Whats the difference between speed and velocity?

Although these two words can be used interchangably they are very very different. Its easier to explain if you break down their equatoins.

Speed = distance / time
Velocity = displacement / time

The difference between distance and displacement is difficulat to explain but is best described as the following:

Distance is a scalar property that refers to how much ground an oject has covered during its motion.

whereas 

Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to how far our of place an object is, i.e the objects overall change in position.

The differences in these will become more apparent when studying forces and equations of motion so do not worry if you cannot get your head around the definitions at this instant

MG
Answered by Michael G. Physics tutor

8772 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is nuclear fusion?


Calculate the acceleration if a force of 500N is exerted on a mass of 20kg


How high can you raise a kilogram of sugar with 1 kWh of electrical energy? (To 2 s.f in kilometres)


How much force is needed to bring a car to a halt over 5 seconds - the car is moving with velocity km/hr and with a mass of 1000kg.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences