "6da675cbcb3d25f050b05557349abc79", stdTicket = "082b9c9c4ae3624d";</script><script src="../../../js/user/local-stats.min.js?v=202205311700"></script><link href="../../../css/subjects-frontpage.min.css?v=202302031000" rel="stylesheet"></head><body class="public physics"> <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-PZBWZ8J" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <div id="top-header"> <div class="wmap general hidden-sm hidden-xs subjects"> <div class="layout-wrapper"> <div class="container-fluid"> <a href=""> <img class="header-thinker" src="../../../img/header-thinker.svg"> </a> <h1> <a href="../../../physics.html"> IBDP Physics </a> <a href="https://inthinking.net" title="inthinking.net" class="inthinking-logo pull-right"> <img src="../../../img/header-logo.svg" style="height: 80px; width: auto;"> </a> </h1> <p class="slogan">InThinking Revision Sites for students</p> <p class="author">Website by <strong>Chris Hamper & Emma Mitchell</strong></p> <p class="updated">Updated 3 February 2023</p> </div> </div> </div> <nav id="public-topnav" class="navbar navbar-default"> <div class="container-fluid"> <div class="navbar-header"> <a class="navbar-brand hidden-md hidden-lg" href="../../../index.htm"> <img class="header-xs-thinker" src="../../../img/header-thinker.svg"> </a> <button type="button" class="collapsed navbar-toggle" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#subject-navbar-collapse" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="sr-only">Toggle navigation</span> <i class="fa fa-fw fa-2x fa-user"></i> </button> <div class="brand hidden-lg hidden-md hidden-sm"> <a class="brand-xs" href="../../../physics.html"> <strong class="title" style="white-space: nowrap;font-size: 18px;">Physics</strong> </a> </div> </div> <div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id="subject-navbar-collapse"> <ul class="nav navbar-bar navbar-userbox hidden-md hidden-lg"><li class="dropdown"><a href="#" class="dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-lg fa-user-circle" style="margin-right: 5px;"></i><span style="font-size: 16px;"></span></a><ul class="dropdown-menu"><li class="dropdown-submenu"><a class="dropdown-toggle" href="#" data-toggle="dropdown"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-globe"></i> Subjects</a><ul class="dropdown-menu"><li></li><li class=""><a href="../../../biology.html">DP Biology</a></li><li class=""><a href="../../../chemistry.html">DP Chemistry</a></li><li class=""><a href="../../../englishalanglit.html">DP English A: Language & Literature</a></li><li class=""><a href="../../../mathsanalysis.html">DP Maths: Analysis & Approaches</a></li><li class=""><a href="../../../mathsapplications.html">DP Maths: Applications & Interpretations SL</a></li><li class="active"><a href="../../../physics.html"><i class="fa fa-caret-right"></i> DP Physics</a></li><li class=""><a href="../../../spanishb.html">DP Spanish B</a></li></ul></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="../../../user.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-dashboard"></i> Dashboard</a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="../../../user/profile.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-cog"></i> My profile</a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="../../../user/messages.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-envelope"></i> Messages</a></li><li class="menu-item hidden-md hidden-lg mt-xs-3"><a href="../../../index.htm?logout=1" class="btn btn-primary btn-xs-block"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-lg fa-power-off text-danger"></i>Log out</a></li></ul></li></ul> <ul class="nav navbar-bar"><li class=""><a class="home" href="../../../physics.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-home"></i> Home</a></li><li class=""><a class="topics" href="#"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-th-large"></i> Topics</a></li><li class=""><a class="favorites" href="../../../physics.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-star"></i> My favorites</a></li><li class=""><a class="" href="../../flashcards.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-bolt"></i> Flashcards</a></li><li class=""><a class="qbank" href="../../test-your-knowledge.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-question"></i> Question bank</a></li><li class=""><a class="networks" href="../../networks.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-graduation-cap"></i> Virtual tutor</a></li><li class=""><a class="" href="../../blogs.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-paperclip"></i> Blog</a></li><li class=""><a class="sitemap" href="../../sitemap.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-sitemap"></i> Sitemap</a></li><li class=""><a class="activity" href="../../../physics.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-calendar-check-o"></i> My activity</a></li></ul> <ul class="nav navbar-bar navbar-right"> <li> <form class="navbar-form hidden-md hidden-lg" role="search" method="get" action="physics/search"> <div class="input-group"> <input class="form-control nav-search" name="glob" type="search" placeholder="Search..."