Average Speed and Average Velocity : Explain

March 25, 2025

1. Average Speed:

  • Definition: Average speed is how fast something is moving over a certain distance, but it doesn’t tell you anything about direction. It’s just the total distance traveled divided by the total time taken.
  • Formula:
    Average Speed=Total DistanceTotal Timetext{Average Speed} = frac{text{Total Distance}}{text{Total Time}} 
  • Example:
    If you drive a car and cover 100 kilometers in 2 hours, your average speed would be:  Average Speed=100 km2 hours=50 km/htext{Average Speed} = frac{100 text{ km}}{2 text{ hours}} = 50 text{ km/h}So, your average speed is 50 kilometers per hour.

2. Average Velocity:

  • Definition: Average velocity is similar to average speed, but it also takes direction into account. It’s the displacement (the straight-line distance from where you started to where you ended, in a specific direction) divided by the total time.
  • Formula:
    Average Velocity=DisplacementTotal Timetext{Average Velocity} = frac{text{Displacement}}{text{Total Time}}Displacement is the shortest distance between the starting point and the ending point, along with the direction.
  • Example:
    Let’s say you walk 4 kilometers east and then turn around and walk 4 kilometers back to the starting point. You’ve covered a total distance of 8 kilometers, but your displacement is 0 because you ended up back where you started. If it took you 2 hours for the entire walk, your average velocity is:  Average Velocity=0 km2 hours=0 km/htext{Average Velocity} = frac{0 text{ km}}{2 text{ hours}} = 0 text{ km/h}In this case, your average velocity is zero because there was no change in position, even though you traveled a total distance.

Key Differences:

  • Average Speed doesn’t care about direction; it only looks at how far you’ve traveled over time.
  • Average Velocity cares about the direction and is focused on how far you are from your starting point.

So, to sum it up:

  • Average speed = Total distance / Total time
  • Average velocity = Displacement / Total time

 

 

 

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