Speed & Velocity
Speed Speed (s) – rate at which an object is moving Does not depend on direction speed = distance ÷ time (s = d/t) Constant Speed – speed that does not change
Speed A car drives 100 meters in 5 seconds What is the car’s speed? s = (100 m) / (5 s) = 20 m/s 100 m
Speed A racecar is traveling at 85.0 m/s. How far does the car travel in 30.0 s? What is the distance the car travels? s = d/t → d = s × t d = (85 m/s) × (30 s) = 2550 m
Speed A rocket is traveling at 10 km/s. How long does it take the rocket to travel 30 km? What is the time it takes the rocket to travel? s = d/t → t = d/s t = (30 km) / (10 km/s) = 3 s
Velocity Velocity (v) – speed with direction velocity = displacement ÷ time V = Δx /t
Example - + Distance traveled? 7 cm Displacement? Speed? +3 cm 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 + - 5 s 3 s 4 s 1 s 2 s Distance traveled? Displacement? Speed? Velocity? 7 cm +3 cm (7 cm) / (5 s) = 1.4 cm/s (+3 cm) / (5 s) = +0.6 cm/s