> <span class="input-group-btn"> <button type="submit" class="btn bg-blue"> <i class="fa fa-search"> </i> </button> </span> </div> </form> <a href="#" class="toggle-menu-search hidden-sm hidden-xs" data-toggle="dropdown"> <i class="fa fa-lg fa-search"></i> </a> </li></ul> </div> </div></nav><nav id="nav-menu-search" class="shadow-bottom hidden-sm hidden-xs" style="display: none;"> <div class="container-fluid"> <form class="" role="search" method="get" action="physics/search"> <input class="form-control nav-search" name="glob" type="search" placeholder="Search Physics..."> <button class="btn btn-sm btn-primary" type="submit"> Search </button> </form> </div></nav><div class="modal fade" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" id="modal-mini-login"> <div class="modal-dialog" role="document"> <div class="modal-content"> <div class="modal-body"> <button aria-hidden="true" data-dismiss="modal" class="close hidden-xs login-button-close" type="button">×</button> <form method="post"> <div class="form-group"> <input name="user-email" class="form-control" type="text" placeholder="Email"> </div> <div class="form-group"> <input name="user-password" class="form-control" type="password" placeholder="Password"> <input name="user-fp" class="fp" value="d8c893da5db7501669ffeeac46273ba6" type="hidden"> </div> <div class="form-group"> <a href="../../../reset-password.html" class="reset-password" style="font-weight: normal;"> Forgot your password? </a> </div> <div class="form-group"> <button type="submit" name="submit-login" value="1" class="btn btn-primary btn-block text-center"> <i class="fa fa-user fa-fw"></i> Log in </button> </div> </form> </div> </div> </div></div></div><div class="modal fade" id="show-topics" tabindex="-1" role="dialog"><div id="dialog-topics" class="modal-dialog modal-dialog-topics"><div class="modal-content"><div class="modal-body modal-body-topics"><div id="new-frontpage-toplevels-topics" class="frontpage-box"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../3015/free-access-weekend.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Free Access Weekend!</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('../../free.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../814/start-here.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Start here</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('/media/physics/getting-started/getting-started.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../819/revision-tips.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Revision tips</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('/media/physics/getting-started/exam-tips.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../2885/exam-questions.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Exam questions</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('../../practice-papers/flash-front.png'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../204/basics.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Basics</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('/media/physics/basics/basics.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../217/mechanics.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Mechanics</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('/media/physics/mechanics/mechanics.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../252/thermal.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Thermal</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('/media/physics/thermal/thermal.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../444/oscillations-and-waves.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Oscillations & waves</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('/media/physics/waves/waves.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../445/electricity-and-magnetism.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Electricity & magnetism</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('/media/physics/electricity/electricity.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../443/circular-motion-and-gravity.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Circular motion & gravity</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('/media/physics/circular-motion/circular.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../354/atomic-nuclear-and-particles.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Atomic, nuclear & particles</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('/media/physics/atomic/atomic.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../446/energy-production.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Energy production</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('/media/physics/energy-production/energy.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../848/options.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Options</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('/media/physics/astro/options.