Understanding Velocity | Definition, Formula, and Importance

What is velocity?

Velocity is a physical quantity that describes the rate at which an object changes its position in a specific direction

Velocity is a physical quantity that describes the rate at which an object changes its position in a specific direction. It is a vector quantity, which means it has both magnitude (speed) and direction. Velocity is often represented using the symbol “v” and is measured in units of length per time, such as meters per second (m/s) or kilometers per hour (km/h).

To calculate velocity, you need to know both the displacement (change in position) of an object and the time taken to travel that displacement. The formula for velocity is:

Velocity (v) = Displacement (Δx) / Time (Δt)

For example, if an object moves 20 meters to the east in 5 seconds, the velocity can be calculated as:

v = 20 meters east / 5 seconds = 4 meters per second east

In this case, the displacement is positive since the object moved east, and the velocity is also positive, indicating the direction of motion. If the object had moved in the opposite direction, say west, the velocity would be negative.

It is important to note that velocity includes information about both speed and direction. So, two objects can have the same speed but different velocities if they are moving in different directions. For instance, a car traveling at 60 km/h eastward and another car traveling at 60 km/h westward have the same speed but opposite velocities.

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