How to calculate instantaneous speed and velocity?

Question

What is the formula for calculating the instantaneous speed and velocity of an object? Preferably an example with an explanation that even a precalculus student would understand?

Answer 1

What data do you have now?
Speed is just distance/time... velocity is distance/time... with some description of the direction. So for most instances speed and velocity are just different words for the same thing.. (once you get to calculus and physics, and start graphing these equations, since you know direction it is velocity... )

But to answer the question, it is how long it takes the object to do a certain distance...

luck

Answer 2

This is difficult to explain without calculus. I will assume you understand average speed and velocity.

Using acceleration, if you have an object that starts at rest and accelerates with a constant acceleration (a), the velocity at an instant in time (t), will be (a)(t). If acceleration is not constant, it's not that simple and you normally use calculus based on a function that describes the acceleration.

Using position, if you have an object with a constant speed/velocity, you can just take two points and use the difference in position divided by the difference in time. Again, if the speed is not constant, you normally use calculus based on a function that describes the position, but if the points are very close together, you can get a great estimate.

Answer 3

The velocity at an instant of time can only be calculated but not measured.
The formula used is;Velocity = acceleration multiplied by time at that instant.The formula for acceleration is as follow;
Acceleration =square root of [power of the moving mass/(mass x time)].

Answer 4

The formula for velocity can be derived (using calculus) from the other equations of motion.

Answer 5

Instantaneous speed= distance covered in that instant/time taken in that instant

Instantaneous velocity= displacement in that instant/time taken in that instant