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../823/astrophysics.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Astrophysics</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('/media/physics/astro/black-hole.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div><div class="col-md-4 col-sm-4"><div class="item"><a href="../849/engineering.html"><div class="header" style="height: 35px;"><h3 class="title special" style="margin-top: 0;">Engineering</h3></div><div class="body"><div class="cropper" style="background-image: url('/media/physics/engineering/lift-off.jpg'); height: 10vw;"></div></div></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="container-fluid shadow-ith"><div class="row frontpage"> <div class="col-md-3" id="left-column"> <p class="visible-xs-block"></p><div class="dropdown user-menu hidden-xs" style="margin-bottom: 20px;"> <button type="button" class="btn btn-default dropdown-toggle" data-toggle="dropdown" style="border-radius: 0; padding: 6px 18px;"> <i class="fa fa-fw fa-user-circle"></i> <small><i class="fa fa-caret-down"></i></small> </button> <ul class="dropdown-menu"> <li class="dropdown-submenu"><a href="#"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-globe"></i> Subjects</a><ul id="user-subjects-menu" class="dropdown-menu"><li></li><li class=""><a href="../../../biology.html">DP Biology</a></li><li class=""><a href="../../../chemistry.html">DP Chemistry</a></li><li class=""><a href="../../../englishalanglit.html">DP English A: Language & Literature</a></li><li class=""><a href="../../../mathsanalysis.html">DP Maths: Analysis & Approaches</a></li><li class=""><a href="../../../mathsapplications.html">DP Maths: Applications & Interpretations SL</a></li><li class="active"><a href="../../../physics.html"><i class="fa fa-caret-right"></i> DP Physics</a></li><li class=""><a href="../../../spanishb.html">DP Spanish B</a></li></ul></li><li class="divider"></li><li><a href="../../../user.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-dashboard"></i> Dashboard</a></li><li><a href="../../../user/profile.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-cog"></i> My profile</a></li><li><a href="../../../user/messages.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-envelope"></i> Messages</a></li> <li class="divider"></li> <li> <a href="../../../index.htm?logout=1"> <i class="fa fa-fw fa-power-off"></i> Log out </a> </li> </ul></div> <div id="side-nav"><h4 class="side-nav-title dropdown"><a href="../217/mechanics.html" class="dropdown-toggle toplevel-dropdown" data-toggle="dropdown"><i class="fa fa-ellipsis-v"></i></a> <a href="../217/mechanics.html">Mechanics</a><ul class="dropdown-menu"><li><a href="../../../physics.html" style="padding-left: 5px; border-bottom: solid 1px #ddd"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-home"></i> Home</a></li><li><a href="../3015/free-access-weekend.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Free Access Weekend!</a></li><li><a href="../814/start-here.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Start here</a></li><li><a href="../819/revision-tips.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Revision tips</a></li><li><a href="../2885/exam-questions.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Exam questions</a></li><li><a href="../204/basics.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Basics</a></li><li><a href="../252/thermal.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Thermal</a></li><li><a href="../444/oscillations-and-waves.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Oscillations and waves</a></li><li><a href="../445/electricity-and-magnetism.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Electricity and magnetism</a></li><li><a href="../443/circular-motion-and-gravity.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Circular motion and gravity</a></li><li><a href="../354/atomic-nuclear-and-particles.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Atomic, nuclear and particles</a></li><li><a href="../446/energy-production.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Energy production</a></li><li><a href="../848/options.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Options</a></li><li><a href="../823/astrophysics.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Astrophysics</a></li><li><a href="../849/engineering.html"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i> Engineering</a></li></ul><div class="pull-right"><a class="sidenav-expand" title="Expand all" href="#"><i class="fa fa-plus-circle"></i></a> <a class="sidenav-compress" title="Compress all" href="#"><i class="fa fa-minus-circle"></i></a></div></h4><ul class="side-nav level-0"><li class="expanded parent"><label style="padding-left: 0px"><a class="expander" href="#" style="font-size: .9em"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i></a><a href="../218/kinematics.html">Kinematics</a></label><ul class="side-nav level-1"><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../221/distance-and-displacement.html">Distance and displacement</a></label></li><li