February 16, 2011

Speed and velocity

Copy and complete the following table:

Quantity Symbol Unit Symbol Equation

Speed

Distance

Time
Quantity Symbol Unit Symbol Equation

metre per
Speed v m/s v=d/t
second

Distance d metre m d=vt

Time t second s t=d/v

 distance
speed =
time
 Definition
• Speed is the rate of change of distance

distance
speed =
time
 d
v=
t
Why I don’t like formula triangles

Gm1m2
mg = 2
r
Now stick that in a triangle…
 Can you calculate speed?
• Usain Bolt can run 100 m in 9.58 second.
How fast does he run?
 Worked example
d = 100m
t = 9.58s
v=?
d
v=
t
100m
v=
9.58s
v = 10.44 m/s OR ms -1
 Two types of speed
• How fast was Usain Bolt running at the
start?
• How fast was he running in the middle?
• How fast was he running at the finish?
 Average speed

total distance travelled

average speed =
total time taken
 Instantaneous speed
• This is the speed at
any given moment (or
instant!)
• A speedometer in a
car gives the
instantaneous speed
but you would have to
calculate the average
speed (most GPS
systems can do this
for you)
 Displacement
• The difference between the starting point and
finishing point. It is distance with direction
 How far does a football travel
during a match?
• Distance: many kilometers
• Displacement: 0
 Velocity
• The rate of change of displacement

• OR

• How fast you are going in a particular

direction
 Velocity

s
v=
t
 February 16, 2011
Graphing movement
 Learning objective
• Draw and interpret distance-time graphs
• Draw and interpret velocity-time graphs
 Define these terms…
• Distance

• Displacement

• Speed

• Velocity
The Moving Man
 To do
• Using graph paper draw a distance-time
graph of your journey to school
• Now try a velocity-time graph of the same
journey