velocity (velocities)

Velocity is a measure of how fast an object is travelling at a specific time.

The formula for velocity is:

    \text {Velocity}= \dfrac{\text {Change in displacement}}{\text{Change in time}}

The unit of velocity will depend on the unit of displacement and unit of time used in the calculation.

For example, if displacement is measured in miles and time is measured in hours, the unit of velocity would be miles per hour (m.p.h.).

Although velocity and speed are closely linked there is a difference between them. When calculating the velocity of an object we must consider the direction in which it is travelling. This means an object’s velocity can be positive or negative.

We do not consider the direction the object is travelling when calculating its speed, and so it is not possible to have a negative speed.