class="expanded parent selected"><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="velocity-and-speed.html">Velocity and speed</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../224/linear-acceleration.html">Linear acceleration</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../222/equations-of-uniformly-accelerated-motion.html">Equations of uniformly accelerated motion</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../226/acceleration-due-to-gravity.html">Acceleration due to gravity</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../227/projectile-motion.html">Projectile motion</a></label></li></ul></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 0px"><a class="expander" href="#" style="font-size: .9em"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i></a><a href="../219/forces.html">Forces</a></label><ul class="side-nav level-1"><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../235/examples-of-forces.html">Examples of forces</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../236/balancing-forces.html">Balancing forces</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../237/inertia-momentum-and-impulse.html">Inertia, momentum and impulse</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../238/newtons-second-law.html">Newton's second law</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../239/newtons-third-law.html">Newton's third law</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../240/conservation-of-momentum.html">Conservation of momentum</a></label></li></ul></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 0px"><a class="expander" href="#" style="font-size: .9em"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-caret-right"></i></a><a href="../220/work-and-energy.html">Work and energy</a></label><ul class="side-nav level-1"><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../247/work-done.html">Work done</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../242/kinetic-energy.html">Kinetic energy</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../243/potential-energy.html">Potential energy</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../251/conservation-of-energy.html">Conservation of energy</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../241/force-vs-displacement-graphs.html">Force vs displacement graphs</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../244/collisions.html">Collisions</a></label></li><li class=""><label style="padding-left: 14px"><i class="fa fa-fw"></i><a href="../245/power.html">Power</a></label></li></ul></li></ul></div> <div class="hidden-xs hidden-sm"> <button class="btn btn-default btn-block text-xs-center" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#modal-feedback" style="margin-bottom: 10px"><i class="fa fa-send"></i> Feedback</button> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-9" id="main-column"> <h1 class="page_title"> Velocity and speed <a href="#" class="mark-page-favorite pull-right" data-pid="223" title="Mark as favorite" onclick="return false;"><i class="fa fa-star-o"></i></a> </h1> <ol class="breadcrumb"> <li><a href="../../../physics.html"><i class="fa fa-home"></i></a><i class="fa fa-fw fa-chevron-right divider"></i></li><li><a href="../217/mechanics.html">Mechanics</a><i class="fa fa-fw fa-chevron-right divider"></i></li><li><a href="../218/kinematics.html">Kinematics</a><i class="fa fa-fw fa-chevron-right divider"></i></li><li><span class="gray">Velocity and speed</span></li> <span class="pull-right" style="color: #555" title="Suggested study time: 15 minutes"><i class="fa fa-clock-o"></i> 15'</span> </ol> <article id="main-article"> <p><img alt="" src="../../mechanics/kin-1-s.jpg" style="float: left; width: 250px; height: 167px;">What is the difference between velocity and speed? Velocity is the vector equivalent of speed. Since speed is the distance travelled per unit time, this means that velocity is displacement travelled per unit time.</p> <p>If you're estimating how long a journey will take, you will probably use an average velocity. However, sometimes instantaneous velocity is more important. </p> <hr class="hidden-separator"> <div class="panel panel-turquoise panel-has-colored-body"> <div class="panel-heading"> <div> <p>Key Concepts</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-body"> <div> <p>Velocity is defined as the rate of change of displacement:</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span class="math-tex">\(v={\Delta s \over \Delta t}\)</span></p> <p style="text-align: center;">The derived SI unit of velocity is m s<sup>-1</sup>.</p> <p>Speed is defined as the rate of change of distance:</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span class="math-tex">\(\text {speed} = {\text {distance} \over \text {time}}\)</span></p> </div> <hr class="hidden-separator"> <p><u><strong>S</strong></u>peed is a <u><strong>s</strong></u>calar and <u><strong>v</strong></u>elocity is a <u><strong>v</strong></u>ector. This means if you tavel in a complete circle at constant speed your velocity is constantly changing and your average velocity will be zero.