speed

key terms

• What is speed?

• a measure of how much distance something can cover per unit of time.

• To calculate speed: 

distance over time

• What is a vector? Name 2 vector quantities? 

• Vector is a quantity having direction as well as magnitude

  • Displacement

  • acceleration

  • force

  • momentum

  • velocity

• What is a scalar? Name 2 scalar quantities? 

• Scalars are quantities that only have magnitude (or numerical value) alone.

  • mass

  • temperature

  • distance

  • time

  • speed

  • Energy

• Speed vs velocity 

• Speed: The rate at which an object covers distance.

  • scalar quantity

• Velocity: the speed of something in a given direction.

  • Vector quantity 

• Average speed vs instantaneous speed 

• Average speed: The total distance travelled divided

by the total time in motion.

• Instantaneous speed: The speed travelled at a

particular moment in time.

• Distance vs displacement 

• Distance: a scalar quantity that represents the total length of the path travelled by an object, regardless of direction.

• Displacement: a vector quantity that represents the straight-line distance and direction from the starting point to the final position of an object

• Average speed for walking, cycling, running, sound, light 

• Walking: 1.5 m/s

• Cycling: 6m/s 

• Running: 3m/s 

• Sound : ~343 m/s 

• Light : 3 x 10⁸ m/s