What is the relationship between SPEED and VELOCITY?

Answer 1

Speed is a scalar quantity, meaning it has no direction. Velocity is a vector, meaning that it has a specific direction associated with it.

Many people use these interchangeably, but it is not always correct to do so.

Answer 2

Relationship Between Speed And Velocity

Answer 3

Relation Between Speed And Velocity

Answer 4

Speed is a scalar quantity, it has only magnitude. Velocity is a vector quantity, it has magnitude and direction. It's possible for the speed and the velocity to differ greatly.

Consider the following case:

I drive 60 miles north in 1 hour. My speed for the trip is 60 mph. My velocity is 60 mph north.
After that, I return to my starting point at the same speed. The velocity of the entire trip is now zero because I returned to my starting point. The speed, however, remains unchanged. I traveled at a speed of 60 mph.

The strict definition of speed is the change in distance divided by the change in time. The strict definition of velocity is the change in DISPLACEMENT divided by the change in time. The value of the displacement can differ greatly from the value of the distance.

Consider the following:

I walk 10 feet to the right. I then walk 5 feet to the left. The displacement is 5 feet. The distance I traveled is 15 feet.


Rick has given an excellent example. An object can rotate with a constant speed, but it is still accelerating. This is because the direction of the velocity is constantly changing. The centripetal acceleration produces a measurable force that you have felt if you've ever taken a turn in a car.

Answer 5

For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/avdBe

Think of speed and velocity as constant quantities.. eg: 5 miles/hour. The difference between the two is velocity is a vector quantity.. it has direction. So If i say i'm going 5 miles per hour -- that is speed. If I say i'm going 5 miles per hour NORTH -- it is speed with a direction, therefore velocity. Acceleration is the rate of change of speed. If the velocity is increasing the absolute value of speed and velocity is the same (changes at the same rate), but remember velocity has a direction to it. In the case of a contant increase in speed/velocity, the acceleration is constant (because the "slope" of the velocity change is a contant). acceleration = rate of change of velocity. So if you're velocity is contant, the acceleration is zero.

Answer 6

Just as distance and displacement have distinctly different meanings (despite their similarities), so do speed and velocity.
Speed is a scalar quantity that refers to "how fast an object is moving."
Speed = distance / time
Velocity is a vector quantity that refers to "the rate at which an object changes its position".
Velocity = displacement / time
Since velocity is defined as the rate at which the position changes
Speed can be thought of as the rate at which an object covers distance. A fast-moving object has a high speed and covers a relatively large distance in a short amount of time. Contrast this to a slow-moving object that has a low speed; it covers a relatively small amount of distance in the same amount of time. An object with no movement at all has a zero speed.
Imagine a person moving rapidly - one step forward and one step back - always returning to the original starting position. While this might result in a frenzy of activity, it would result in a zero velocity. Because the person always returns to the original position, the motion would never result in a change in position. Since velocity is defined as the rate at which the position changes,
this motion results in zero velocity.
but here there is a non zero speed.

Answer 7

velocity is speed AND direction.

I am travelling at 60 knots (speed).
I am travelling at 60 knots, due North (velocity)

---

Charles M's answer is nice.

one example:
many people (including scientists) use the term "escape velocity" when talking about the speed an object must have to escape the gravitational pull of another.

It is really a speed.

It does not matter in which direction you shoot a projectile (straight up, at 45 degrees or towards the horizon), if you shoot it faster than 11.2 km/s, it will never fall back to Earth nor enter into a closed orbit around Earth. It will have escaped.

Of course, if you shoot it straight down, it will hit the ground and not escape anywhere (at that speed, it might vaporize).

---

m/s^2 is a unit of acceleration: the rate at which speed increases as a function of time.
The number of (m/s) that the object gains per second.
m/s per second = (m/s) / s = (m/s)*(1/s) = m/(s*s) = m / s^2

Answer 8

Speed is the magnitude of velocity. Speed tells you how fast you are going. Velocity also tells you the direction

Just to give a little example, imagine you see this guy running and that there is a speedometer yelling out his speed every instant. That would be velocity as you know his direction and speed.

When you shut your eyes, you just hear the speed and don't see the direction. That's just plain speed :)

Answer 9

As others have correctly said, "velocity" takes into account not only "how fast" you're going, but also which direction.

It seems like a minor distinction, but it's important in physics. For example, if an object is moving around in a circular path at 20 mph, we say its SPEED is constant, but we say its VELOCITY is continually changing, because its direction of motion is continually changing. To describe certain details of this object (such as its kinetic energy) we must refer to its SPEED; but to describe other details (such as the forces acting on the object) we must refer to its VELOCITY.

Answer 10

Speed is the absolute value of velocity.

Speed is a scalar (magnitude only) and velocity is a vector (magnitude and direction).

For example, if a car has a velocity of 4 m/s [West], it has a speed of 4 m/s.