</p> <p>Watch this clip and notice the changing direction of the velocity arrow.</p> <div class="video-embed vimeo"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="" height="420" width="100%" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/160106620"></iframe></div> </div> <div class="panel-footer"> <div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="panel panel-has-colored-body panel-yellow"> <div class="panel-heading"><a class="expander" href="#"><span class="fa fa-plus"></span></a> <div> <p>Essentials</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-body"> <div> <div class="panel panel-yellow panel-has-colored-body panel-has-border"> <div class="panel-heading"><a class="expander" href="#"><span class="fa fa-plus"></span></a> <div> <p>Instantaneous velocity</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-body"> <div> <p>Any moving object has an instantaneous velocity.</p> <p>Instantaneous velocity is the velocity you would calculate if you divided motion into small steps and calculated the step length divided by time taken: <span class="math-tex">\(v_{\textrm {instantaneous}}={\delta s \over \delta t}\)</span>.</p> <p>The direction of the velocity is the same as the direction of the <strong>change</strong> in displacement.</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-footer"> <div> <p> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="panel panel-yellow panel-has-colored-body panel-has-border panel-expandable"> <div class="panel-heading"><a class="expander" href="#"><span class="fa fa-plus"></span></a> <div> <p>Constant velocity</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-body"> <div> <p>Velocity has direction so is represented by a vector. The length of the vector is proportional to the magintude of the velocity. In 1-dimension the sign gives the direction (positive is right).</p> <p>It is conventional to take the initial velocity of a body as the positive direction, but this is not essential, provided you are consistent within a question.</p> <div class="smart-object center" data-id="35"> <div class="video-embed vimeo"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="" height="420" width="100%" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/160106495"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="panel-footer"> <div> <p> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="panel panel-yellow panel-has-colored-body panel-has-border panel-expandable"> <div class="panel-heading"><a class="expander" href="#"><span class="fa fa-plus"></span></a> <div> <p>Average velocity</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-body"> <div> <p><img class="sibico" src="../../../img/sibico/notes.svg" style="height:1.25em;width: auto;vertical-align:text-bottom" title="Notes (summary/recap)"> If velocity is constant then average velocity = instantaneous velocity. If velocity is not constant they will be different, average velocity is simply the total displacement / total time. On a graph, these would be found from the final and intial points, ignoring whatever happens between.</p> <div class="smart-object center" data-id="36"> <div class="video-embed vimeo"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="" height="420" width="100%" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/160106516"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="panel-footer"> <div> <p> </p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="panel panel-yellow panel-has-colored-body panel-has-border panel-expandable"> <div class="panel-heading"><a class="expander" href="#"><span class="fa fa-plus"></span></a> <div> <p>Components of velocity</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-body"> <div> <p>As with all vectors, velocity can be split into two perpendicular components, usually horizontal and vertical.</p> <p>When solving problems in 2D we can treat the components separately.</p> <div class="smart-object center" data-id="37"> <div class="video-embed vimeo"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="" height="420" width="100%" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/160502464"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="panel-footer"> <div> <p> </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="panel panel-has-colored-body panel-green"> <div class="panel-heading"><a class="expander" href="#"><span class="fa fa-plus"></span></a> <div> <p>Test Yourself</p> </div> </div> <div class="panel-body"> <div> <p><i>Use quizzes to practise application of theory.</i> </p> <br><a class="btn btn-primary btn-block text-center" data-toggle="modal" href="#191bdd5a"><i class="fa fa-play"></i> START QUIZ!</a><div class="modal fade modal-slide-quiz" id="191bdd5a"> <div class="modal-dialog" style="width: 95vw; max-width: 960px"> <div class="modal-content"> <div class="modal-header slide-quiz-title"> <h4 class="modal-title" style="width: 100%;"> Velocity and speed <strong class="q-number pull-right"> <span class="counter">1</span>/<span class="total">1</span> </strong> </h4> </div> <div class="modal-body p-xs-3"> <div class="slide-quiz" data-stats="6-34-223" style="opacity: 0"> <div class="exercise shadow-bottom"><div class="q-question"><p>A car travels at a constant speed of 30 ms<sup>-1</sup> for 20s.