Position, Speed, and Velocity Flashcards

Flashcards about position, speed, and velocity.

What is position?

Location of an object.

What is needed to measure position?

A reference point, often called zero or origin, is needed.

What are vector quantities?

Quantities that have both magnitude and direction.

What does the value of position depend on?

The value of the position depends on the reference frame.

How is velocity calculated?

Change in position divided by the time taken for that change.

Is velocity a vector quantity?

Velocity is also a vector quantity.

How is speed calculated?

Distance over time.

What is the difference between speed and velocity?

Speed only has a magnitude and does not have a direction, making it a scalar quantity.

In short, what is the big difference between velocity and speed?

Velocity cares about how much the position has changed, while speed cares about how much distance you traveled.