Velocity Definition

In physics, velocity is characterized as a vector measurement of direction and velocity of motion. More specifically, the rate of change of an object's position with respect to a reference frame and time is another way of expressing velocity. The definition of velocity is simply how fast an object moves in a particular direction. It determines how fast or slow something goes. Consider a scenario with two moving elements. If both elements are moving in the same direction, it's easy to determine which one is moving faster. If they are moving in opposite directions, it can be difficult to tell which object is faster.

This concept allows viewers to quickly distinguish between fast and slow. Below we elaborate on this idea.

What is Velocity?

The speed and direction of an object's motion is measured by a vector called velocity. Therefore, to calculate velocity according to this definition, we need to understand both magnitude and direction. For example, if an object is moving west at 5 meters per second (m/s), its velocity in that direction is 5 m/s.

The Velocity Units

While m/s (metre per second) is the SI unit for velocity, it can also be expressed in any d/t unit (distance per time). Miles per hour (mph), kilometers per second (km/s), and kilometers per hour (KMPH) are a few of the units that can be used to express velocity.

Velocity, both Initial and Final

Beginning velocity is the speed and direction at which an object first begins to move. The final velocity, on the other hand, is the speed (together with direction) of the same moving object when it has arrived at its destination.

How can I Calculate the Initial Velocity?

The object's initial velocity (vi) is its speed before it changes as a result of acceleration. As a result, it can be calculated using the formula below:

where vi = beginning velocity (m/s) and vf = final velocity

final velocity = vf (m/s)

(m/s2) = a = acceleration

t is the duration of the acceleration, measured in seconds (s).

How Can I Determine the Final Velocity?

The formula for an object's ultimate velocity is: v = u + at where, v = final velocity. It is equal to the object's initial velocity plus the acceleration times the distance travelled.

u = beginning speed a = speed

t = time

According to the equation, you may determine an object's end velocity by multiplying its beginning velocity by the acceleration brought on by a force over the course of a specific amount of time. The shift in time is shown by the delta () before the time (t), which can be expressed as tv tu. The time from u to v is shown here as tv - tu.

Velocity and Speed

The phrases speed and velocity sometimes cause confusion for the majority of us because they both refer to how quickly something is going. Nonetheless, despite some conceptual similarities, these terms are very distinct from one another. The primary distinction between speed and velocity is that the former provides a notion of the body's rate of motion, while the latter additionally indicates the body's direction of motion. While velocity is tied to displacement, speed is related to the distance travelled. Average velocity, which is calculated by dividing the total distance travelled by the total time, is never more than or equal to average speed. The reason for this is that, unlike the distance travelled, the displacement can never be more than the distance travelled.

Types of Velocity

Constant velocity

An object's speed or direction don't change when it has a constant velocity. Only items that travel in a straight line at a constant speed can be considered to be moving at a constant velocity. An object that moves at a constant speed might be thought of as existing outside of the solar system in interstellar space and being unaffected by external factors.

Variable velocity

When an object's speed is not constant over time but instead varies, this is referred to as having a variable velocity. This may occur in a number of situations, including when an object is accelerating or decelerating or when it is travelling in a circle at a variable speed. The rate of change in an object's position with respect to time is known as velocity in physics. So, if an object's position is changing at a different rate than its velocity, it will also change. The velocity vector's magnitude represents the object's speed, and its direction represents the object's motion.

As a car is travelling down a curved road, this is an illustration of changing velocity. The car is continually shifting directions, which causes its speed to fluctuate as it travels around the curve. Similar to how an object being thrown upwards begins with a certain velocity, slows down as it rises, and then finally stops at the highest point of its trajectory. Many branches of science and engineering, such as mechanics, aerodynamics, and robotics, depend on an understanding of changing velocity.

Instant velocity

Simply put, it is the speed of an object at that instant. The definition of instantaneous velocity is "the speed of a moving object at a point in time". An object's instantaneous velocity can be the same as its default velocity if the velocity is uniform.

The calculation is very similar to Average Velocity, but the timeframe is shorter. We know that the total displacement divided by the total time equals the average velocity over a period of time. The shift decreases as the time interval approaches zero. Nevertheless, the maximum displacement-to-time ratio is not zero and is known as the instantaneous velocity.

Terminal velocity

The terminal velocity is the speed at which an object freely falls through a gas or liquid. Skydivers awaiting deployment of their parachutes typically reach top speeds of about 150 miles per hour (240 km/h). A fog of tiny oil droplets settles at an incredibly low terminal velocity, whereas raindrops fall at a much slower terminal velocity. Objects forced to move faster than their terminal velocity are slowed down to that constant velocity upon release. Objects dropped from rest speed up until they reach their final velocity.

So the object reaches its terminal velocity when the velocity neither increases nor decreases and the acceleration (or deceleration) becomes zero. After falling from rest, the drag force increases for an object that is accelerating until it reaches its final velocity, so the drag force is roughly proportional to the velocity of the falling object. Drag reaches its maximum magnitude at the final velocity of the falling object. Since the two forces are in opposite directions, the object has no net force and its velocity is stable.

Transverse velocity

An object's speed in a direction that is perpendicular to its motion or trajectory is referred to as transverse velocity. It is the part of the object's speed that is parallel to the line separating it from the observer. Transverse velocity is a term used frequently in astronomy to describe how an object moves across the sky in relation to the background stars. The object's angular displacement over a predetermined amount of time and its distance from the observer can be used to calculate transverse velocity.

Angular velocity

The rate at which an object is rotating around a fixed axis is measured by its angular velocity. Being the change in the angle between the object and the axis of rotation with respect to time, it is also known as the rate of angular displacement change.

The most common units for angular velocity measurements are radians per second (rad/s) and degrees per second (deg/s). The angle that an object rotates through in a predetermined amount of time is exactly proportional to its angular velocity if it rotates at a constant angular velocity. According to maths, angular velocity is determined by:

ω = Δθ / Δt

where is the change in angular displacement, is the change in time, and t is the change in angular velocity.

A key idea in physics is angular velocity, which is used to describe the motion of things that move in circles, such as planets circling the sun, machine gears rotating, or a top spinning.