</p><p>Which of the following statements are false</p></div><div class="q-answer"><p><label class="radio"><input class="c" type="radio"> The car travels in a straight line</label></p><p><label class="radio"><input type="radio"> The car could have a displacement of less than 600 m</label></p><p><label class="radio"><input type="radio"> The car could have a changing velocity</label></p><p><label class="radio"><input type="radio"> The car travels a distance of 600 m</label></p></div><div class="q-explanation"><p>If the velocity is constant then the motion is in a straight line but not necessary if speed is constant.</p><p>If the car moves in a curved path then the displacement will be less than 600 m</p></div><div class="slide-q-actions"><button class="btn btn-default btn-sm btn-xs-block text-xs-center check"><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i> Check</button></div></div><div class="exercise shadow-bottom"><div class="q-question"><p>A car travels for 10s with constant velocity for a distance of 100 m.</p><p>Which of the following statements is false:</p></div><div class="q-answer"><p><label class="radio"><input class="c" type="radio"> The speed could be changing</label></p><p><label class="radio"><input type="radio"> The displacement is 100 m</label></p><p><label class="radio"><input type="radio"> The velocity is 10 ms<sup>-1</sup></label></p><p><label class="radio"><input type="radio"> The speed is 10 ms<sup>-1</sup></label></p></div><div class="q-explanation"><p>Constant velocity is the same as constant speed in a fixed direction</p></div><div class="slide-q-actions"><button class="btn btn-default btn-sm btn-xs-block text-xs-center check"><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i> Check</button></div></div><div class="exercise shadow-bottom"><div class="q-question"><p>Watch the animated dot.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="gifffer" data-gifffer="/media/physics/images/velq1.gif" style="width: 280px; height: 256px;"></p><p>If the length scale is in meters, the magnitude of the average velocity is.</p></div><div class="q-answer"><p><label class="radio"><input class="c" type="radio"> 1 ms<sup>-1</sup></label></p><p><label class="radio"><input type="radio"> 0.75 ms<sup>-1</sup></label></p><p><label class="radio"><input type="radio"> 20 ms<sup>-1</sup></label></p><p><label class="radio"><input type="radio"> 5 ms<sup>-1</sup></label></p></div><div class="q-explanation"><p>Displacement = 5 m since the horizontal and vertical motion forms a 345 triangle.</p></div><div class="slide-q-actions"><button class="btn btn-default btn-sm btn-xs-block text-xs-center check"><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i> Check</button></div></div><div class="exercise shadow-bottom"><div class="q-question"><p>Watch the animated dot.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="gifffer" data-gifffer="/media/physics/images/velq1.gif" style="width: 280px; height: 256px;"></p><p>If the length scale is in meters, the average speed is approximately.</p></div><div class="q-answer"><p><label class="radio"><input type="radio"> 20 ms<sup>-1</sup></label></p><p><label class="radio"><input type="radio"> 1 ms<sup>-1</sup></label></p><p><label class="radio"><input class="c" type="radio"> 4 ms<sup>-1</sup></label></p><p><label class="radio"><input type="radio"> 0.1 ms<sup>-1</sup></label></p></div><div class="q-explanation"><p>The distance travelled is approximately 20 m and the time 5 s. Easier to simply eliminate the other answers as too big or too small.</p></div><div class="slide-q-actions"><button class="btn btn-default btn-sm btn-xs-block text-xs-center check"><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i> Check</button></div></div><div class="exercise shadow-bottom"><div class="q-question"><p>Observe the motion of the blue dot and answer the questions</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="gifffer" data-gifffer="/media/physics/images/velq2.gif" style="width: 308px; height: 192px;"></p></div><div class="q-answer"><p>The displacement at time 0 s = <input type="text" style="height: auto;" data-c="-1"> <span class="review"></span> m</p><p>The displacement at time 2 s = <input type="text" style="height: auto;" data-c="3"> <span class="review"></span> m</p><p>The total displacement from 0 s to 2 s = <input type="text" style="height: auto;" data-c="4"> <span class="review"></span> m</p><p>The velocity of the dot = <input type="text" style="height: auto;" data-c="2"> <span class="review"></span> ms<sup>-1</sup></p><p>The initial instantaneous velocity of the dot = <input type="text" style="height: auto;" data-c="2"> <span class="review"></span> ms<sup>-1</sup></p><p>The instantaneous velocity at time 2 s = <input type="text" style="height: auto;" data-c="2"> <span class="review"></span> ms<sup>-1</sup></p></div><div class="q-explanation"><p>Although the displacement at 2s is 3m the displacement from the original position = 4m so v = 4/2</p></div><div class="slide-q-actions"><button class="btn btn-default btn-sm btn-xs-block text-xs-center check"><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i> Check</button></div></div><div class="exercise shadow-bottom"><div class="q-question"><p>Another blue dot</p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="gifffer" data-gifffer="/media/physics/images/velq3.gif" style="width: 308px; height: 192px;"></p></div><div class="q-answer"><p>The displacement at time 0 s = <input type="text" style="height: auto;" data-c="3"> <span class="review"></span> m</p><p>The displacement at time 4 s = <input type="text" style="height: auto;" data-c="-1"> <span class="review"></span> m</p><p>The total in displacement from 0 s to 4 s = <input type="text" style="height: auto;" data-c="-4"> <span class="review"></span> m</p><p>The velocity of the dot = <input type="text" style="height: auto;" data-c="-1"> <span class="review"></span> ms<sup>-1</sup></p><p>The initial instantaneous velocity of the dot = <input type="text" style="height: auto;" data-c="-1"> <span class="review"></span> ms<sup>-1</sup></p><p>The instantaneous velocity at time 2 s = <input type="text" style="height: auto;" data-c="-1"> <span class="review"></span> ms<sup>-1</sup></p></div><div class="q-explanation"><p>Displacement is negative so velocity is negative, this is also the direction of motion.</p></div><div class="slide-q-actions"><button class="btn btn-default btn-sm btn-xs-block text-xs-center check"><i class="fa fa-check-square-o"></i> Check</button></div></div> </div> </div> <div class="modal-footer slide-quiz-actions"> <div class=""> <div class="pull-left pull-xs-none mb-xs-3"> <button class="btn btn-default d-xs-none btn-prev"> <i class="fa fa-arrow-left"></i> Prev </button> </div> <div class="pull-right pull-xs-none"> <button class="btn btn-success btn-xs-block text-xs-center btn-results" style="display: none"> <i class="fa fa-bar-chart"></i> Check Results </button> <button class="btn btn-default d-xs-none btn-next"> Next <i class="fa fa-arrow-right"></i> </button> <button class="btn btn-default btn-xs-block text-xs-center btn-close" data-dismiss="modal" style="display: none"> Close </button> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> </div> </div> <div class="panel-footer"> <div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="page-container panel-self-assessment" data-id="223"> <div class="panel-heading">MY PROGRESS</div> <div class="panel-body understanding-rate"> <div class="msg"></div> <label class="label-lg">Self-assessment</label><p>How much of <strong>Velocity and speed</strong> have you understood?</p><div class="slider-container text-center"><div id="self-assessment-slider" class="sib-slider self-assessment " data-value="1" data-percentage=""></div></div> <label class="label-lg">My notes</label> <textarea name="page-notes" class="form-control" rows="3" placeholder="Write your notes here..."></textarea> </div> <div class="panel-footer text-xs-center"> <span id="last-edited" class="mb-xs-3"> </span> <div class="actions mt-xs-3"> <button id="save-my-progress" type="button" class="btn btn-sm btn-primary text-center btn-xs-block"> <i class="fa fa-fw fa-floppy-o"></i> Save </button> </div> </div></div> <div id="modal-feedback" class="modal fade" tabindex="-1" role="dialog"> <div class="modal-dialog" role="document"> <div class="modal-content"> <div class="modal-header"> <h4 class="modal-title">Feedback</h4> <button type="button" class="close hidden-xs hidden-sm" data-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close"> <span aria-hidden="true">×</span> </button> </div> <div class="modal-body"> <div class="errors"></div> <p><strong>Which of the following best describes your feedback?</strong></p> <form method="post" style="overflow: hidden"> <div class="form-group"> <div class="radio"><label style="color: #121212;"><input type="radio" name="feedback-type" value="Recommendation"> Recommend</label></div><div class="radio"><label style="color: #121212;"><input type="radio" name="feedback-type" value="Problem"> Report a problem</label></div><div class="radio"><label style="color: #121212;"><input type="radio" name="feedback-type" value="Improvement"> Suggest an improvement</label></div><div class="radio"><label style="color: #121212;"><input type="radio" name="feedback-type" value="Other"> Other</label></div> </div> <hr> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-6"> <div class="form-group"> <label for="feedback-name">Name</label> <input type="text" class="form-control" name="feedback-name" placeholder="Name" value=" "> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-6"> <div class="form-group"> <label for="feedback-email">Email address</label> <input type="email" class="form-control" name="feedback-email" placeholder="Email" value="@airmail.cc"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="form-group"> <label for="feedback-comments">Comments</label> <textarea class="form-control" name="feedback-comments" style="resize: vertical;"></textarea> </div> <input type="hidden" name="feedback-ticket" value="082b9c9c4ae3624d"> <input type="hidden" name="feedback-url" value="https://studyib.net/physics/page/223/velocity-and-speed"> <input type="hidden" name="feedback-subject" value="6"> <input type="hidden" name="feedback-subject-name" value="Physics"> <div class="pull-left"> </div> </form> </div> <div class="modal-footer"> <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary btn-xs-block feedback-submit mb-xs-3 pull-right"> <i class="fa fa-send"></i> Send </button> <button type="button" class="btn btn-default btn-xs-block m-xs-0 pull-left" data-dismiss="modal"> Close </button> </div> </div> </div></div> </article> <hr class="hidden-md hidden-lg"> <div class="hidden-md hidden-lg mt-xs-3"> <button class="btn btn-default btn-block text-xs-center" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#modal-feedback" style="margin-bottom: 10px"><i class="fa fa-send"></i> Feedback</button> </div> </div> <input type="hidden" id="user-id" value="38342"></div><input id="ticket" type="hidden" value="082b9c9c4ae3624d"><input id="tzoffset" type="hidden" value="new"><input id="fp" class="fp" type="hidden" value=""></div><div id="std-footer"> <div class="wmap"> <div class="layout-wrapper"> <p> <a href="https://www.inthinking.net"> © <span id="footer-year"></span> <em>InThinking</em> <script>document.getElementById("footer-year").innerHTML = new Date().getFullYear();</script> </a> | <a target="_self" href="../../../about.html"> About us </a> | <a target="_self" href="../../../terms-and-conditions.html"> Legal </a> | <a target="_self" href="../../../contact.html"> Contact </a> </p> <p> <a class="social" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/inthinker"> <img src="../../../img/social/twitter-square.svg"> Twitter </a> <a class="social" target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/inthinking.net"> <img src="../../../img/social/facebook-square.svg"> Facebook </a> <a class="social" target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=139741989"> <img src="../../../img/social/linkedin-square.svg"> LinkedIn </a> </p> </div> </div></div><script src="../../../js/jquery-1.11.3.min.js"></script><script src="../../../js/bootstrap.min.js"></script><script src="../../../js/jquery-fancybox/jquery.fancybox.min.js"></script><script>var pageId = 223;</script><script type="text/javascript" src="../../../js/jqueryui/jquery-ui-custom.min.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="../../../js/jqueryui/jquery.ui.touch-punch.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="../../../js/std-quizzes-helpers.min.js?v=20220406"></script><script src="../../../ajax/libs/mathjax/2.7.0/MathJax.js?config=TeX-AMS-MML_HTMLorMML"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="../../../js/slick-carousel/slick.min.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="../../../js/std-slide-quizzes.min.js?v=20220406"></script><script src="../../../js/gifffer/gifffer.min.js"></script><script src="../../../js/gifffer/gifffer-player.min.js?v=20201126"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="../../../js/jqueryui/jquery-ui.min.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="../../../js/jqueryui/jquery.ui.touch-punch.min.js"></script><script src="../../../js/user/page-my-progress.min.js?v=202211221000"></script><script>var sAJAX='/pages/subjects/activity/user-stats-page.php?t=082b9c9c4ae3624d&p=223&s=6&x=11368';var sData='k4iA6GSB03BgPm14OmORPHpsE3KeSVBAEzP5PHpsE39FIxiA6GSB0bfjSYyBPm1FKnKRW3ajSVgl6GqgPVaAEGKgPFAF7YcHEKvr6GSDPmjn6GyDEzAFWGcrE0ij6GyDPmjn6GyDEzAF7bKFEYv86GB2Pm1FPFAF7YcrZxP5PBAh7Ysq73Bm7LAh7YcHEKAhOmPD0xv3EGyh63BrkzLsWnC87bpBEGCFeC==';var loopSecs = 30;var minSecsLog = 60;var lsKey = '6-83610-223';</script><script src="../../../js/subjects/activity/user-stats-page.min.js?v=202205311700"></script><script src="../../../js/subjects/activity/my-favorites.min.js?v=20220610"></script><script src="../../../js/subjects/feedback.min.js?v=202211221000"></script><script>var sessionUpdateSecs = 300;</script><script type="text/javascript" src="../../../js/session-updater.js"></script><script>(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');ga('create', 'UA-98480796-3', 'auto');ga('send', 'pageview');</script><script src="../../../js/devicefp/devicefp.min.js"></script><script src="../../../js/jq-quickfit/jq-quickfit.min.js?v=20220201"></script><script src="../../../js/frontpage-subjects.min.js?v=202211161300"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="../../../js/studyib-jq.min.js?v=202211241300"></script><script type="text/javascript">$(document).ready(function(){ $('#trigger-modal-video-overview').click(function() { if( $('#modal-video-overview .modal-body iframe').attr('src').length == 0 ) { $('#modal-video-overview .modal-body iframe').attr('src', 'https://www.youtube.com/embed/hxxtdiLdTFk?rel=0'); } }); $('#modal-video-overview').on('hidden.bs.modal', function() { $('#modal-video-overview .modal-body iframe').attr('src', ''); }); });</script></body></html>